Arkansas ranked worst state to retire (Little Rock, Fort Smith: crime rate, houses, safe area)

[gunslinger256]

I think that list is a plus for us. Keeps the droves of retirees and over development at bay for a bit longer.

[JWG223]

Originally Posted by gunslinger256

Strange, I didn't think any of their points apply to NWA.

Where Are The 10 Worst States For Retirement? | Bankrate.com

You have to understand that NWA is not the bulk of the state. I personally would not live in AR, if NWA were disappeared. The rest of AR is just NW Louisiana.

[ArkansasTgirl]

So I'm from NW Louisana lol. Some woman in Bella Vista thought I was from California yesterday.

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by JWG223

You have to understand that NWA is not the bulk of the state.....The rest of AR is just NW Louisiana.

Well, sort of....but not really.

The areas a little south and west of Hot Springs, and on up from there to I40, are not officially "NWA", but they do contain some of the most beautiful and/or interesting areas in the state, even the highest point in Arkansas (Mt. Magazine). The Crater of Diamonds is not in a mountainous area but is still very interesting to visit. And just north of there, things start to get really pretty.

The Buffalo River flows on over into areas east that are not officially NWA, but are still very nice.... as a matter of fact, depending on your definition of NWA, the whole Buffalo River could be considered NOT in NWA, and the Buffalo River is one of the most interesting things about Arkansas. The area around Greers Ferry Lake is also pretty...it's not NWA.

I would say that a little over half of Arkansas, not just the NWA corner, has some interesting/unique/beautiful characteristics. And some people even love delta! Not I, but hey, it takes all kinds....different strokes and all that.

[latunafish]

Yeah, the delta is a beautiful place to a lot of people, but the people are it's real beauty.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by JWG223

You have to understand that NWA is not the bulk of the state. I personally would not live in AR, if NWA were disappeared. The rest of AR is just NW Louisiana.

But you have to realize the article was still very biased. There are a lot of nice parts of AR, Hot Springs, HSprings village, Russelville, Conroy, Moutain Home and Ft Smith. yes, Washington and Benton county as well as parts of Madison County are the more upscale areas, but not the only good places to live. My opinion: those of us who think the only good parts of AR are the NW corner are being snobs!!!

[Loveswater_outdoors]

Originally Posted by JWG223

You have to understand that NWA is not the bulk of the state. I personally would not live in AR, if NWA were disappeared. The rest of AR is just NW Louisiana.

Don't forget NE Louisiana where I live! It is just as terrible if not more so!

[Rock Climber]

I don't think the majority of Arkansas is like North Louisiana, except the southern 3rd and the SE part of the state.

There are huge swaths of mountainous terrain and national forest in western and northern Arkansas. There are some very, very rural areas where a person concerned about quick access to good healthcare might not want to live later in life. Those areas are primarily ranching economy with little opportunity for most people. Some people would be comfortable retiring in those areas, others wouldn't. Even Fort Smith has a couple of big impressive hospitals, though.

Demographically and topographically, those areas are nothing like Northern Louisiana. From Hot Springs to Russellville and most of northern Arkansas, its very different, IMO.

Louisiana has some very "ghetto" small towns that even made me uncomfortable stopping in, where crackheads would be panhandling at gas stations in towns of like 5000 people. Granted it may have just been bad luck.

Arkansas is more favorable than retiring in Texas, IMO, due to the fact that property taxes are getting insane in some of the larger areas in Texas. No state income tax, which is great when working, but after you're done working, the real estate taxes can still create quite a burden. My parents are considering Northern Arkansas for that, among other reasons. The other being the insanity of growth in and around Austin, and the traffic gridlock that is creating. It used to be a very laidback place, but becomes less-so every year.

[Escort Rider]

In the Retirement Forum we endlessly dissect and argue over all those various lists and there is general agreement that they are of very limited validity. One of the fallacies of most such lists is the attempt to generalize about an entire state by using averages. Let's take crime (as already pointed out here): as long as one lives in a safe area, it matters little if crime is bad somewhere else. Likewise for medical care: if one is in Little Rock or close to Little Rock, there is good medical care, for example, and it matters little how bad it may be in some impoverished town in the southern part of the state. Even cost of living (mostly driven by housing costs anyway) is going to vary greatly in different parts of almost all states.

Another problem is deciding how various factors should be weighted - climate, cost of living, cultural opportunities, medical care, proximity to an airport with scheduled service, and so on. Different retirees will have different priorities.

I have spent some time in Arkansas, and personally I think its ranking of "worst" is a total absurdity.

[Rock Climber]

I think for most retirees, cities and even neighborhoods are a better gauge than "state level".