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View Poll Results: Which City is Growing and Marketing itself better in recent years?
Memphis, TN 39 48.15%
Little Rock, AR 42 51.85%
Voters: 81. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 12-01-2016, 02:59 PM
 
Location: The Republic of Gilead
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Quote:
Originally Posted by murksiderock View Post
Little Rock is almost equally influenced by both Dallas and Memphis, and definitely has a local culture. Personally, I'm not too fond of Little Rock as everyone else. It does have a comparatively nice downtown, but it's not A-grade (Knoxville and Durham have better downtowns). It has some pretty areas. But it is such a slow pace. Everything is behind there, from wages to pop culture trends (fashion, music, etc). The most redeeming quality about Little Rock in my opinion is that it has a very pronounced local culture and people are proud as hell to be from there. There are some friendly people there, some unexpectedly fine women, and it had a soothing character about it....

Then when the novelty of all that wears off, it's time to go!

As it compares to Memphis, because it is influenced (in part) by Memphis, that automatically places the Rock in a lesser tier. It doesn't have nearly the cultural amenities Memphis has. Strip that away, and yes, the two cities would probably be on equal footing. Unfortunately, that's not the way things work, and we can't ignore reality that Memphis just plays in a bigger field culturally. It would be one thing if Little Rock could make up the difference economically, in education, in infrastructure or one mega large important industry---but it doesn't!
I agree with most of this, except when you say Little Rock is culturally influenced by Dallas. I would say Little Rock's relationship with Dallas is purely economic. Culturally they are worlds apart, much moreso than even OKC and Dallas (and they are very different as well).

I do agree though about the local culture in Little Rock. It is actually quite progressive and is one of only three areas of Arkansas that I would consider to be LGBT-friendly (the other two are Fayetteville and Eureka Springs). It's one of those places that has a culture that is distinct from its state (in a good way). Little Rock is only half the population of Memphis however and you just can't expect to be on the same footing culturally.

One thing Little Rock does have over Memphis is easy access to scenic beauty in its back yard and even within the city itself. Memphis is in the Mississippi Delta, which is flat and lacks a lot of outdoor amenities. Little Rock is in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Plenty of hiking, camping, rock climbing, etc right in your back yard in LR. Another advantage is many bars in Little Rock have 5am last call. There aren't very many places in the Bible Belt where you can party that late.
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Old 01-15-2017, 12:12 AM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bawac34618 View Post
I agree with most of this, except when you say Little Rock is culturally influenced by Dallas. I would say Little Rock's relationship with Dallas is purely economic. Culturally they are worlds apart, much moreso than even OKC and Dallas (and they are very different as well).

I do agree though about the local culture in Little Rock. It is actually quite progressive and is one of only three areas of Arkansas that I would consider to be LGBT-friendly (the other two are Fayetteville and Eureka Springs). It's one of those places that has a culture that is distinct from its state (in a good way). Little Rock is only half the population of Memphis however and you just can't expect to be on the same footing culturally.

One thing Little Rock does have over Memphis is easy access to scenic beauty in its back yard and even within the city itself. Memphis is in the Mississippi Delta, which is flat and lacks a lot of outdoor amenities. Little Rock is in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Plenty of hiking, camping, rock climbing, etc right in your back yard in LR. Another advantage is many bars in Little Rock have 5am last call. There aren't very many places in the Bible Belt where you can party that late.
I agree. I think Little Rock is cleaner and more scenic. There are lots of outdoor activities to do.
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Old 01-16-2017, 08:12 AM
 
Location: Greater Orlampa CSA
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I believe the Little Rock metro is growing faster than Memphis by pop percentage. That being said, LR is not in Memphis category, and outsiders and tourists would be way more familiar with Memphis offerings than LR. Apart from the fact it's the capital, LR 9, and the Clintons, I know nothing about the city, and I've been there, though it was a while ago. LR may be a little cleaner/safer feeling though, and it's on the doorstep of the Ozarks where Memphis, apart from the Mississippi, leaves something to be desired as scenery goes. People
Probably know the Mississippi better than the Ozarks though too. As a city, it just feels
Much, much larger and more vibrant than LR. Nothing wrong with LR, though U of Ark would've been nice to have there for them.
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Old 01-16-2017, 10:18 AM
 
247 posts, read 333,471 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cavsfan137 View Post
I believe the Little Rock metro is growing faster than Memphis by pop percentage. That being said, LR is not in Memphis category, and outsiders and tourists would be way more familiar with Memphis offerings than LR. Apart from the fact it's the capital, LR 9, and the Clintons, I know nothing about the city, and I've been there, though it was a while ago. LR may be a little cleaner/safer feeling though, and it's on the doorstep of the Ozarks where Memphis, apart from the Mississippi, leaves something to be desired as scenery goes. People
Probably know the Mississippi better than the Ozarks though too. As a city, it just feels
Much, much larger and more vibrant than LR. Nothing wrong with LR, though U of Ark would've been nice to have there for them.
I know what you're saying about Memphis' scenery, but I think people are a little too hard on it. I came from a city regarded as "scenic" by almost everyone on here, and on my M-F 9-5 job, myself and most of the other citizens are restricted to claustrophobic variations of gravel, concrete, brick and mortar, and very little in the way of greenery other than for landscaping purposes.

Greenery and trees are literally everywhere to be found in Memphis, the city has an open feel, and there's always a park within a short drive. There's even a 10.85 mile greenline trail which gives much of the city an easy path to Shelby farms.

Shelby Farms Greenline Photos | TrailLink

There's been a lot of money and thought put into outdoor recreation in Memphis. There's a 73 mile trail in the works which connects downtown Memphis with the West of the Mississippi for cross-country bikers, with paved walkways bordering the river (the riverfront itself is basically a giant park between urban downtown and the Mississippi), and the new Beale Street landing which gives a great view of both.

What Memphis lacks in sizzle in the scenery and outdoor recreation department, it makes up for in functionality and availability IMO.
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Old 01-16-2017, 11:16 AM
 
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I was born in Memphis and currently live in Little Rock. As an outdoor enthusiast Little Rock blows away Memphis or any of the big 3 Texas cities. I would chose to live in Little Rock over Memphis simply for the outdoor recreation and while Memphis is above Little Rock economically, the difference isn't large enough to sway me to move there. That said Memphis is a step above Little Rock and noticeably feels like a larger city, but Little Rock feels cleaner and is more scenic.
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Old 01-16-2017, 12:24 PM
 
Location: Greater Orlampa CSA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abc2330 View Post
I know what you're saying about Memphis' scenery, but I think people are a little too hard on it. I came from a city regarded as "scenic" by almost everyone on here, and on my M-F 9-5 job, myself and most of the other citizens are restricted to claustrophobic variations of gravel, concrete, brick and mortar, and very little in the way of greenery other than for landscaping purposes.

Greenery and trees are literally everywhere to be found in Memphis, the city has an open feel, and there's always a park within a short drive. There's even a 10.85 mile greenline trail which gives much of the city an easy path to Shelby farms.

Shelby Farms Greenline Photos | TrailLink

There's been a lot of money and thought put into outdoor recreation in Memphis. There's a 73 mile trail in the works which connects downtown Memphis with the West of the Mississippi for cross-country bikers, with paved walkways bordering the river (the riverfront itself is basically a giant park between urban downtown and the Mississippi), and the new Beale Street landing which gives a great view of both.

What Memphis lacks in sizzle in the scenery and outdoor recreation department, it makes up for in functionality and availability IMO.
Great post. That's probably the strongest argument I've heard in defense of Memphis and it's scenic landscape. It does have a pretty good park system, a lot of tree cover, the Mississippi River as mentioned. Also, not mentioned, but worth pointing out, are the cypress forests south of town, most notably the Ghost River. I still think scenery is an advantage for Little Rock overall, but you make a good case for Memphis.
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Old 01-16-2017, 12:59 PM
 
247 posts, read 333,471 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cavsfan137 View Post
Great post. That's probably the strongest argument I've heard in defense of Memphis and it's scenic landscape. It does have a pretty good park system, a lot of tree cover, the Mississippi River as mentioned. Also, not mentioned, but worth pointing out, are the cypress forests south of town, most notably the Ghost River. I still think scenery is an advantage for Little Rock overall, but you make a good case for Memphis.
Wouldn't mind having Pinnacle Mountain in Memphis, that's for sure. LR really is a pretty area, and it's got a ton of potential downtown. It seems to have that dense urban build and trolleys which make it enjoyable to get around (as does Memphis, though LR is definitely cleaner). Getting people who want that type of urban lifestyle in order for it to thrive is going to be difficult, though, given its location.
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Old 01-18-2017, 09:31 AM
 
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I lived in west Little Rock (Cantrell area), and I lived in Memphis (east-Cotton Plant area). The cities have a totally different cultural feel, different politics (racial problems in Memphis govt are epic), different educational environment, LittleRock seems less ghetto, a bit more prosperous, less bifurcated, and much less of a Mississippi feel. Memphis is way too much influenced by Mississippi culture, attitudes, style, weather, etc.
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Old 01-18-2017, 08:42 PM
 
Location: Atlanta metro (Cobb County)
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The link below has some interesting comparisons of the Memphis vs Little Rock metro areas based on census data. Although smaller in population, Little Rock arguably seems to have the edge on several measures:

* Income - median household, median family, per capita are all higher in Little Rock. Memphis does have a larger proportion in the very highest income bracket, however.
* Employment - Little Rock has a lower unemployment rate. There is also a higher share of jobs in white collar (management, professional) occupations while Memphis has more in blue collar occupations (likely warehousing due to FedEx).
* Education - Little Rock is about 3% ahead of Memphis for high school completion, and 2% ahead for earning bachelor's degrees.
* Housing - Little Rock's homeownership rate is higher than Memphis'. The housing stock is newer, and a larger share of homeowners have no mortgage.

https://census.missouri.edu/acs/prof...0|31000US30780

Statistics aren't everything - but they generally suggest Little Rock is more prosperous on average than Memphis. Being a state capital and not in quite as close proximity to some of the nation's poorest rural areas may be a relative advantage.
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Old 01-19-2017, 03:11 AM
 
Location: Chisago Lakes, Minnesota
3,810 posts, read 6,390,701 times
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We live in Texas and have wanted to move to Arkansas for some time because of the natural beauty there. Little Rock was on our list, but a job offer I received from the biggest hospital in town had wages so low I almost laughed out loud at the HR person when she told me. I, like some others, think LR has great potential to be the south's next hot spot, but if wages are like that across the board it's not gonna happen anytime soon. Arkansas as a whole seems to lean way closer to the likes of Mississippi and Louisiana than it does Texas in that (economic) regard. I tell people all the time......people aren't moving in droves to Texas for the scenery.
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