re: Is Fayetteville, AR a good place to live?

The area seems kind of isolated. KC might be the nearest major city.

Does it have good hospitals/trauma centers, bike paths, and swimable waters? Is the airport any good?

I'm kind of surprised that taxes are a little high overall in Arky.

Good hospitals, trauma centers, water sport areas and more bicycles per capita than anywhere in the free world. Can't think of a whole lot of need for major city stuff unless you just like the big cities. Nice airport for a smaller one.

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I never really knew Fayetteville was a nice area. It's very low-key.

How are the winters? Are any of the rivers or lakes swimable in the summer?

Russellville intrigues me as well. Doesn't look as nice but it has potential with Tech being there. It's a lower elevation and a little warmer yet still close to the mountainous terrain.

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I live in South Louisiana, but I'm from that area. Also am very familiar with Russellville.

I left due to the low paying jobs. There really isn't a lot of high paying jobs up there, at least none that fit what I like to do.

All of the public schools in NWA and Russellville are good. NWA are the best in the state. Everything is clean up there.

Rivers and lakes.....yes they are all swimmable and are good for recreational use. The lakes are DEEP. There are spots at 100 ft+ deep, especially on the sides of cliffs.

Weather....winters are colder and summers have less humidity, but are still hot. Winters in NWA can get brutal. Single digits are somewhat normal during the later months of winter. Last winter I spent there, we had 18" of snow fall one night.

Ask questions and I'll help you out all I can.

ETA: There are a lot of MILF's up there also.

I can guarantee you that SLC and Boise are far from milder options than NWA.

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I can't handle winters

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Why would you consider places that are notions for snow and cold (Boise,SLC) or are known for having 4 seasons (Asheville,NWA)

If you can't handle winter looks like your options are LA, Tuscon, Phoenix, Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Orlando, Miami.

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I don't care about the Razorbacks or Walmart. Would that be a problem?

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probably.

There's a huge contingency of Indian IT people that Walmart has brought in doing work on the side. I think it's a cool part of our diversity.

Personally, having grown up out in the countryside in NWA I'm always yearning for places that have more going on, more entertainment, more water, more mountains, better weather etc.

It's still growing too fast here and planning and aesthetics are something I loathe but Walmart money is changing a lot of that. Springdale just approved a 9 figure master plan for downtown revitilization.

You may not be a big Walmart fan, but luckily for you JB Hunt is adding 1,000 more jobs and Logistics firms are flocking here. Lots of IT opportunity there and with the Walmart Vendors and Tysons and other poultry companies too.

There's a lot of growth here and especially in that sector. Soon we'll have a young population of coders too as computer programming classes are now a requirement in all of Arkansas' public schools.

There's a lot happening here, it's why I'm basing my business here and outsourcing some of the more visual parts of the business to folks based in cultural centers of the globe.

I'd recommend to bring the kids up for a real low-key short vacation. Bike the Greenway, take a few hikes, mosey around the towns, eat out at a couple mom and pop places, go to Eureka Springs. Just do the normal stuff a family that lives here would do.

Business wise it's very very hospitable to new business, there's some clique-behavior like anywhere but it takes time to develop trust and relationships.

It's a nice place for raising families, actually it's the only area I'd ever consider in Arkansas. The public schools in NWA are really good and destroy other areas of the state in most all metrics. The small town schools are some of the better small schools you'll find in the country to be honest. There's all the pitfalls any community has ya know, it's just not as prevalent and hard to find ways to be a frickup, but kids w/o motivation find ways.

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What happens when WM stops requiring vendors to be located there? What if Amazon and jet destroy WM?

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None of that is going to happen.

Walmart has specific goals that pertain to re-investing in Arkansas. Efficiency is at the root of vendors needing to be located close-by.

When Walmart calls a meeting, they're not going to wait 3 days for people to fly in. They made that move 25+ years ago.

With 3 Fortune 500 companies based in NWA and growing there's a ton of options, and NWA was just named a best place for startups outside of Silicon Valley and NYC.

The economy here isn't tied to just one sector. Rogers lost a huge manufacturing facility when Superior Wheel shut down its plant there. 1200 good paying jobs that did not require degrees gone. There's not been much of a ripple at all from losing those jobs. Guys went from the factory back to construction or working at other factories in the area for albeit less money but there were other jobs they stepped right into.

There's no comparison.

It's 2 different worlds.

this is making me want to move.

As far as your thoughts on a start up company.

Fayetteville recently ranked 3rd in the nation outside of Silicon Valley...

Fayetteville #3

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3. Fayetteville, AR
Ironically, Fayetteville's startup community is supported by three huge multinational companies: transportation giant J.B. Hunt, Tyson Foods and Walmart. These three companies offer capital, mentoring and a market for young startups. In fact, one of its high-profile accelerators, Startup Junkie's 2.7.0. Accelerator, is specifically focused on developing logistics, food and retail ventures. Another, ScaleUp Ozarks, is focused on companies with high growth potential and boasts a cohort that is 79% female, minority or veteran. Fayetteville also boasts a strong density of early-stage startups - nearly 10 times the average of cities analyzed - and its very low cost of living is a major draw for pre-funding companies.

Key initiative: Involve large companies

Startups and large, established companies have a lot to offer each other. The former bring fresh ideas, adaptability and new talent; the latter are more able to bear risk and so are a steady source of funding. Between the good sources of capital for retail, food and logistics companies and the low cost of living, Fayetteville makes funding a startup much easier.

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Livibility.com rated Fayetteville....

2015: Top 100 Places to Live
2014: Top 100 Places to Live
2014: Top 10 College Towns
2013: Top 10 College Towns
2012: Top 10 BBQ Cities

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messicans in NWA

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You can thank Tyson Foods for that. 90% of chicken plant workers are mexican or black