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I've posted on here before, but it has been awhile. I still haven't gotten a chance to drive out to NWA, and I do plan to. In the mean time, I've Google earthed the area. My husband laughs because I tell him all the places I have "visited." Anyway one thing that impresses me, and fits my list of must haves, is the topography of the NWA area. I want a house that is on a some what level lot, but has a view of the Ozarks/hills. When I was on Google Earth I noticed that Farmington and around that area outside of Fayetteville, you do get that rolling view. I don't want to actually live "in" the hills and have to drive up steep hills and have a steep drive way. I'll be an old lady by the time I get there in about 5 or 6 years. ha! So ice on something steep would be terrible for me.
I come on here a lot and see what the thread is saying. I mostly see good things about the NWA area, and I have talked to several people here who are nothing but nice and helpful which encourages me to think I am in the right direction for a place to retire to. We live a pretty laid back life style my husband and I. We don't put on airs, we don't throw around money. We like it simple and honest. Not the "party" type of folks, don't need major shopping, but like to have a good grocery store, gas station and bank near by the house we live in. It would be great to have an area where we could walk to stuff. Trying to figure if living in the city or outside the city is best as we age. At first I wanted a small farm, but my husband figures once we're older that will be too much. So I've scaled down my thinking to about half ac. at the most maybe....but little more wouldn't hurt. If it's level it's more usable.
I've gone on several forums and read the posts. Was narrowing down retirement areas (or next place to move as I won't be retired yet), looked into Ocala, Tulsa, small towns in OK, AZ, NM, TX and of course NWA. I'm leaning towards NWA for several reasons. I'm hoping there is not a fatal flaw in my plan. I have family in Colorado Springs, but it's too expensive there. We couldn't afford it, and what we could would be in bad areas. NWA was more affordable it seems.
The problem I'm having is the mileage in between these places and where I live in Northern KY. It's not like you can take a "little" drive to check out the area, and then go back and forth. It's over 10 hour's drive to get out there. Maybe a trip would be good to look around, and I guess if we wanted to move there, we could rent an apartment and continue to look around for the right location. I don't have family there. I have distant relatives who lived in Rogers back in the day, and some are buried there. But other than that, I have no living friends or family there. Makes it hard to just jump and say let's go there.
Anyway, sorry to ramble on. Not sure where I am going with this! Other than to maybe find out what attracted people to the area to make it their home, and the steps they went to get there and research. And what areas around there would fit my bill. 150,000 probably top of budget for a home. Things could change there. I've looked on Truila, Zillow, Realtor.com and it seems it's doable. But most are areas like Springdale, and outside south of Farmington. Bella Vista had some deals too, but I thought maybe it was more in the hills.
Have a good day all. Hope you are getting some good sunny weather on this first day of summer
I've posted on here before, but it has been awhile. I still haven't gotten a chance to drive out to NWA, and I do plan to. In the mean time, I've Google earthed the area. My husband laughs because I tell him all the places I have "visited." Anyway one thing that impresses me, and fits my list of must haves, is the topography of the NWA area. I want a house that is on a some what level lot, but has a view of the Ozarks/hills. When I was on Google Earth I noticed that Farmington and around that area outside of Fayetteville, you do get that rolling view. I don't want to actually live "in" the hills and have to drive up steep hills and have a steep drive way. I'll be an old lady by the time I get there in about 5 or 6 years. ha! So ice on something steep would be terrible for me.
I come on here a lot and see what the thread is saying. I mostly see good things about the NWA area, and I have talked to several people here who are nothing but nice and helpful which encourages me to think I am in the right direction for a place to retire to. We live a pretty laid back life style my husband and I. We don't put on airs, we don't throw around money. We like it simple and honest. Not the "party" type of folks, don't need major shopping, but like to have a good grocery store, gas station and bank near by the house we live in. It would be great to have an area where we could walk to stuff. Trying to figure if living in the city or outside the city is best as we age. At first I wanted a small farm, but my husband figures once we're older that will be too much. So I've scaled down my thinking to about half ac. at the most maybe....but little more wouldn't hurt. If it's level it's more usable.
I've gone on several forums and read the posts. Was narrowing down retirement areas (or next place to move as I won't be retired yet), looked into Ocala, Tulsa, small towns in OK, AZ, NM, TX and of course NWA. I'm leaning towards NWA for several reasons. I'm hoping there is not a fatal flaw in my plan. I have family in Colorado Springs, but it's too expensive there. We couldn't afford it, and what we could would be in bad areas. NWA was more affordable it seems.
The problem I'm having is the mileage in between these places and where I live in Northern KY. It's not like you can take a "little" drive to check out the area, and then go back and forth. It's over 10 hour's drive to get out there. Maybe a trip would be good to look around, and I guess if we wanted to move there, we could rent an apartment and continue to look around for the right location. I don't have family there. I have distant relatives who lived in Rogers back in the day, and some are buried there. But other than that, I have no living friends or family there. Makes it hard to just jump and say let's go there.
Anyway, sorry to ramble on. Not sure where I am going with this! Other than to maybe find out what attracted people to the area to make it their home, and the steps they went to get there and research. And what areas around there would fit my bill. 150,000 probably top of budget for a home. Things could change there. I've looked on Truila, Zillow, Realtor.com and it seems it's doable. But most are areas like Springdale, and outside south of Farmington. Bella Vista had some deals too, but I thought maybe it was more in the hills.
Have a good day all. Hope you are getting some good sunny weather on this first day of summer
The drive from FT Smith to Fayetteville will take you over Farmington and yes, the view is spectacular in my opinion. I can remember when we made the decision to put AR on our list of retirement places, coming form Ft Smith, where we had spent the night and done a little house hunting to the Fayetteville, area and driving the route convinced me to give NWA a serious consideration. We had lived in Ca, VA and NM, so impressive landscapes wasn't a surprise.
Now, as for living and places in your budget, BV is doable. There are some very nice homes under $150,000, depending on the sq footage you would want and the lot size. yes, it is hilly and sometimes that is a pain, but it also makes it one of the prettiest area in NWA. BTW, I am not sure what you mean by being in the hills. Bentonville is another place you might want to consider, but property is higher. I am not sure Springdale is where I would choose to live, it depends on where in Springdale.
How did we decide? Well we had originally retired in NM but we had a few issues with the state, plus it was a little too far from family. So, we started thinking about Ok, parts of Texas and AR. our granddaughter was attending U of A and told us about some of the cities in the area, specially Bella Vista/. We contacted a realtor about a year before we were ready to move: we took a week to visit a couple of cities in Ok, Ft Smith, and Bella Vista. It was a no brainer for us. We have everything we want and need, decent shopping, lots of activities, good medical facilities, decent dining and entertainment and yet we feel like we are living in a forest. Yesterday, just a couple of blocks from our hours we spotted a mommy deer and her brand new fawn. How did we know he was brand new? He was filled with spots, more than most we see and he could barely walk. He was still wobbly. Last year, in front of our house we had twins playing in the street. There mom was on the sidelines watching them.
Hi Nita! I've talked with you before. I knew you would reply :-) Yes, Belle Vista does sound very nice. I know how much you like it there. When I said "in the hills" I meant like living on a hill, way up high looking down. I kind of like the valley looking up...ha! But from how you describe the area, it does sounds beautiful. I've seen it from Google Earth, but it doesn't always give you right prospective. Depending on where you "land" with your street view. I too have lived a lot of places. My dad was military and we moved around. I lived in Alaska from age 14 till 35, so I spent the longest time there. I live in Northern KY now, in between Cincinnati and Lexington. Not thrilled with the area. Would like to leave. My parents retired to Colorado so I go there several times a year. Wanted to try to swing a trip through NWA, but it always seemed out of the way from the direction I was going.
I love seeing wild life too! It is very cool to see the little babies like that. You are very blessed.
So, is Springdale a more crime area or something? I knew Bentonville would be more pricey for houses. Also was going to check out west fork, and areas like that, those areas were mentioned when I was on here before. For sure have to plan a trip out there and spend time!
Springdale is like any of the bigger towns in NWA. There are sections where you would not want to live. Crime in NWA is minimal as compared to Dallas, Chicago, etc.
As for "wildlife", I have a love-hate relationship with the deer. A herd of 12-15 have decided our property is their property...including my landscaping BTW, this is near downtown F'ville.
Hi Nita! I've talked with you before. I knew you would reply :-) Yes, Belle Vista does sound very nice. I know how much you like it there. When I said "in the hills" I meant like living on a hill, way up high looking down. I kind of like the valley looking up...ha! But from how you describe the area, it does sounds beautiful. I've seen it from Google Earth, but it doesn't always give you right prospective. Depending on where you "land" with your street view. I too have lived a lot of places. My dad was military and we moved around. I lived in Alaska from age 14 till 35, so I spent the longest time there. I live in Northern KY now, in between Cincinnati and Lexington. Not thrilled with the area. Would like to leave. My parents retired to Colorado so I go there several times a year. Wanted to try to swing a trip through NWA, but it always seemed out of the way from the direction I was going.
I love seeing wild life too! It is very cool to see the little babies like that. You are very blessed.
So, is Springdale a more crime area or something? I knew Bentonville would be more pricey for houses. Also was going to check out west fork, and areas like that, those areas were mentioned when I was on here before. For sure have to plan a trip out there and spend time!
I would say there are some similarities between Colorado and NWA but the climate is a little different and the greenery not the same. As for Springdale and crime; yes, the crime in Springdale area is much higher than some parts of the region, but still, in comparison, to major cities, it is almost non existent. Some parts of Springdale are very nice.
As for "wildlife", I have a love-hate relationship with the deer. A herd of 12-15 have decided our property is their property...including my landscaping BTW, this is near downtown F'ville.
Yeah, I was thinking that anyone who originally wanted a small farm and likes to grow things would soon come to hate deer.
I am trying to work out a return route to go through there on the way back from Colorado in July. It's out of the way by 2 or so hours, but might be worth it. I'm going to take three days on the return trip so that would give us extra time to stop places.
The deer here can be a problem as well. They are all in the field behind our house, and I've seen some in the neighborhood in people's gardens. Also lots on the roads killed. You really have to watch them. Plus we have a huge warren of rabbits, and they for sure like to get in the garden.
Do you see Bald Eagles there? That's something in Alaska we saw all the time that I miss so much. I've heard there are Bald Eagles around Kentucky, but I have yet to see one. I do see a lot of hawks though. My husband and I are birders and enjoy it very much. We have lots of hummingbirds here too, which are always fun to watch and feed.
I am trying to work out a return route to go through there on the way back from Colorado in July. It's out of the way by 2 or so hours, but might be worth it. I'm going to take three days on the return trip so that would give us extra time to stop places.
The deer here can be a problem as well. They are all in the field behind our house, and I've seen some in the neighborhood in people's gardens. Also lots on the roads killed. You really have to watch them. Plus we have a huge warren of rabbits, and they for sure like to get in the garden.
Do you see Bald Eagles there? That's something in Alaska we saw all the time that I miss so much. I've heard there are Bald Eagles around Kentucky, but I have yet to see one. I do see a lot of hawks though. My husband and I are birders and enjoy it very much. We have lots of hummingbirds here too, which are always fun to watch and feed.
I haven't seen any Bald Eagles, but I can assure you there are many birds; Blue, yellow, Red, pink, black, brown, orange and combinations of the above. And just put out a little food, they will love you forever including building their nest in your hanging plants. or your garage, wherever!!!!戠
LOL, yeah the birds can get to be a problem too. We have several feeders, and the black birds have found them, and eat all the seed in a matter of a few hours. Becomes too expensive, so now I put out little feeders for my finches and I enjoy watching them.
I mapquest my trip, and see that if I went from C. Springs directly to Fayetteville it would be over 12 hours. Could split that trip up a little by stopping short of Tulsa the first day. Still looking into the possibilities as I really, really hate that I-70 route. I've been there so many times. It is the fastest way to Colorado though. But going home I could take my time :-)
I hit a mule deer head on in Wyoming last year, and it came up thru my windshield, nearly killed me, totaled my car, but I walked away uninjured...got lucky I guess.
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BTW, this is near downtown F'ville.
