What's Bentonville REALLY like?? (Fayetteville, Rogers: high crime, credit, houses)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by 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.

Well if you have to get technical I guess suburban is closer to true, remember most suburban areas are developed around urban areas. I do think Rogers/Bentonville boarder on urban, but certainly not like Dallas, Austin, Los Angeles, etc (thank god) NWA certainly is closer to urban than rural except for the wonderful forrests with all the wildlife in some of our backyards. Rural doesn't offer great shopping, entertainment, good medical facitlities, upscale dining, etc. Rogers and bentonville do and BV is only a few minutes from that...

Nita

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Well if you have to get technical I guess suburban is closer to true, remember most suburban areas are developed around urban areas. I do think Rogers/Bentonville boarder on urban, but certainly not like Dallas, Austin, Los Angeles, etc (thank god) NWA certainly is closer to urban than rural except for the wonderful forrests with all the wildlife in some of our backyards. Rural doesn't offer great shopping, entertainment, good medical facitlities, upscale dining, etc. Rogers and bentonville do and BV is only a few minutes from that...

Nita

Rogers/Bentonville are nothing close to urban. They are as cookie cutter suburban as you can possibly get. Low density development consisting of rows of big box stores, chain restaurants (regardless of price range), and gated subdivisions with cul-de-sacs are not "urban". People who say NWA is urban are probably Arkansas natives who have never had much experience in true urban areas. Pinnacle Hills would fit in more on the outskirts of Plano or Frisco than in Dallas or more in Blue Springs or Overland Park than in Kansas City. Its not rural by any means, but its very much "Vanillamerica."

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by bchris02

Rogers/Bentonville are nothing close to urban. They are as cookie cutter suburban as you can possibly get. Low density development consisting of rows of big box stores, chain restaurants (regardless of price range), and gated subdivisions with cul-de-sacs are not "urban". People who say NWA is urban are probably Arkansas natives who have never had much experience in true urban areas. Pinnacle Hills would fit in more on the outskirts of Plano or Frisco than in Dallas or more in Blue Springs or Overland Park than in Kansas City. Its not rural by any means, but its very much "Vanillamerica."

Again, this is a matter of how you view urban: as I said, suburban does fit the area, more than Urban, but rural doesn't. The closest to rural might be BV. Plano is getting pretty close to Urban in my opinion. No, I am certainly not a native of AR, I was born and raised in Los Angeles, lived in San Francisco, Northern VA, Sacramento and Dallas (or Lewisville, actually) If you are defining Urban as in major downtown city locations you are correct. I see it slightly differently.

Nita

[bagelw]

If you are viewing urban as the amount of amenities available such as shopping, restaurants, cinemas, etc. then just about any city in the US with a population above 50,000 could be considered urban.

My idea of urban is density and the ability to travel without the use of a car aka public transportation. NWA is developed completely around the automobile, especially Rogers/Bentonville. Is there even a bus system available in Benton county? If you told anyone that lived in the cities you just mentioned (the cities not suburbs, San Francisco not San Bruno) that NWA was urban then they would be expecting something completely different than what it's actually like. I'm just saying that telling someone that all the amenities you have in the larger city exists in NWA is very different from telling them NWA is urban.

NWA is definitely not rural or urban. It's like living on the suburban outskirts of a large city but the large city doesn't exists. Metropolitan? Does that describe NWA?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by bagelw

If you are viewing urban as the amount of amenities available such as shopping, restaurants, cinemas, etc. then just about any city in the US with a population above 50,000 could be considered urban.

My idea of urban is density and the ability to travel without the use of a car aka public transportation. NWA is developed completely around the automobile, especially Rogers/Bentonville. Is there even a bus system available in Benton county? If you told anyone that lived in the cities you just mentioned (the cities not suburbs, San Francisco not San Bruno) that NWA was urban then they would be expecting something completely different than what it's actually like. I'm just saying that telling someone that all the amenities you have in the larger city exists in NWA is very different from telling them NWA is urban.

NWA is definitely not rural or urban. It's like living on the suburban outskirts of a large city but the large city doesn't exists. Metropolitan? Does that describe NWA?

Maybe it is time to drop this, I doubt I ever said it was urban totally, infact I referred to it being surburban which is usually not far removed from urban areas. Bus system, I guess you don't know as much about the area as you think, there was an article in our paper today about how many more were using our public transportation than in years past. Maybe people is some of those cities would laugh because they have no idea what Arkansas, especially NWA is really like...Many people from other areas of the country think we run around barefoot all the time (well we do, in the house when it's this hot) they think we have little education, live on farms or in trailers and eat neck bones and cabbage every night or we kill our own chickens and pluck the feathers? As I have said in every response to you, totally urban? Of course not, in fact that is one of the fears many have, it will become another Austin Texas one of these days....Nothing agains Austin..it just isn't NWA.

Now you can have the last word on this...

btw: I would consider San Bruno pretty darn close to Urban...I am sure most of our friends in Marin county would agree.

Nita

ps I just noticed your location says Fayetteville, and you didn't know about the public transportation in Benton county?

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Maybe it is time to drop this, I doubt I ever said it was urban totally, infact I referred to it being surburban which is usually not far removed from urban areas.

That is true, but NWA is low density suburban sprawl without the urban core. Urbanity is about density, and the amenities of urban living are a byproduct of that high population density. I am not so sure NWA has all of the amenities you would find in a true urban area. Most true urbanites wouldn't consider upscale dining a trip to Red Lobster or Carrabbas nor would they find shopping at Pinnacle Hills comparable to Houston's Galleria or Atlanta's Phipps Plaza. However, I do get the feeling that most who transplant to NWA from urban areas do so to escape urbanity and its downsides to a place that offers suburban living at a low price yet still has access to modern conveniences.

[Mattway]

Originally Posted by 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.

That's absolutely true.
Pinnacle is by far the nicest area in NWA...but absolutely suburban. Walking from one side of "town" to another would take almost a day, with large streches of no sidwalk at all.

But that for me isn't a real drawback. I grew up in Tulsa which, though only slightly bigger than Little Rock, still got slightly scary at night. I leave my car with confidence here.

[joebaldknobber]

I predict the Philadelphia Phillies will relocate to Northwest Arkansas by 2030. This area is just getting the ball rolling. I believe NWA will have a greater population than Kansas City in 20 years due to the business environment, business friendliness, beautiful central location. Cities like Houston & Dubai mushroomed in the past. This area will surpass that. Hopefully, the Eagles will relocate here also.

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by joebaldknobber

I predict the Philadelphia Phillies will relocate to Northwest Arkansas by 2030. This area is just getting the ball rolling. I believe NWA will have a greater population than Kansas City in 20 years due to the business environment, business friendliness, beautiful central location. Cities like Houston & Dubai mushroomed in the past. This area will surpass that. Hopefully, the Eagles will relocate here also.

I'll pass on both the Phillies and the Eagles! I wouldn't mind getting the Chefs though. I'd much prefer to see the NHL! It would just be SOOO ironic for us to wind up with my most hated team, the Flyers, that I could truly see that happening if NWA were to ever get an NHL team, LOL! I would be so conflicted...

[Sam I Am]

The Chefs? Who's cooking? I'll BE THERE!!! (lol...sorry, Storm, couldn't resist!)