Morrilton/Conway area (Little Rock, Fayetteville, Pine Bluff: for sale, real estate, 2014)

[DeanGuitarist]

Wife and I are looking into this area. Have a few questions about the area and I hope someone could offer answers.

We're on the verge of selling our place and found a few houses on Zillow. What is the job situations, are they adequate or have to travel to Little Rock for a good job? How safe is it? Are there areas that we need to avoid? Also, how much, if any, snowfall does the area get? We're not afraid of snow, we welcome the idea of being able to actually build a snowman and having a playful snowball fight! Lol

We're going to be somewhat retired, mainly to work to cover certain bills, like water, electricity and other must have necessities.

Any help would be appreciated, thank you!

[sub]

Conway is basically a suburb. College town. There would be a fair amount of jobs there depending on what you do. Can't really help you much on neighborhoods, but generally speaking, if it looks newer and at least sort-of upscale, you're probably okay.
There are some less appealing parts of Conway, and it's crime rate isn't anything special which suggests those parts of town might be more problematic. It's similar to some other similar-sized cities like Fayetteville, Springdale, Joneboro, etc. when it comes to crime.
If you can't find a job there, Little Rock is maybe half an hour to 45 min. to work, depending on what part of town you'd work in. I knew people who lived in Little Rock and worked at places like the nuclear plant on the far side of Russellville. Hot Springs and Pine Bluff are common commutes as well. Conway is quite a bit closer.
Another consideration might be Maumelle, a somewhat smallish planned community suburb. It has one of the lower crime rates in the state, especially for anything close to a city. The west side of Little Rock is nice.

Snow isn't a given anywhere in Arkansas, especially not enough to have fun with it. That kind of weather might happen every other year, give or take. Ice storms seem just as likely as snow, but then again, not every year, but can be a real hassle when it happens.
The northwestern/northcentral regions will get clipped by colder weather before other parts of the state, but snow of any real consequence doesn't happen with any great regularity anywhere.
To give you an idea, Fayetteville averages about 7" a year. Conway: 4". Mountain Home: 9".

[DeanGuitarist]

Thank you very much. Your post helps tremendously!!

[SWIBC]

Originally Posted by DeanGuitarist

Thank you very much. Your post helps tremendously!!

Live in Conway for past 14 yrs, can help with questions.
Travel to LR has gotten much better with the expansion of I-40 to 3 lanes.
Morrilton will be smaller town feel, about 15-20 min west of Conway on I-40.

Conway is growing very fast and getting many Tech jobs and also just landed a $90 million overhaul for Structurelam coming into town (laminated lumber).

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by SWIBC

Conway is growing very fast and getting many Tech jobs and also just landed a $90 million overhaul for Structurelam coming into town (laminated lumber).

Good for Conway! I think it's a pretty nice little town.

[The Golden Rule]

Sorry my reply is a bit late.

I have lived in Conway for 10 years, moving from the DFW area after 25 years. It was a happy adjustment for me, leaving behind the horrendous traffic and (IMO) materialism of that area. When locals complain about the traffic, I laugh, because even though it can get a bit snarled up in a few spots during rush hour, it's nothing compared to the mess you deal with at all hours of the day in the Dallas area. People are much less likely to care about the kind of car you drive, the brand of your handbag, or how big your house is. That's not to say that DFW is filled only with snobs and that there aren't any here, but I find it to be much more laid back here and for me, I like it. People dress more casually and you're more likely to run into "country folk" here than you will in Dallas.


There are no large malls in town. You can go to Little Rock (30-45 minutes, depending on where you go) to hit up the big malls, but there are plenty of places to shop. We have three Walmarts, a Target, Home Depot, Lowes, two Krogers, Petco, Petsmart, Best Buy, and loads of other chain stores. Car dealerships of all makes. Two very good hospitals and lots of urgent care facilities. While the restaurant selection isn't as good as DFW, there are still plenty of places to eat and more places coming in all of the time.


Conway is home to three colleges, the largest of which is the University of Central Arkansas. We attend sporting events at UCA and Hendrix College, a private school, and there's always something going on. UCA has an auditorium where we've seen plays, concerts, etc., all at a very reasonable price. Big time concerts come to Little Rock all of the time. Local festivals include Toad Suck Daze during the first week of May and Little Rock's Riverfest, a three-day concert event that used to draw big names but is undergoing some revamping at the current time.


There are bars where you can watch sports or listen to local bands, but for big-time partying, young people probably go to Little Rock. I'd describe Conway as more of a family-oriented community.


I happen to get my hair done in Morrilton, about 20 minutes away. (She's a long-time friend. There are plenty of places in Conway.) Morrilton is much smaller and has much more of a country feel. There is a Walmart and a Kroger, but much less in terms of commerce there. It will take you 20 minutes longer to get to Little Rock as well.


As far as housing is concerned, Conway is in short supply. Houses under $250K generally sell fairly quickly if they are halfway decent. Prices vary from $95 to $145 per square foot, depending on if the house is older and not updated, or updated, in a good neighborhood, or brand new. To give you an example, my daughter's 4-2-2 single story house with 1750 square feet just sold for $198K. It's 10 years old but updated with quartz counters, ss appliances, etc. Some similar ones in other neighborhoods might be a bit less but some are more. My house is currently on the market. It's in an older (25 years) but desirable neighborhood on a heavily wooded 3/4 acre lot, totally updated, 3050 square feet, listed for $339K. Real estate taxes here are a fraction of what I paid in Dallas. On my house, they are about $2500.


There is a state income tax but we generally get back a good deal of what we pay by the time we declare our deductions. There is also a tax on cars that decreases as your car ages. We paid $140 this year for our two cars. Tags are about $27 a year unless you're a veteran, in which case they are $3. Sales tax is high (9.25%) but gas prices are reasonable (I paid $1.89 yesterday).


One other perk for me is the natural beauty in this state. Like everywhere else, the topography varies by area, but after living in the flat, relatively tree-less area in DFW, we have enjoyed the flora here. There are crepe myrtles with lots of color, oaks and maples, pines, and rolling hills. Just past Morrilton, there is Petit Jean State Park, an absolutely gorgeous place to visit with breathtaking views. You can climb and hike there or at Pinnacle Mountain in Little Rock.


There are many businesses in Conway which help to make it its own town rather than a suburb of Little Rock. Kimberly Clark, Acxiom, Windstream, among others, in addition to the colleges, make the unemployment rate pretty low.


The summers do get hot but it's more of a four season climate than Dallas. We cool off sooner in the fall, some winters have snow and some don't, and our leaves actually change color. Springs can get stormy, but the veracity of the storms pales in comparison with those I experienced in Dallas. We've had tornadoes in nearby communities (Mayflower and Vilonia in 2010 and 2014), but nothing here in town for many decades.


It's relatively safe here. Little Rock's crime isn't great, but here in Conway, I don't worry.


If I can answer any other questions for you, please feel free to DM me. I think Conway is a pretty great place to live. If you're thinking about retirement, I think it would be a great choice.

[The Golden Rule]

Oh, also wanted to add, after reading another post. Maumelle is in Pulaski County, the same as Little Rock. It doesn't have nearly the commerce of Conway, has higher property taxes (as does much or all of Pulaski County). I'd probably prefer Morrilton to Maumelle unless the proximity to Little Rock is really important to you. Conway is in Faulkner County. If you're looking for something smaller than Conway, also look in Greenbrier or Vilonia. (I'd recommend a storm shelter if you choose Vilonia). There are some beautiful homes for sale in those towns and they are slightly less expensive due to them being smaller towns.