[songtown]

Hi everyone! Well, it's been awhile and a crazy life but here goes...

We are from Memphis and lived in the NWA area for awhile - before the huge influx of people moving in from all over the country. The people were great, and we have found that to be the case in almost all of AR! We moved out of state back to Memphis (family reasons) temporarily and now are ready to leave the high crime for good.

Arkansas is so under-rated to me, and I felt so at home there. The people were so kind and loyal and sweet, and would give you the shirt off their backs. It was amazing. I know there are nice people everywhere, but AR just feels more like home.

I'm looking for:
- somewhere SAFER (not a lot of violent or property crime)
- good to fast internet (we work from home)
- somewhere we could buy a few acres for a small hobby farm/homestead (between 2 and 20 acres, I guess?) with a garden, fruit trees, chickens, dogs, maybe a few goats or sheep or a horse
- somewhere with a few family-friendly places for local musicians to play besides bars (more like coffee shops, restaurants, fairs, festivals or farmers markets) and a good studio not too far would be great too
- a good homeschooling community
- 30 minutes or less to shopping, if possible (not too small of a town an hour away from anything)

I'm considering around the Little Rock area outskirts closer to the Ouachita Mountains like Benton and also Hot Springs because there seem to be more musicians there than we encountered in NWA, but I am still open to the Ozarks area again as well. Obviously we want something more rural on the outskirts so living in the city of LR would be excluded from the list.

Looking at tornado maps it seems they tend to travel along a diagonal path southwest to northeast across the state - I know they can occur anywhere, but from maps I've seen I am cautious about Conway up near Vilonia (I remember when that tornado hit there) and even Jonesboro.

I love the mountains in the background but don't know that I want to be deep in the woods so I'm not sure about Hot Springs. I would love the scenery of mountains in the distance (a few acres at the base of the mountains), but worry about forest predators attacking chickens, turkeys, etc. if we are *in* the woods. I absolutely love the natural beauty of AR and want to go back for good, to finally put down some roots, but I don't know which area would be best for us long-term.

We plan to rent for about a year before purchasing, to get to know the area better before buying. I've noticed rent everywhere going up, and from what I've researched lately, AR areas in demand are the same.

I know this sounds like Goldilocks searching, but hopefully I can get a little more clarity on where to put down roots soon!

Thank you!

[CraigCreek]

Take a look at the stretch between Scenic (Highway) Seven and Petit Jean Mountain. Broad valley with small waterways, bucolic and pastoral, should work well for livestock plus gardening. Not terribly far from Hot Springs, a couple of hours or so to Little Rock.

I have musician cousins near Vilonia, and if you're into traditional music, Mountain View would work, but might not meet your other requirements. Beautiful area, though.

[Yorker_in_AR]

Originally Posted by songtown

Hi everyone! Well, it's been awhile and a crazy life but here goes...

We are from Memphis and lived in the NWA area for awhile - before the huge influx of people moving in from all over the country. The people were great, and we have found that to be the case in almost all of AR! We moved out of state back to Memphis (family reasons) temporarily and now are ready to leave the high crime for good.

Arkansas is so under-rated to me, and I felt so at home there. The people were so kind and loyal and sweet, and would give you the shirt off their backs. It was amazing. I know there are nice people everywhere, but AR just feels more like home.

I'm looking for:
- somewhere SAFER (not a lot of violent or property crime)
- good to fast internet (we work from home)
- somewhere we could buy a few acres for a small hobby farm/homestead (between 2 and 20 acres, I guess?) with a garden, fruit trees, chickens, dogs, maybe a few goats or sheep or a horse
- somewhere with a few family-friendly places for local musicians to play besides bars (more like coffee shops, restaurants, fairs, festivals or farmers markets) and a good studio not too far would be great too
- a good homeschooling community
- 30 minutes or less to shopping, if possible (not too small of a town an hour away from anything)

I'm considering around the Little Rock area outskirts closer to the Ouachita Mountains like Benton and also Hot Springs because there seem to be more musicians there than we encountered in NWA, but I am still open to the Ozarks area again as well. Obviously we want something more rural on the outskirts so living in the city of LR would be excluded from the list.

Looking at tornado maps it seems they tend to travel along a diagonal path southwest to northeast across the state - I know they can occur anywhere, but from maps I've seen I am cautious about Conway up near Vilonia (I remember when that tornado hit there) and even Jonesboro.

I love the mountains in the background but don't know that I want to be deep in the woods so I'm not sure about Hot Springs. I would love the scenery of mountains in the distance (a few acres at the base of the mountains), but worry about forest predators attacking chickens, turkeys, etc. if we are *in* the woods. I absolutely love the natural beauty of AR and want to go back for good, to finally put down some roots, but I don't know which area would be best for us long-term.

We plan to rent for about a year before purchasing, to get to know the area better before buying. I've noticed rent everywhere going up, and from what I've researched lately, AR areas in demand are the same.

I know this sounds like Goldilocks searching, but hopefully I can get a little more clarity on where to put down roots soon!

Thank you!

You might take a look at Eureka Springs. Meets some of your criteria, close to the amenities in Northwest Arkansas and about equal distance (30-45 minute drive) to the Branson area and doesn't have the crime and meth problems like Little Rock and Hot Springs.

[songtown]

Originally Posted by CraigCreek

Take a look at the stretch between Scenic (Highway) Seven and Petit Jean Mountain. Broad valley with small waterways, bucolic and pastoral, should work well for livestock plus gardening. Not terribly far from Hot Springs, a couple of hours or so to Little Rock.

I have musician cousins near Vilonia, and if you're into traditional music, Mountain View would work, but might not meet your other requirements. Beautiful area, though.

Hi CraigCreek! Thank you for these recommendations, I will check them out. We are rock musicians Yes, I think Mountain View would be too remote for us.

[songtown]

Originally Posted by Yorker_in_AR

You might take a look at Eureka Springs. Meets some of your criteria, close to the amenities in Northwest Arkansas and about equal distance (30-45 minute drive) to the Branson area and doesn't have the crime and meth problems like Little Rock and Hot Springs.

Thanks, Yorker_in_AR! I'm afraid that Eureka Springs may be a little too remote for us, but I have heard it is very beautiful to visit! I'll have to see how far from the NWA amenities it would be. That is so sad about the crime and meth issues in LR and Hot Springs, and are a couple of the many reasons we are trying to escape Memphis!

[songtown]

I think we have now narrowed it down to either the area around Benton/Bryant to Hot Springs or Rogers/Bentonville area. I am thinking that the area in central AR would be better for a hobby farm due to elevation and less snow/cold, but it may be equally feasible in that Northwest Arkansas area. I know both areas have a Guitar Center and music studios, but I need to research other amenities for rock musicians. I would imagine that the central AR area would have more musicians simply due to size, but NWA is growing so much, I wonder if there are many rockers there too!

[Jazzitup63]

We have 10 acres with a 3 bed 1 bath in the Sunshine/Royal area. Safest most desirable area on the outskirts of Hot Springs. A hidden gem very private with great soil. We had many garden spaces.
Property has mature trees, Beautiful open space. We are thinking seriously about selling so we can downsize.
Open to selling part or whole. Open to the right offers. Sounds like we may have just what you're looking for.
Also have a 3bed 2bath mobile on 3 acres in Bismark, Ar. Couple miles to Degray Lake.
One owner, no smoking or pets. Open to offers.