What's Bentonville REALLY like?? (Little Rock, Fayetteville: cul-de-sac, fit in, house)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

Don't forget eastern Arkansas. Having lived in Jonesboro, I can attest to the fact that it is full of religious zealots.

To what degree do you think NWA's growth has come from outside of Arkansas? And, from where are the outsiders moving?

As for Missouri, I have family in the St. Louis area, and I've heard/read discussion in media there regarding which region St. Louis belongs. Apparently many St. Louisans see themselves as southern. Kansas Citians certainly see themselves as Midwestern, so it appears that state is split.

Sounds like it's time for me to pay another visit to NWA!

From what I have heard, I would put Eastern AR in the same catagory with mid and south. I just think NW is very different. Between the University and the population explosion the attitude is a little different. Oh, we still have those who ask, as soon as you meet them, if you have a home church? But there is not the holier than thou lectures, the cities do not close down on Sundays and people do drink, gamble and enjoy adults activities.

You ask about the growth in NWArkansas. It s coming from everywhere, depending on what town and reasons for re-location. Our particular neighborhood has a policy of putting your old license plates on your mail box. IF not the license plate, a college banner or something to identify where you lived prior to moving to AR. We have them from the Great Lakes states, Nebraska, Texas, Calif, Kansas, IL and Mo, just to mention a few. The very young neighborhoods in Bentonville, Rogers etc probably have even more variety as families are transfers to Hunt Trucking, Tysons and Wal Mart. HP will be moving to central AR soon causing more people to re-locate.

From what we were taught in school (200 years ago) geographically AR is southern, MO midwest. As you have mentioned the customs and attitudes now seem to determine more than geography where a state falls. Texas,though So West, used to considered strictly South. Again, with all the growth I don't think the average Texas thinks like those in the deep south.

Just my thoughts and I am enjoying this debate, if you can call it that.

Nita

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by nmnita

.....I don't think the average Texas thinks like those in the deep south.

Texans think like Texans. They see themselves as a region separate from all others, or so it seems.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

Texans think like Texans. They see themselves as a region separate from all others, or so it seems.

That's for sure: they think we have 49 states and the Republic of Texas...Just ask my granddaughters, one was born there, the older one moved there when she was about 3. Texas is everything even though neither live there now. The younger one will never live anyplace but AR: why? because her fiance is a good ole boy and has made it clear: it is AR or nothing. I am surprised he is willing to have the wedding in No Texas. The older one, living in OKC swears as soon as she gets her advanced degree they are moving back to Texas. Her husband is fine with this...Little does he know!!!! Sorry Texas people.....!!!!!

[Mattway]

Bentonville and Rogers downtowns do have considerable character. The worlds biggest ever retailer was started right on the square. There's a very large hispanic flare in Rogers, depending on what stock you put in good Mexican and other hspanic country cuisine.
A few Acambaro establishments (a Mexican centered menu) were shut down for being too authentic by ICE.
I attent school in Bentonville, and there is a very dedicated Sp-Ed Faculty. I know personally a very acclimated family with an autistic child.

One thing to consider, if this is for a job move, is the commute. While not by any means comprable to LA or Atlanta or even Tulsa traffic, NWA does have some...channeled entirely on to I-540 which leads to a rather high accident rate for an area of our size. *Opinion..not actually verified*
Job community as well.
There are MANY well connected people here in Bentonville. It's the Mecca of good retailing and sales jobs. Besides Pinnacle, which is just across the Bentonville border in Rogers...many of the workers live right here. You Will be going to church with Presidents and VP's of both Walmart and suppliers.

As a side note,
Benton county is one of the Very few conservative areas left in the state.

Hope this helps in some way.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Mattway

Bentonville and Rogers downtowns do have considerable character. The worlds biggest ever retailer was started right on the square. There's a very large hispanic flare in Rogers, depending on what stock you put in good Mexican and other hspanic country cuisine.
A few Acambaro establishments (a Mexican centered menu) were shut down for being too authentic by ICE.
I attent school in Bentonville, and there is a very dedicated Sp-Ed Faculty. I know personally a very acclimated family with an autistic child.

One thing to consider, if this is for a job move, is the commute. While not by any means comprable to LA or Atlanta or even Tulsa traffic, NWA does have some...channeled entirely on to I-540 which leads to a rather high accident rate for an area of our size. *Opinion..not actually verified*
Job community as well.
There are MANY well connected people here in Bentonville. It's the Mecca of good retailing and sales jobs. Besides Pinnacle, which is just across the Bentonville border in Rogers...many of the workers live right here. You Will be going to church with Presidents and VP's of both Walmart and suppliers.

As a side note,
Benton county is one of the Very few conservative areas left in the state.

Hope this helps in some way.

I really think the state is more conservative than some think: Benton is mostly registered Republicans but being Republican and being conservative are not always the same...

Nita

[JGAngel97]

Always have to put in my 2 cents...! My grandmother was from MO and she considered herself SOUTHERN. That was in the 1800s tho. My mom's cooking was definately southern even though she was raised in Salt Lake City!
My grandmother was a Southern Baptist as well. Don't know what my Grandfather was...! On my timeshare map Arkansas is considered the Mid-South. When we were there visiting NWA we definately heard some southern accents. Does that count This is fun!

[sergio]

I think NWA is closer to a midwest area that a southern area. Once you leave NWA and come into Fort Smith you can feel the difference in the town and the people.

Being from Florida and having traveled alot I would say NWA has a good mix of rural and urban. Rogers, Bentonville and Fayetteville are nice towns with lots to do depending on your taste. Bentonville is probably the smallest of the three and I would say it is the most "homey". Rogers does have a larger hispanic population and is starting to grow some less desirable areas. But at the same time is growing some nice areas like where I work in Pinnacle Hills. I swear that sometimes I forget I am in Arkansas when I drive down the 540 and see all the nice tall buildings in this area. Fayetteville is a college town and has lots to do. And Bentonville being the smallest of the three is the headquarters to Walmart and I feel has more of a cozy atmosphere since I moved there.

Hope this helps.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by sergio

I think NWA is closer to a midwest area that a southern area. Once you leave NWA and come into Fort Smith you can feel the difference in the town and the people.

A lot of people will disagree with what you are saying, but I agree the atmosphere is different. From time I've spent in NWA, I draw a closer comparison to north Dallas suburbs than with Midwestern culture. Of course its on a much smaller scale, but places like Plano and Frisco have the energetic, "on the go" culture NWA has. As with suburban Dallas, I see a lot of young attractive females driving fast sports cars up and down I-540 while putting on makeup. That said, there are plenty of rural areas in NWA that are commutable. People in Arkansas in general love their cars and are no stranger to long commutes. People commute to NWA from as far away as Fort Smith and Neosho/Joplin, MO. Even here in Little Rock, many people I work with commute from 70 miles away.

[Mattway]

Does it really matter where Bentonville is regionally?
There are jobs in Bentonville. Lots of White collar jobs. And a fair amount of good paying blue collar if you want them. Everyone has a different idea as to how a city should be run, because everyone is from everywhere.

There's the cute little 5 and dime store on the square across from a culture shock worhty confederate statue...but Bentonville is all business. There are hundreds of standard Walmart employees getting through the day in their sea of cubicles, tracking truck movements and truck unloading and ordering and buying and keeping all of those computers cool.... for their paycheck and healthcare. Some despising the monotony, but a good share rejoicing in the secure feeling it provides.

While Vendors, from their New York styled offices and ergonomic chairs, send email after email back to their headquarters and call the Walmart Home office to schedule sales meetings with a buyer or buyers assistant(s) in a cramped white room to present their lawn mower or lawn chair or speaker system or new Cross-Docked Pepsi with Rice-a-Roni or if the Buyer is very lucky.. a price increase! In which case the buyer proceeds to beat the VP of sales from *fill in the blank* into submission with a stapler.

All while both party's sons and daughters attend a very accomplished school district (because there are no private schools to match it) in a truly unique medley...where southern drawl meets Bostonian curt, and classic salesman meets classic buyer, as a service economy desperately rushes in after the draft of the two hurtling into every store in the world.

THAT is what Bentonville is really like.
oh, and store 100.

[bagelw]

I think saying that NWA is "urban" is very misleading. There is absolutely nothing urban in NWA. Fayetteville downtown/Dickson would be the closets urban setting and it isn't quiet there yet. I've heard several people claim that the Pinnacle Hills area in Rogers is urban and that is not true. It is very suburban and technically is more like a large office park.