Looking at Moving to Little Rock Area (appointed, apartments)

[Matthew1968]

I have been recruited for a position in Little Rock (around the St. Vincent Infirmary area). I am have found a place in the Hillcrest neighborhood. I know crime is a problem everywhere (I have lived in Chicago and Indianapolis so I am use to big city problems). Is the Hillcrest neighborhood a nice area? I have heard the stereotype of Little Rock not being a safe place, but wanted to see what others thoughts are. I know big cities have good and bad areas.

Also, (another stereotype - sorry), how racially tolerant (for lack of a better word) is the Little Rock area? My wife and I cannot have children so we have been foster parents for years. Last year we adopted a mixed race child. With all this child has been through, I want to make sure we were not going to submit him to more negativity.

Thanks

[jenni-b]

Hillcrest is a VERY nice neighborhood. I think you will love it there. and yes, Little Rock is safe, with the usual caveats that apply to every city.

you will have no problems with racism in Little Rock either. (once again, with the usual caveat of "there's the occasional dumba$$ anywhere you go.")

welcome!

[thewizard16]

Hi Matthew,

I live in Hillcrest right now, so welcome to the neighborhood! As far as safety goes, I think you'll find the serious crime (and yes, Little Rock has had a pretty "dangerous" reputation in the past, but violent crime has been dropping pretty steadily the last decade as infill and revitalization progress) is pretty localized. We haven't had any problems where I live, and I have several friends that live nearby as well that haven't had issues so far. It's probably worth the piece of mind and insurance discount to have a security system, especially if you have a child, but I think it's a pretty safe area as far as a denser in-town neighborhood goes. People are always out walking their dogs or just going for a run, day or night, and my neighbors' kids often play in their front yard at all hours, so I think you'll find the atmosphere very comfortable overall.

I think you'll also find Little Rock is really quite tolerant, racially and socially. It's a well mixed city (52% White, 42% Black) so you have a pretty balanced environment overall. Some neighborhoods are more diverse than others of course, and although I don't know Hillcrest's exact demographic breakdown, there are a lot of young professionals, and families from all kinds of backgrounds living here. There are also some great schools and daycares in this part of town.

Good luck with your move, and let us know if you have any other questions!

[ArkansasSlim]

I happily ditto jenni-b and thewiz. I attend a small Missionary Baptist Church and you can't get much more conservative than that and we have a black family and a biracial family as members. The black husband of the biracial family was just appointed/elected Deacon of my church and you can't get any more tolerant than that, so come on, and welcome to The Rock

[Matthew1968]

Thanks all, will be moving up in January 2011.

M

[thewizard16]

That's great news Matthew, good luck with a safe and successful move. Let us know if you have any questions, Jenni-b's posts were invaluable for me when I was moving and trying to figure things out about Little Rock, so be sure to utilize the resources on here!

[jenni-b]

aw, thanks, wiz!

[ArkansasSlim]

wiz, now j-b will be on here all the time I'm teasing, I'm teasing! j-b always provides good info

[The Inner Eye]

While you consider Little Rock neighborhoods, don't discount downtown, home to a fast-growing public charter school called eStem (Economics as related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Check out the school's web site at www.estemlr.net. I live in the apartments nearest to the school (Block 2 Lofts). And though I have no children of my own to send, I'm a big fan.

Open house for parents of prospective students is Jan 17, 2011. Check it out.

Also, your commute from downtown to St. Vincent's would be a breeze. West 3rd St (which becomes Markham further out) links the entire city east to west. And St. Vincent's is just off Markham.

Give downtown some thought. Take a look at Block 2 Lofts perhaps:

www.apartmentsatblock2lofts.com

[txdave35]

Beware of the nice apartments in West Little Rock. Apparently, they think people just have tons of money to throw away. They charge $60 application fee plus a $250 dollar processing fee! Over three bucks just to apply. And deposits can be $600 bucks if you have a pet. That is robbery, IMO.