[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by FriendlyFeller

Turns out I love Fayetteville, like the people and the LGBTQ community thats here. But freaking a this is a thread about Fort Smith.

Yes, it is.......and on that note, let me just say that I found the area very appealing when we went through there last weekend. That is a great location between the two mountain chains and with the rivers and all. I haven't heard good things about the economy there, though.

[ArkansasTgirl]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

Yes, it is.......and on that note, let me just say that I found the area very appealing when we went through there last weekend. That is a great location between the two mountain chains and with the rivers and all. I haven't heard good things about the economy there, though.

The biggest thing was whirlpool closing but its probably pretty stable now, I don't think there is anything else that could hurt the economy like whirlpool closing did. I drove past the new medical school a little while back and it looks like it should be ready to open soon.

[bawac34618]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

Yes, it is.......and on that note, let me just say that I found the area very appealing when we went through there last weekend. That is a great location between the two mountain chains and with the rivers and all. I haven't heard good things about the economy there, though.

I would personally avoid Fort Smith. It's not declining but its not growing either. It's a decidedly blue collar town that doesn't capitalize enough on its rich history and heritage. Extremely, extremely evangelical and conservative as well (that may or may not be a plus or minus for you). And you posted about wages...Fort Smith is one of the worst places in the state on that front. It's a charming town, but if you are looking for that kind of place, Fayetteville or Hot Springs would be much better choices.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by bawac34618

I would personally avoid Fort Smith. It's not declining but its not growing either. It's a decidedly blue collar town that doesn't capitalize enough on its rich history and heritage. Extremely, extremely evangelical and conservative as well (that may or may not be a plus or minus for you). And you posted about wages...Fort Smith is one of the worst places in the state on that front. It's a charming town, but if you are looking for that kind of place, Fayetteville or Hot Springs would be much better choices.

Gotcha. I wasn't considering Ft. Smith for our relocation anyway, just giving my impression after passing through.

Re: wages - Hot Springs was actually the first place we visited in AR and where we initially wanted to move to, but jobs there are very scarce, and my research indicated wages there were not only some of the lowest in AR, but in the entire nation.

[BigRedIdiot]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

Kejasa, just out of curiosity, why do you hate the confederate/rebel flag? I just visited the area a week ago and saw a lot of flags flying and I found it refreshing but I was southern raised.
Before someone told the nation that the flag was racist and to take them down and ban them, everyone seemed to be okay with them. Why do the northerners hate a flag that supports our southern heritage. Sounds as if they are the ones having a hard time accepting that we are all Americans.

I found Ft. Smith to be a very friendly place. People make what you call racist remarks all the time. Geez, flying or talking about the flag is racist now, being a true American is racist. Seems to be the trendy word now to call someone a racist because of their heritage or because they march to the beat of a different drum.

A well-written refreshing mini-essay about an extremely complicated topic that could easily fill a herd of books and still not adequately cover the many complexities involved. Here is grab a tiny itty-bitty piece of the pie... the influence of elite-owned mass media upon the populace. News coverage and other media aspects bombarding the USA with negativeness tied to that emblem (rebel battle flag). Growing up in the divers multi-cultural San Francisco Bay Area where tolerance was the norm when I entered the South in the late 1979s driving a semi-truck (prior to the mass media indoctrination/propaganda to view that rebel flag as racist) I interpreted what I saw and experienced as a general pride of a unique sub-culture within the USA. I also saw Blacks & Whites working side-by-side at the blue-collar level I existed within. I rarely interacted with higher socioeconomic levels so am unable to describe life there. At the lower life-levels I saw regular folks just living life with little discord.

In summation I offer an OPINION... who benefits when a huge mass of folks are divided into bickering, quarreling sub-groups unable to unite to oppose a tyrannical foe that is an overlord to those masses of common folks? Divide and conquer. I leave with a question; is the USA in the throes of class warfare?

Thank you for taking the time to read my mini-essay (diatribe?).