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Originally Posted by nmnita

You can easily go 5 miles either direction and be totally in the country, still close to shopping, hospitals etc. Our granddaughter lives just on the outskirts of Huntsville. They are in a sub division with homes sites of 1 acre or more and the prices range from about $125,000 to over $200,000. Yes, Huntsville has a high school and lower level schools. The town itself is just over 2000 people. If I had one conplaint, the lots in their sub division do not have many trees, but the surrounding areas do.

I really think you should look in the areas between Fayetteville and Huntsville or Pea Ridge. There is another area that is pricier, a little nearer to Fayetteville that is absolutely awesome.

Nita

So whats Pea Ridge like? I heard they had their only hareware store closed recently? How big is it?? Whats the area around it like?

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Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

Out of the Clifty list of towns, Hindsville is your only real town, with schools and so on. The others are more community identities. Clifty has a gas station, I believe. Depending on where you live and where parents work, I think children either attend school in Hindsville or in Rogers. Spring Valley, if I remember correctly, is a community organized around a small church. That doesn't mean that the people in that community all attend that church or anything like that, just that the identity of the community was tied to a building that happened to be a church. War Eagle is similar in that the community identity is attached to the War Eagle Mill and River. Part of the community is closer to Springdale, part closer to Rogers.

Garfield and Gateway. Garfield is a real community, it has an elementary school (very cool architecture, by the way) and a couple of gas stations that have diners and mini-groceries attached to them. Lost Bridge is an adjunct community. The Lodge on Whitney Mountain at the top of Lost Bridge has a restaurant with fabulous views, but the restaurant has been through a series of owners and isn't always open. Garfield also has Across the Creek Restaurant, an all you can eat seafood buffet that's pretty popular with locals. Gateway has a post office and just recently re-opened restaurant. Much of Gateway's population are summer people who have homes around the lake in the Indian Creek area, and go further south for the winter.

All of these communities are easy commutes to Eureka Springs. Hindsville would be the easiest commute to Fayetteville.

Rogers versus Fayetteville. Fayetteville has been the dominant city in Northwest Arkansas since even before the University was built there. It has tons of activities for kids. But Northwest Arkansas itself is very kid-friendly. All four of the major NWA cities, Fayetteville Springdale Rogers Bentonville have movie theaters (well Bentonville doesn't, but the Rogers theaters are so close it doesn't make a difference, plus Bella Vista does on Bentonville's northern boundary), there are parks, skate parks, arcades, bike trails, hiking trails, public pools (Bentonville and Springdale have the best pool complexes), bowling alleys, and the libraries in all these communities have activities and contact information for other activies as well. There are also very active soccer leagues, peewee football, little league baseball, swim teams, junior basketball and so on. Rogers is the closest to Beaver Lake and the lake is more a center of activity for Rogers than for the other communities. Springdale also has several access points on the lake. You might just google the school districts to get a complete list of activities the schools offer. Just a sidenote, the four major cities have much more diverse populations than the small towns.

Thanks DC. This is the kinda info I was needing.. I think we will look at Pea Ridge, Garfield, and the Hindsville area in the south. Are there a lot of developments/subdivisions going in around these areas.. or is it still open property there? We are trying to avoid having a ton of neighbors. What about job growth? Are there people still coming to the area or is it slowed way down with the economy issues?

Thanks!!

[DC at the Ridge]

I would say that all three of the towns you've listed have primarily been farming communities, albeit small farms as the norm. Both Pea Ridge and Hindsville saw development during the housing boom, but that has stalled due to the economy. Garfield, I don't think saw much development. It's grown, but there aren't that many subdivisions in Garfield. There are still people moving to the area. You can almost always tell by how they drive, which is not to say they are bad drivers, but there's a difference when a person isn't used to an area and when a person's car knows the way home. There are certainly land available to build on throughout Northwest Arkansas. You might want to visit, though, and get a real feel for the area before making any decisions. Each town really does have a distinct feel to it.

[janelle144]

Had my Honeymoon there. From what I have observed and heard I wouldn't want to live there, just visit. It's turned in to an artist colony and not much of a family city. The tourist trade is drying up and people are going to Branson. Might be good or bad if the economy dries up. A lot of people are moving out. I would try to find a place in between or closer to Branson. If you still have kids at home you would want a family type of city with lots of kids and good schools.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by janelle144

Had my Honeymoon there. From what I have observed and heard I wouldn't want to live there, just visit. It's turned in to an artist colony and not much of a family city. The tourist trade is drying up and people are going to Branson. Might be good or bad if the economy dries up. A lot of people are moving out. I would try to find a place in between or closer to Branson. If you still have kids at home you would want a family type of city with lots of kids and good schools.

Well, I've been to Eureka Springs several times this summer. If the tourist trade is drying up, you certainly couldn't tell by the number of people shopping, eating or just walking around there.

This is the link to one of the Eureka Springs "newspapers".

http://www.lovelycitizen.com/

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Yeah we werent thinking of moving to Eureka area but outside of it a ways.. Thanks for the link to the paper.. I'll chek it out when I have more time.. But right now I have steaks on the grill... Yumm...

[janelle144]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

Well, I've been to Eureka Springs several times this summer. If the tourist trade is drying up, you certainly couldn't tell by the number of people shopping, eating or just walking around there.

This is the link to one of the Eureka Springs "newspapers".

Lovely County Citizen: Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Last time I was there the locals were complaining about the tourists all going to Branson or other areas but not there, like the old days. Many houses were for sale.

[maggiemypet]

Yeah, we were just through Eureka this weekend. It seems that a lot of businesses are closing and not reopening. There might be a new restaurant here or there, but for the most part, it's slowly slipping away.

Anyways, back to small towns outside of Eureka. Berryville is an option, has a movie theater (one or two screens, I forget) and a wal-mart (a tremendous source of joy when it was built). It has a cute downtown. Hindsville is a cute little area. Very, very tiny. Pea Ridge is an option, it is small and cute as well. I don't know much about their schools, but I don't believe there is anything wrong with them.

Hindsville is about 20 minutes East of Fayetteville and Pea Ridge is about 15 from Rogers and Bentonville is just beyond that. All cities are nice. Fayetteville is the college town, so you'll find funky little shops there, restaurants, and the Walton Arts Center (Legally Blonde was just here). Rogers has the Promenade and a cute downtown.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either Pea Ridge or Hindsville, really. With Hindsville you'd do your grocery shopping in Hunstville (about 10 minutes down the road). Pea Ridge is more self contained in that aspect, I believe.

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Thanks for all the posting. You learn much more when its from a real person living there instead of a Chamber of Commerce trying to get everyone to their city

A few things I still havent heard much about are...

..... if there are any tornados in NW AR? I know you can have them anywhere.. Actually we've had a few really bad ones here in MI.. But do they happen around there?

Also about bugs... I am seriously bothered by mosquitos.. Are they bad there? Do they spray any areas for them?? wHAT ABOUT THE CHIGGARS?? i HEARD THEY ARE BAD.. iS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT THEM?? (sry about the caps..lol)Any other poisonous animals I should worry about? Spiders?

Do they have cable internet in the mountains? I know they usually have it in the cities but how far out of the cities do they have internet?? It is a MUST for our family.. So I want to make sure I look in areas that have it..

Thanks!!!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by needing more

Thanks for all the posting. You learn much more when its from a real person living there instead of a Chamber of Commerce trying to get everyone to their city

A few things I still havent heard much about are...

..... if there are any tornados in NW AR? I know you can have them anywhere.. Actually we've had a few really bad ones here in MI.. But do they happen around there?

Also about bugs... I am seriously bothered by mosquitos.. Are they bad there? Do they spray any areas for them?? wHAT ABOUT THE CHIGGARS?? i HEARD THEY ARE BAD.. iS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT THEM?? (sry about the caps..lol)Any other poisonous animals I should worry about? Spiders?

Do they have cable internet in the mountains? I know they usually have it in the cities but how far out of the cities do they have internet?? It is a MUST for our family.. So I want to make sure I look in areas that have it..

Thanks!!!

Here goes, the good and the really not so good:

Tornados, yes, we do get them but not very often and they usually are not all that bad. As you mentioned, you can get them almost anywhere in the midwest or upper mid-west, but they are worse in Southern AR and Ok than NWA. I don't think I would worry about any weather related problems here.

creapy crawlers: we have our share, yes, there are mosquitos, mostly around the lakes and rivers. You can always use Deet or even Avon "skin so soft" both work wonderfully well. Chiggers are another story, again, if you spray before you go into the woods and places they like to wait and attack, you may be lucky. They do not bother me, but hubby is a mess most of the summer. Again, spray before and shower as soon as you come in, you will be ok hopefully. They are the worst from late June until mid August. We do have some bad snakes and a few spiders, but again, your chances of coming into contact with these pains are slim. The worst snakes can be found near water or in high brush.

I don't know about inter-net but as far as I know it is almost everywhere now. I know they have it everywhere around here, all the small towns and the areas around Huntsville. I am assuming this will not be a problem.

The biggest problem will be the less than wonderful creepy crawlers I just mentioned.

The negative about them can be offset by the wonderful wild life we enjoy, the wild berries and the wonderful country side.

Nita