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Old 07-17-2020, 11:39 AM
 
Location: Chisago Lakes, Minnesota
3,810 posts, read 6,392,305 times
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I don't live in AR (as so many in here love to constantly point out), but my family and I have been enamored with the state for 5 years now and hope to be there permanently someday. We visit as often as we can and for your situation I would recommend Madison County, particularly out around the Huntsville vicinity. Newton County (bordering Madison to the east) is more scenic and rugged, but Madison is still gorgeous and closer to the main population center in NWA. Hwy. 412 runs out there from Springdale and once you're out toward Huntsville (about a 30 minute drive) you don't have to go far in any direction to be totally enveloped in the splendor of the Ozarks, yet still be reasonably close to the I-49 corridor and connected by a major thoroughfare to everything you could want or need. Beaver Lake, which is huge, is also not far away from just about any area of Madison County save maybe the extreme southern portions. Huntsville itself is a super cute small town of about 2,500 that we haven't had the chance to stop and explore yet, but we always love passing through there regardless. That area is right on the cusp of the majestically beautiful Boston Mountains, and you can also get up to Eureka Springs in good time should the mood strike you. We have a lot of special needs with our kids that will likely require us to be much closer to the 49 corridor should we ever make it down there for good, but if we didn't the area I'm describing would definitely be at the top of our list to settle in because of the "one foot in/one foot out" bill it seems like it would fit so well.
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Old 07-17-2020, 02:04 PM
 
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Thank you. We are down to deciding between Kentucky and Arkansas. Has anyone lived in both?
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Old 07-17-2020, 02:07 PM
 
36 posts, read 52,857 times
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Should this Ozark area near NWA stay conservative although NWA is growing?
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Old 07-17-2020, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Huntsville Area
1,948 posts, read 1,482,450 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by latunafish View Post
a little off topic, but if you have never been in the arkansas delta region, now would be a great time for a cruise through the countryside. we have one of the best looking crops of soybeans, corn, rice and cotton, i have seen in a long time. slow start to the season, but a lot of good weather since then has produced a beautiful landscape to view. but, in a few weeks, the corn harvest will start and the scenery will change on a daily basis, until all the crops are gathered in the fall.

contrary to what some people say and think, the delta is a beautiful region with some really great people.
I lived in Memphis and traveled out into Arkansas' river delta virtually every day doing business. Some of my clients had farms of 10,000 acres and one owned and farmed 46,000 acres in 3 states. In an agricultural world, there are few farms anywhere that can top Eastern Arkansas in row cropping corn, soybeans and cotton.

The places I prefer in Arkansas are from Salem west along the AR/MO state line all the way to Oklahoma. Then south thru Bentonville/Fayetteville down to Ft. Smith and along I-40 back to Little Rock. Then draw a line from Little Rock up through Heber Springs and back up to Salem.

Land should still be very reasonably priced in most of The Ozarks. Greer's Ferry Lake, Lake Norfolk, Bull Shoals Lake (just inside MO) are simply magnificent impoundments, and their tailwaters produce great trout fishing. Societies in most Arkansas towns are pretty good.

Although I left Memphis in1986, we still have many Arkansas friends and see them quite often. It's the people of Arkansas that's such a treasure. Don't worry a thing about crime there as it's everywhere, and Arkansas is just great.
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Old 07-17-2020, 03:32 PM
 
12,003 posts, read 11,801,873 times
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Originally Posted by kydc View Post
Thank you. We are down to deciding between Kentucky and Arkansas. Has anyone lived in both?
I am a Kentuckian with Arkansas roots that pull me back frequently. What, specifically, are the deciding factors likely to be for you? Both states are beautiful and have both commonalities as well as differences.
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Old 07-17-2020, 07:25 PM
 
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Craigcreek you have helped me on the Ky forum a lot . We are really trying to decide between AR and KY and just have a lot on the line (large family). We are pretty much looking to pack up leave SC and buy 20 acres or so in another state. We’re looking for
low crime
no significant drug problem (I know this is somewhat everywhere)
mountain views
access to natural beauty such as creeks, waterfalls, hiking
affordable land
low to no building restrictions (allowance of living in an RV and the building of one's own home without codes/zoning regulation)
Reasonable COL and taxes
Rural setting with civilization within an hour or so
Southern culture (not necessary but it’s what we’re used to)
Conservative politics And personal freedom.

KY is closer to all we’ve ever known so feels somewhat less scary of a change. ... but I never could narrow down in Ky. I star the d looking south central but the mountains aren’t there. Kind of want to be on the edge where farming is also possible. We’ve never been to AR but have visited family in Morehead and stayed in Stanton.
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Old 07-18-2020, 06:17 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,112,011 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kydc View Post
Should this Ozark area near NWA stay conservative although NWA is growing?
Actually as the years have progressed and the population has grown, the state seems to have become more conservative. At least the elected officials are more to the right, by far, than to the left.
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Old 07-18-2020, 06:23 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,112,011 times
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Originally Posted by sub View Post
I was just being factual.
Crime is worse in a few parts, but certainly not confined to those parts. Most of Arkansas is not "almost crime free".
Not all of Arkansas is like Pine Bluff, but not all of it is anything like Bella Vista either.
That being said, I lived many many years in various parts of Arkansas in places like Little Rock and those big bad Delta towns. In spite of that, I never was a victim of crime beyond some pocket change getting taken from the center console of my car.

So, if someone mentions crime, yes, Arkansas ranks very poorly with that. People who have traveled the state extensively and pay attention to what goes on in various parts of the state know that crime and poverty isn't exclusive to a couple areas.
If I were putting down AR for it's crime, I wouldn't continually say that Little Rock is the only place I'd move back to because it's not exactly the most crime-free place in the world.
In fact, if the weather were vastly cooler and/or drier there, it might be a serious contender of places I might would move back to.

Crime stats aren't merely "studies" based on personal opinions. Crime is crime.
Yes, there are different ways to report crimes and interpret crimes, but Arkansas doesn't do anything special to make themselves look worse.
"Best places to retire" or "best places to do business", well now we're are getting into murkier territories of opinion. Personal circumstances play a much larger role with those.
I've seen Arkansas rank almost dead last in a few "best places to retire" lists but obviously for a lot of people it's near the top. Those kinds of studies are based on tax situations or healthcare needs which can be quite a bit different from one person to the next.

Whether or not Arkansas is "desirable" just depends on what you desire.
Yes stats and studies can be slanted> You can take 10 examples, say of safe places to live: 2 may have very high crime rates and also have high population: the other 8 could be small cities, thus the figures would appear one way when they do not mean much. it just takes one bad apple to spoil the bag.

Of course Pine Bluff is not Bella Vista but I am not talking only Pine Bluff verses BV. That is how you are getting your figures and so called facts.
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Old 07-18-2020, 07:57 AM
 
36 posts, read 52,857 times
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Crime is important to us because it’s a large reason we’re leaving where we are. So avoid LR, are there any other areas to avoid? We would be rural but whatever city we visit needs to be pretty low in crime.
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Old 07-18-2020, 08:52 AM
sub
 
Location: ^##
4,963 posts, read 3,667,795 times
Reputation: 7831
Quote:
Originally Posted by kydc View Post
Crime is important to us because it’s a large reason we’re leaving where we are. So avoid LR, are there any other areas to avoid? We would be rural but whatever city we visit needs to be pretty low in crime.
"Avoid" would be a strong word. Avoid Pine Bluff, yes, but you seem more interested in the Ozarks. Personally I'd avoid Harrison as well. It just has a weird vibe to it.
The area around I-40 along the Arkansas River valley is one of the prettier parts of the state, but you might not want to be too close to interstate there.
For what you're wanting maybe within an hour or so of Mountain Home would work. A bit more off the beaten path.
The town itself is basic, but it has most services you'd need.
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