I'm Not From AR, How is Tontitown like? (Little Rock, Fayetteville: real estate market, apartment)

[Peterbilt379]

Why I'm asking, is because I am temporary living in Virginia Beach, VA and there's a Trucking Career known as PAM Transport or Driver Solutions in Tontitown, AR. Anyways, I am about 20 hours away and hopefully I can get started driving trucks soon. Of course, of the economy, well I just need a chance to be successful. I might plan on relocating, depending on how things goes but, is there anybody who willing to tell me how Tontitown, AR is like?

It could be anything about the weather, jobs economy, people, scenery, places to explore, (by the way, I love to travel just only in the U.S), food resturuants, minimal wages, any snow in winter, average range prices on renting to buying a home, considering that I'm planing on staying in AR for 2 years before I go back home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Anything is helpful, I just need a definitely decision. Thank You.

[joetownmom]

Tonitown is small but fairly nice, you can find out all you need to know here:


Tontitown, Arkansas

[linicx]

It is an interesting little town that has grown in the last few years. Good Italian food.

[Dr. Foosball]

Originally Posted by linicx

It is an interesting little town that has grown in the last few years. Good Italian food.

We can thank the Duggar family for that.

18 Kids and Counting : Duggar Family: TLC

[Peterbilt379]

Italian food is good, Is Tontitown in a City or a Country side? I were orignal from the country in PA, as Virginia Beach goes it is a city with alot of population. Is there any theme parks in Arkansas or something fun to go? Also, how the job economy over there? Sorry about asking soo many questions, it seems like a interesting place to go. Also, is there any big trucking jobs by or in Tontitown?

[Dr. Foosball]

The largest publicly held truckload transportation company in North America has it's home base just right down the road.

J.B. Hunt - The Transportation Logistics Company (http://www.jbhunt.com/index.html - broken link)

Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods were also started around this area and both have their home bases here. The Waltons have put a lot of money into this area.

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Tontitown is very small, but it is among the fastest growing part of the state, so there are still some things to do. There are no amusement parks around here. Most people take the short drive north to Branson, MO to go to amusement parks.

There is a minor league baeball team close to Tonittown: The Northwest Arkansas Naturals. They are a Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

Tonitown is also very close to Fayetteville, which is a nice small college town, but it turns into the craziest city in the state on college football Saturdays.

[Peterbilt379]

What time does the college football usually starts and ends on Saturdays? Also, What kind of things to do in Tontitown and in Fayetteville?

[Dr. Foosball]

Originally Posted by Peterbilt379

What time does the college football usually starts and ends on Saturdays? Also, What kind of things to do in Tontitown and in Fayetteville?

lol. Football fans start arriving around Wednesday and leave on Sunday.

It is busy all day long. From before dawn until Sunday morning.

The only thing to do in Tontitown is drink wine and eat spagetti. What would you want to do?

[Peterbilt379]

Well, I don't drink. Mostly coffee though, since I do have a CDL Class A, can't lose it. I want to travel, but don't have any money. Here in Virginia, I sometimes visit the beach and at the end of the month, I do travel to North Carolina. That's all I want to do, just drive and explore. Sometimes when the extra money is left over for bills, I usually go bowling or save the money, take couple of days off from work and drive up to Pennsylvania to visit my family and friends. Even, sometimes go out to eat with my girlfriend when we do get the chance.

Is there anything in Arkansas that would be a great place to go and a safe area to live? Very soon, I'll be driving to Tontitown, AR and maybe even to live there only for 2 years (maximum.) How is the job economy there in AR? Is it easy to get a job or difficult? Again sorry, about asking too much questions. Just need to find out about Arkansas as much as possible before driving 20 hours to get there. Thanks, Dr. Foosball

[ali17]

Tontitown is small. I never really feel it's a separate town or "in the country" because it's so close to a large nearby city (Springdale). Off the top of my head, there are a couple car dealerships, some gas stations, a few places that sell farm equipment, a handful of small office buildings, some restaurants (including two famous Italian places, a McDonalds, and a Sonic). The only grocery store I know of is technically just east of Tontitown, in Springdale.

I would assume a great deal of people who work in Tontitown live in a surrounding area and not Tontitown proper. You might want to look into Springdale (population 70-80Kish), which is just east of Tontitown, but, of course, there are plenty of options for cities up here, each with their own positives and negatives. Real estate costs for Springdale are lower on average than they are for other areas of northwest Arkansas, but, really, no matter where you live in NWA, your money goes pretty far up here. Housing costs are very reasonable - a nice 2-bedroom apartment can easily be found for $500-600 or a decent-sized house for $700-$800 a month. Someone else might be better equipped to answer questions about safer areas - I live in a relatively slummy area of Fayetteville and have never felt unsafe.

I don't know enough about the economy up here to make a definitive statement, but I would assume, with Wal-Mart, Tyson, J.B. Hunt, etc., it is stronger than some areas of the country. I have heard rumors that the real estate market isn't doing too well, but I am uncertain if the realtor I heard say this was comparing it to years past, other regions, his personal experience, etc.

Scenery/things to do would include, as mentioned in an above post, Branson, and also areas like Eureka Springs, a small, touristy town around an hour away, or Hot Springs, a National Park around three hours away (with, from late January to mid April, a popular horsetrack). Arkansas has lots of state parks filled with outdoor activities - fishing, camping, hiking, canoeing, or just having a picnic on a lake are all fun, low-cost activities. Little Rock, Dallas, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Kansas City, St. Louis are all options for larger destinations that are relatively close (that is, none over 5 or 6 hours away).

I don't personally find the summers too hot, but I think that's because I'm originally from somewhere warmer than northwest Arkansas. It can be very humid, though, which sucks. Winters are usually pretty mild. Snow is not a problem, but ice is occasionally a major problem.

At least from personal experience, I'd say the people here are fine. I don't recall ever having any problems with anyone being particularly rude or aggressive.

I probably just overwhelmed you with information, but - good luck with the decision and, if you visit, hope you have a safe trip.