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I've lived in Arkansas for seven years and Little Rock for a year and a half. While the state does have its perks if you like living the Mayberry life, much of the negative stereotypes placed on Arkansas by the rest of the country are placed for a reason. Here are 10 observations I've made about Arkansas.
1. The culture – Arkansas has a very redneck culture. It dominates from the small towns to the heart of Little Rock. Most people are interested in NASCAR, the "deer woods", and muddin’ in their free time. Country music and bluegrass dominate the music scene. These people believe that a Willie Nelson concert is “culture”. And all of this probably goes back to the education systems. Arkansas always ranks one of the worst states for a reason. Public schools in Arkansas put far too much emphasis in things like football stadiums and not near enough on keeping curriculum up to date.
2. Obesity - Arkansas is always ranked one of the highest states for obesity. Fast food restaurants and chain bar and grills dominate the dining scene. Subway is considered “health food” here. Also, there is only one whole foods store near me and it is very small
3. Food - It is nothing, dominated by chain restaurants like Chili’s. Little Rock has little exposure to ethnic cuisine. Many of the supposedly “ethnic” restaurants are very bland and Americanized compared to their counterparts in real cities. Here people rave about the Olive Garden (crappy Italian food) and this area has zero for health food options.
4. Lack of Entertainment- Pro Sports, Concerts, shopping, nightlife, beaches, water parks, museums, the arts, the zoo sucks, etc.
5. Lack of young people – Most young people who are educated leave after college and never look back. Therefore, there isn't much of an intellectual community. Everybody who sticks around gets married straight out of high school, so there is virtually no dating scene. If you are my age and not married yet it's very awkward. If you are gay/lesbian, you can hang it up.
6. Car culture - Unbelievable sprawl for such a low population. The natives LOVE to drive EVERYWHERE. People commute 100+ miles on a regular basis. Also, zero public transit.
7. Nightlife – Nightlife consists of hanging around a Chili's bar, going to a country bar filled with country music, or the evening church service. The streets roll up at sunset here.
8. Bible Belt – The culture here and everything about it revolves entirely around church. Your social life and networking in this area pretty much depends on it. My co-workers have Bible verses plastered all over their walls and people carry Bibles around the office. What if someone is non religious or Jewish, etc?
9. Retail - There are few retail options outside of Wal-Mart, Target, and low end department stores like Kohls, even in Little Rock. It’s unbelievable that a town with almost 200,000 people can have such few options for shopping. Similar sized cities across the country do MUCH, MUCH better in this area than Little Rock. Most people drive to Dallas or Memphis to do their shopping.
10. Crime – Little Rock has a very high crime rate for such a small town. The problem is that there is zero amenities to offset the crime. People here say stuff like "well all major cities have crime". Newsflash. Little Rock is not a major city. Its far from it.
That said, I know most people here are just going to say "if you don't like it, then you can leave". Well I am working on a job transfer so I can move somewhere that is living in the 21st century. I only have one life to live, and I am tired of pissing it away in this boring hellhole.
Let the door knob hitcha where the Good Lord splitcha. I can't wait to get to Arkansas! Let's trade: You can come to the hellhole that is LA (of course you'll barely be to afford to live much less party) and I'll come to nice peaceful Arkansas.
I've lived in Arkansas for seven years and Little Rock for a year and a half. While the state does have its perks if you like living the Mayberry life, much of the negative stereotypes placed on Arkansas by the rest of the country are placed for a reason. Here are 10 observations I've made about Arkansas.
1. The culture – Arkansas has a very redneck culture. It dominates from the small towns to the heart of Little Rock. Most people are interested in NASCAR, the "deer woods", and muddin’ in their free time. Country music and bluegrass dominate the music scene. These people believe that a Willie Nelson concert is “culture”. And all of this probably goes back to the education systems. Arkansas always ranks one of the worst states for a reason. Public schools in Arkansas put far too much emphasis in things like football stadiums and not near enough on keeping curriculum up to date.
2. Obesity - Arkansas is always ranked one of the highest states for obesity. Fast food restaurants and chain bar and grills dominate the dining scene. Subway is considered “health food” here. Also, there is only one whole foods store near me and it is very small
3. Food - It is nothing, dominated by chain restaurants like Chili’s. Little Rock has little exposure to ethnic cuisine. Many of the supposedly “ethnic” restaurants are very bland and Americanized compared to their counterparts in real cities. Here people rave about the Olive Garden (crappy Italian food) and this area has zero for health food options.
4. Lack of Entertainment- Pro Sports, Concerts, shopping, nightlife, beaches, water parks, museums, the arts, the zoo sucks, etc.
5. Lack of young people – Most young people who are educated leave after college and never look back. Therefore, there isn't much of an intellectual community. Everybody who sticks around gets married straight out of high school, so there is virtually no dating scene. If you are my age and not married yet it's very awkward. If you are gay/lesbian, you can hang it up.
6. Car culture - Unbelievable sprawl for such a low population. The natives LOVE to drive EVERYWHERE. People commute 100+ miles on a regular basis. Also, zero public transit.
7. Nightlife – Nightlife consists of hanging around a Chili's bar, going to a country bar filled with country music, or the evening church service. The streets roll up at sunset here.
8. Bible Belt – The culture here and everything about it revolves entirely around church. Your social life and networking in this area pretty much depends on it. My co-workers have Bible verses plastered all over their walls and people carry Bibles around the office. What if someone is non religious or Jewish, etc?
9. Retail - There are few retail options outside of Wal-Mart, Target, and low end department stores like Kohls, even in Little Rock. It’s unbelievable that a town with almost 200,000 people can have such few options for shopping. Similar sized cities across the country do MUCH, MUCH better in this area than Little Rock. Most people drive to Dallas or Memphis to do their shopping.
10. Crime – Little Rock has a very high crime rate for such a small town. The problem is that there is zero amenities to offset the crime. People here say stuff like "well all major cities have crime". Newsflash. Little Rock is not a major city. Its far from it.
That said, I know most people here are just going to say "if you don't like it, then you can leave". Well I am working on a job transfer so I can move somewhere that is living in the 21st century. I only have one life to live, and I am tired of pissing it away in this boring hellhole.
Well except for 5., which I consider to be a big positive rather than a negative, and the fact that I couldn't care less about pro sports, I totally agree with you - I feel the same way living in Rural Missouri.
However, I have discovered that even in larger cities, some of the things that you describe have become more and more prevalent. If you go to any big city now, you are confronted with boring Sysco-Truck restaurants like Chili's and TGI Fridays and the like. Finding good, independently owned and operated eateries, that do not taste all the same is getting to be a real challenge.
Likewise, even in big cities, much of the entertainment is targeted, it seems, toward the low end of the spectrum, intellect-wise. People are just generally getting dumber and less sophisticated and companies are gearing up to market to those ever-increasing numbers of seething morons.
Other than moving to Boston, or NYC or some other huge city in the NE, what can you do about it? The whole country is getting this way.
I've lived in Arkansas for seven years and Little Rock for a year and a half. While the state does have its perks if you like living the Mayberry life, much of the negative stereotypes placed on Arkansas by the rest of the country are placed for a reason. Here are 10 observations I've made about Arkansas.
1. The culture – Arkansas has a very redneck culture. It dominates from the small towns to the heart of Little Rock. Most people are interested in NASCAR, the "deer woods", and muddin’ in their free time. Country music and bluegrass dominate the music scene. These people believe that a Willie Nelson concert is “culture”. And all of this probably goes back to the education systems. Arkansas always ranks one of the worst states for a reason. Public schools in Arkansas put far too much emphasis in things like football stadiums and not near enough on keeping curriculum up to date.
2. Obesity - Arkansas is always ranked one of the highest states for obesity. Fast food restaurants and chain bar and grills dominate the dining scene. Subway is considered “health food” here. Also, there is only one whole foods store near me and it is very small
3. Food - It is nothing, dominated by chain restaurants like Chili’s. Little Rock has little exposure to ethnic cuisine. Many of the supposedly “ethnic” restaurants are very bland and Americanized compared to their counterparts in real cities. Here people rave about the Olive Garden (crappy Italian food) and this area has zero for health food options.
4. Lack of Entertainment- Pro Sports, Concerts, shopping, nightlife, beaches, water parks, museums, the arts, the zoo sucks, etc.
5. Lack of young people – Most young people who are educated leave after college and never look back. Therefore, there isn't much of an intellectual community. Everybody who sticks around gets married straight out of high school, so there is virtually no dating scene. If you are my age and not married yet it's very awkward. If you are gay/lesbian, you can hang it up.
6. Car culture - Unbelievable sprawl for such a low population. The natives LOVE to drive EVERYWHERE. People commute 100+ miles on a regular basis. Also, zero public transit.
7. Nightlife – Nightlife consists of hanging around a Chili's bar, going to a country bar filled with country music, or the evening church service. The streets roll up at sunset here.
8. Bible Belt – The culture here and everything about it revolves entirely around church. Your social life and networking in this area pretty much depends on it. My co-workers have Bible verses plastered all over their walls and people carry Bibles around the office. What if someone is non religious or Jewish, etc?
9. Retail - There are few retail options outside of Wal-Mart, Target, and low end department stores like Kohls, even in Little Rock. It’s unbelievable that a town with almost 200,000 people can have such few options for shopping. Similar sized cities across the country do MUCH, MUCH better in this area than Little Rock. Most people drive to Dallas or Memphis to do their shopping.
10. Crime – Little Rock has a very high crime rate for such a small town. The problem is that there is zero amenities to offset the crime. People here say stuff like "well all major cities have crime". Newsflash. Little Rock is not a major city. Its far from it.
That said, I know most people here are just going to say "if you don't like it, then you can leave". Well I am working on a job transfer so I can move somewhere that is living in the 21st century. I only have one life to live, and I am tired of pissing it away in this boring hellhole.
However, I have discovered that even in larger cities, some of the things that you describe have become more and more prevalent. If you go to any big city now, you are confronted with boring Sysco-Truck restaurants like Chili's and TGI Fridays and the like. Finding good, independently owned and operated eateries, that do not taste all the same is getting to be a real challenge.
Likewise, even in big cities, much of the entertainment is targeted, it seems, toward the low end of the spectrum, intellect-wise. People are just generally getting dumber and less sophisticated and companies are gearing up to market to those ever-increasing numbers of seething morons.
Other than moving to Boston, or NYC or some other huge city in the NE, what can you do about it? The whole country is getting this way.
20yrsinBranson
I have to agree....drive through the 'burbs of any major city, and all you are going to see is chain store after chain store. A strip mall with a Kohl's, Target, Applebees and maybe a Starbucks sandwiched between rows of look-alike houses. Ever drive through suburban Dallas? Yuck. I spend a lot of time with people who grew up in "sophisticated" large cities across the USA and have found many of them to be intellectually incapable of talking about anything besides pro/college sports and widescreen TV's.
I grew up in Rural Missouri, and while many of the things the OP posted are at least half-true, many of the residents of my tiny hometown where a lot more interesting and intellectual than some of the urban/suburbanites I've known more recently. Living in a rural area also has the distinct advantage of being close to outdoor activities...which if you are into that sort of thing, are much harder to get living in an urban area.
To the OP, you really sound like a city person...what led you to Arkansas in the first place? You might like Austin, TX quite a bit, and the job market here is actually relatively decent right now, but even here you'll find anti-intellectualism among many of the residents.
Alabama 30.3
Tennessee 30.1
and plenty more rate higher than Arkansas.
Pau, lets face it, the OP is just like TexasDave, maybe related and can't find anything positive to say about the state. Things he thinks are negatives many think are positives. He talks about upscale of major shopping, well, in case he can't see, most cities of any size here have a Dillards and most malls, throughout the country are dieing. People do not do the mall thing anymore, they do the strip shopping like Kohls, Pennies and Belkz. (spelling?)
He mentions the lack of dining except for chain restaurants, I guess he doesn't realize a couple of things, no matter where we live this is the case and secondly there are many small dining establishments in this state that are very good.
As for our educational system, like any state in the country, the schools are as good as those who attend them. Yes, AR has its share of rural districts that may not stress advanced education because many attending will not continue their education after high school. Not everyone needs or should attend a university or community college. Our youngest granddaughter is married to a guy who barely got out of high school. At 28, he is making almost as much or maybe as much as many engineers. She, on the other hand graduated with honors from College last year and hardly found a job.
Our one daughter and her husband have their own business in Florida. Even with the recession, the money keeps rolling in. Both quit college short of graduating.
You, like me, are enjoying our lives here, we look for the sunshine behind the clouds. I hope OP does get out of AR. for his sake and for others.
Nita
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