[Hollynla]

A small'ish town/city in northern AR too look into might be Harrison. However, all the highways just to the outside of Harrison will be winding roads but they all lead to some wonderful things to do like hikding, sight seeing, kayaking the Buffalo, etc. Harrison is a town of about 13K, has a Wal Mart, Home depot, hospital, small college, etc. and is only 30 minutes to Branson MO.

[Quert]

Originally Posted by nmnita

curiosity, how much time have you spent in Ar? do you actually live here? I ask because some of what you say is true, other part is exaggerated. Yes, NEAR is flat, but where i have a concern is your statement about hot and sticky. Of course coming from the upper mid west the humidity would seem high, but compared to the southern part of AR and the rest of the south it isn't bad at all. As for ice storms, yes, they exist but they are rare and very seldom bad enough to close schools or make driving a challenge, especially for those coming from further north.

I live in NE Arkansas. I've been around to the north central (lived here), north west, central, and north east parts of Arkansas. I've lived here since the end of 2015. It's definitely not Wisconsin flat, but a lot of it seems flat around here. What I consider flat and what someone else considers flat could be two completely opposite views. It's not as humid out this way because we don't have Bull Shoals, Norfork, and the rivers like north central has. I'm comfortable with how it feels, but describing it to somebody that may hate it is where I have issues. I'd rather live back in the Ozarks to be honest, but things have brought me out this way for a couple of years.


School closings are what the South is known for. I've lived elsewhere in the South and the same situations exist there also. I cannot judge too much though, I moved here and respect the people of this state. I may find it funny on some of the school closings, but they're only ensuring the safety of the kids.

[thewizard16]

Originally Posted by melissa77gregg

Grateful for all the replies. We have been to Arkansas, but years ago, coming from Memphis - only been to the eastern part. Summers in Iowa are hot and humid too. Another reason why we want to move - the high property taxes in Iowa! We look for a smaller city but not too small.

My family relocated from Iowa as well (admittedly a number of years ago now) and still visit family up there frequently. People are friendly both places but Arkansas (well, maybe not the eastern part as much) is quite a bit more scenic!

Some Arkansas cities worth considering if you're looking for somewhere "small" but with good services:

Mountain Home - population ~12-13k, 30-40k in the area. Big lakes, rivers, cheap land, massive hospital and high end medical services for a town its size, beautiful college (branch of ASU), above average restaurant density and services for a small town due to summer tourism and it being a retirement area. About an hour and a half from Branson for the occasional weekend touristy trip. Roads can be somewhat curvy but major highways are easy to drive and 62/412 keeps gradually expanding section by section.

Harrison- very similar to Mountain Home in size, very similar services thought not quite as robust on the medical side of things. Not as close to lakes, etc. but still very pretty area overall. Also very cheap. Closer to Branson and a little easier to get to due to US 65 being redeveloped and expanded more extensively over the past decade than US 412. Roads are about the same as Mtn. Home except for the improvements they've made to 65. It's all interstate grade to Springfield, MO from Harrison now.

NWA- there are numerous outlying smaller suburbs of NWA that are affordable and in close proximity to the larger urban area of Fayetteville/Rogers/Bentonville/Bella Vista area. Siloam Springs comes to mind as being large enough to have its own services but still separate enough to feel like a small town.

Fort Smith- A bit larger than the other suggestions (though smaller than NWA core), so it has pretty much everything. The city is going through somewhat of a revitalization over the last decade and is easily accessible due to being an interstate junction city. Perhaps a bit less scenic but it is on the river and has some very cool historic areas.

Conway- Also a bit larger and a bit heavier on the traffic side due to the interstate and proximity to Little Rock, but has plenty of services, shopping, dining, etc. and is close to the Little Rock area.

Cabot- Another "near Little Rock" kind of suburb, closer in size to Siloam Springs. Far enough from LR to feel like its own place but close enough anything you'd want that it doesn't have is a short drive away.

Benton/Bryant- Fast growing Little Rock suburbs that still have a lot of very country feeling areas.

[melissa77gregg]

Hi everyone!

Thank you sooooooooooo much for your replies! This really helps us a lot. Appreciate your comments so much!!!

[TRex2]

Originally Posted by melissa77gregg

Hi everyone!

Thank you sooooooooooo much for your replies! This really helps us a lot. Appreciate your comments so much!!!

Just make sure you keep coming back here and updating us.
(That is how corporate knowledge improves)

[SFBayBoomer]

Just how windy are these NWA roads? Are they enough to make a passenger in the vehicle nauseous?

We are thinking of visiting NWA as part of a vacation, and I love scenic roads, but not the sort that brings on nausea.

[CraigCreek]

Originally Posted by SFBayBoomer

Just how windy are these NWA roads? Are they enough to make a passenger in the vehicle nauseous?

We are thinking of visiting NWA as part of a vacation, and I love scenic roads, but not the sort that brings on nausea.

Are you prone to carsickness? If so, the front passenger seat is usually the best choice.

I don't think roads in NWA are any more winding than roads in other hilly areas, and many roads follow valleys.

A look at a detailed road map of this area might be helpful.

[TRex2]

I don't find them too bad, but I don't get nauseous until everyone else is unconscious
Whether or not a road makes someone nauseous varies by individual.

Road 9 from Melbourne to Allison, and 14 from Allison to "Fifty-Six" get
a little tedious. Too many hills and turns, not enough panoramic views.

US 412 West of Yellville isn't a favorite either, but I think 14 NW of Yellville is worse.

Most of these are trying to follow along the side of a canyon,
so you get the twists and turns, without the views you would
get from the ridge-line, and the forests here limit the visibility
of the canyons as you drive the roads.

Almost all of my exploration has been in the lower mountains,
and someone who lives higher up may have better views.

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by CraigCreek

Are you prone to carsickness? If so, the front passenger seat is usually the best choice.

I don't think roads in NWA are any more winding than roads in other hilly areas, and many roads follow valleys.

A look at a detailed road map of this area might be helpful.

Of course I look at maps, always. But maps alone are insufficient. I just checked a map before I posted and discovered that one windy road here that causes me so much nausea we don't drive it looks on the map to be the same as one that does not bother me.

Yes, I know that the front passenger seat is much better than the back seat. That's why I always ride up front. I am prone to carsickness as a passenger in the front seat (and worse, in the back seat, but I never ride back there, unless in a taxi) on some windy roads.

It seems that one of the aspects that bothers me is the combination of windy with steep declines that require frequent use of the brakes.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by SFBayBoomer

Just how windy are these NWA roads? Are they enough to make a passenger in the vehicle nauseous?

We are thinking of visiting NWA as part of a vacation, and I love scenic roads, but not the sort that brings on nausea.

If you are thinking windy like driving to Tahoe from the bay area or heading to Big Bear from Los Angeles, no, nothing like that. And they do not have the huge mountains, but there are just so many windy roads when you get into the residentual neighborhoods, people sorta freak out. This applies more to older people and people who have come from the flat lands of the mid west.