Coming to Arkansas! (Little Rock, Cabot, Forrest City: 2014, rentals, violent crime)

[Coloradotoarkansas]

Hello, my wife and I have been reading the posts on here for years, we both work for the federal government and have made our fair share of moves over the years, and the info posted here has always been extremely helpful!

Now it's time to make a move to the Natural State, I will be based in Little Rock and my wife will be in Forrest City. We are used to long commutes so we have been looking at living in Cabot because of the schools (we have two kiddos that will be starting Kindergarten soon).

Google maps, etc., put most of the rentals we are considering at 1 hour 20 minuets, give or take 10 minutes or so from Cabot to Forrest City, does that seem accurate?

Any suggestions on where to live?

[Sam I Am]

Wow - it's pretty accurate, but those are LONG commutes! All things being equal, considering traffic, you and your wife will probably spend almost the same amount of time on the highway commuting if you are traveling at peak hours. Your wife is going to have one boring drive, though...

It's been a million years since I had kids in Cabot schools so I'm no longer in the know, but have you considered Lonoke? I think you will find more amenities in Cabot, but IIRC Lonoke had a fairly good reputation back in the day. It wouldn't add anything to your commute and might make your wife's just a little bit easier.

WELCOME!

[latunafish]

i do not live in cabot, but i do know several families that relocated there. they moved there for the schools. there are 9 elementary schools in the town, that will tell you how many young families have relocated there.

i do visit there often and it is a very safe community.

[LordHelmit]

1 hr 20 sounds right. You would probably enjoy Cabot. It's a medium sized town that has really outgrown itself. This is exemplified by the population of almost 30k and all 1 lane roads...traffic is miserable on 89 especially during school and work rush hours. There isn't really much to do, Cabot does have a movie theater and plenty of parks or places to fish, has a few decent restaurants (Colton's mainly, has any other restaurant gone up since 2011?) and that's about all there is to do. It is a very safe town regarding violent crime - it is almost nonexistent. There is a good amount of property crime though - so keep your car and house doors locked, obviously. A lot of potheads. A lot of white people. In fact, like 97% of the 25k population is white. No diversity. Racism was apparent in the mid 2000s when I lived there maybe it has gotten more tolerant. Schools are excellent - I graduated from CHS in 2008.

Just now noticing Wiki is stating a 2014 est population of 36k in Cabot? Does anyone know if this is accurate? Does not sound so.

[North Pulaski Player]

Originally Posted by LordHelmit

1 hr 20 sounds right. You would probably enjoy Cabot. It's a medium sized town that has really outgrown itself. This is exemplified by the population of almost 30k and all 1 lane roads...traffic is miserable on 89 especially during school and work rush hours. There isn't really much to do, Cabot does have a movie theater and plenty of parks or places to fish, has a few decent restaurants (Colton's mainly, has any other restaurant gone up since 2011?) and that's about all there is to do. It is a very safe town regarding violent crime - it is almost nonexistent. There is a good amount of property crime though - so keep your car and house doors locked, obviously. A lot of potheads. A lot of white people. In fact, like 97% of the 25k population is white. No diversity. Racism was apparent in the mid 2000s when I lived there maybe it has gotten more tolerant. Schools are excellent - I graduated from CHS in 2008.

Just now noticing Wiki is stating a 2014 est population of 36k in Cabot? Does anyone know if this is accurate? Does not sound so.

That population estimate of 36k is correct. Saying that it has outgrown itself is an understatement. If you don't have much melanin in your skin then you'll be fine with Cabot and their schools, but even today, that original base population still has a mid 20th century mentality. Out of dozens of white methheads that get arrested in Cabot daily, people there will harp on the one black guy that gets arrested for selling weed. I could handle living there, but I don't want my kids to have to experience all of that ignorance. Lonoke is a bit more country, but it's another option, and it's a much easier drive to Forrest City for your wife. I don't know much about Lonoke schools though.

[LordHelmit]

Originally Posted by North Pulaski Player

That population estimate of 36k is correct. Saying that it has outgrown itself is an understatement. If you don't have much melanin in your skin then you'll be fine with Cabot and their schools, but even today, that original base population still has a mid 20th century mentality. Out of dozens of white methheads that get arrested in Cabot daily, people there will harp on the one black guy that gets arrested for selling weed. I could handle living there, but I don't want my kids to have to experience all of that ignorance. Lonoke is a bit more country, but it's another option, and it's a much easier drive to Forrest City for your wife. I don't know much about Lonoke schools though.

Do you have any sources other than the wiki link "claritas"? I can't find any other website anywhere stating that Cabot has grown from 23k to 36k in 4 years. That does not sound accurate at all. Mod cut