Don't get the hype.
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4/3/2020
Native of Fayetteville that moved away in 2017. Yes, I understand that Northwest Arkansas has experienced a big boom and I will admit the NWA area is now SO much better than it was a decade ago. Fayetteville is constantly showing up on "Best Places to Live" lists and honestly I think it's overrated.There are tons of comprable cities all over the country. My 22 year old still lives in Fayetteville so I still visit often.
I have lived in 2 other cities - Cherry Point ,NC for 4 years a( had to move back to AR for family reasons) and have lived here in my current city Omaha, NE for nearly 3 years and I felt more at home & like BOTH other cites better than Fayetteville or the Northwest Arkansa metro .
Here are things I LIKE about Fayetteville & the surrounding area.
It's a naturally beautiful place. Lots of outdoorsy stuff, great hiking
Virturally no crime. There is some but overall it's so low compared to a majority of places. I really did'nt realize how safe it was!
It's getting more diverse with the influx of people.
For me personally -if I had to live in AR-Fayetteville is proably the most liberal of any city in the state.
Nearby Bentonville is home to Crystal Bridges Museum & several other cool places.
Cons of Fayetteville (NW Arkansas Metro)
The cost of living is increasing with it's popularity while the pay is some of the absolute lowest in the country.
Some tech/ business ideas are less progressive than other towns.
I find people there to be more cliquish and less inclusive to outsiders than both other places I've lived. I grew up there and I still sensed this. I think it may be because most people grew up in the area and have had the same group of lifelong friends since childhood.
I know there are exceptions but just too many ignorant/intolerant attitudes.
Constant interstate construction because the infastructure was not ready for the population. My commutes were much longer there than in a more populated/ larger metro area city due to traffic congestion.
Education - While Fayetteville host some of the higher performning public schools in AR most of the literacy & math scores are far below most states-even the "good" Fayetteville schools. When we moved from Fayetteville my elementary schooler had really good grades and went to a school with some of the highest literacy and math scores. When she enrolled in Omaha public schools she struggled to keep up. When I reseached this I learned that the performance standards and literacy math rates here average in the 90s! While Fayetteville found the 60th percentile scores there acceptable. Thankfully she has caught up.
I will say I know several transplants that have moved to Fayetteville that love it. A majority of people I know there have'nt lived anywhere else.
To each there own but I never felt like it was the place for me.
Angela | Omaha, NE