Bella Vista AR (Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers: houses, tornado, subdivisions)

[ckdaajd]

Can anyone tell me about Bella Vista area. Is it a retirement area or mixed? Like to hear from anyone who lived(s) there that can tell me about the area good or bad. Thanks

[sweethome_NWA]

as I say all the time. it depends your needs and financial ability. yes indeed Bella vista is a retirement community. about 85% of the poluation are over 60's. it is a lovely place to retire. it's lot of lacks and gulf courses if you enjoy fishing and playing Gulf, however if you have kids you better consider another place such as Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, Farmington, Springdale or Lowell etc. Best of luck

[ckdaajd]

Thanks for the info. I thought it was alot of retirees and although I'm going to semi retire I'd like something with alittle more diversity. Also looking at Mountain Home area. Bpth seem to have lots of lake and golf courses but what about housing cost? Is one more expensive than the other? Can anyone give me a good comparision between the two? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Crackerjack]

My brother-in-law has been to Mountain Home several times about bass boats and it is another town with mostly old people and he emailed me when I asked him again about Mountain Home and he told me he just couldn't stand the boredom and living in a town that is full of old people because it "seems like you are in a old folks home 24 hours a day" but said it has grown some and has a few more younger people but something like over 50 percent are over 65. City data shows the median age is 53, pretty old and also it is a bad place for tornadoes. It is 73 percent above average for tornadoes on this city-data information website and there have been several hit in the area so be aware of that. Also he said he likes Harrison a whole lot more and he said if you want diversity, "go to Harrison, Fayetteville-Rogers or Hot Springs." Hot Springs has a higher then average tornado rating 122 percent above US average though. Hope this helps!

[BooHoo]

My inlaws have a house in Bella Vista. When we go up to visit it is very quiet and I think boring. If I was moving to NW AR I would move to Rogers. They have shopping and entertainment--something that Bella Vista lacks.

[sweethome_NWA]

sorry it took me so long to answer your question. Bella vista is little bit expensive when it come to the housing market. if you have any specific questions. feel free to ask & I'll be glad to help.

[Ozark Surfer]

I definitely second the comment that it is not the place for families with young children. While it is beautiful, it is a little remote to foster close relationships with neighbors like trac-housing.

[Vette0324]

my husband & I just returned from Bella Vista and it is very pretty and well kept. It is definitely a retirement community, with walking trails and golf courses galore. We saw few restaurants or businesses inside of the village limits. Guess you would have to travel to nearby Bentonville or Rogers for eating or shopping. Not sure of the reason for this, except that since it is not part of a city government and does not have to abide by city ordinances...just not sure. In any case, if you are wanting a lively city, full of choices for things to do, Bella Vista will not suit your needs. However, if you are ready to retire, golf, take it easy and relax, you will love living there.

[nmnita]

Just thought I would throw my 2 cents worth in: Yes, BV has many retired people but they are attracting families more each month. Not having restaurants etc has nothing to do with no city government. I don't know where that came from. BTW, BV did incorporate last year thus is a city. Is there a lot to do? Well it depends on what you want to do. It is only a couple minutes from Bartlesville which has everything you could want. BV has almost every club and organization you can think of so there are activities. During the summer they have lots of outdoor, evening things. Therre are lots of card groups, yes, hiking and golfing plus fishing. About the only thing they do not have is bars. If bar hopping is someone's idea of things to do, much of AR won't fit the bill.

Yes, BV is a bit on the quiet side, but a great place to retire and a great place to raise kids as well.

Nita

[jgreene777]

BV is incorporated now. Anyone telling you houses are more expensive is a retiree trying to keep you from moving your noisy kids into their 'hood. The houses are the cheapest in the NWA area per square foot, but there are other costs involved to consider. The electric is a cooperative and the water is more expensive than in other municipalities. Also, if you are not close to Hwy71/540, your home will be on septic, not sewer. We just moved from BV to Bentonville and our house is almost twice as big, yet the water, trash and electric bill each month is less than the electric bill alone from our BV home. There is also a POA membership fee that is mandatory for ALL property owners. Developed lots are considerably higher than un-developed lots. Most subdivisions in NWA have POAs that enforce membership fees and those vary greatly. The biggest problems we had with living in BV were the grumpy old people that wouldn't even wave when you passed on the street, the lack of stores, restaurants and entertainment, and the traffic at peak hours. Watch for the swerving greyhairs when you get into Bella Vista; they will smack you with their Oldsmobile and never know it.

Winter stinks if you live "out" in certain parts of BV. We lived close to Lake Windsor and any time it clouded up during the winter, the sides of the hills became impassable in anything less than a 4x4. There are some un-paved back roads that can get some people closer to their homes, but LOTS of people end up walking if they don't head home early enough.