|
| Living a life - 12/5/2012
It's ok in the Fort Smith. Not too big, just rednecks to contend with.[read more...]
|
|
| Living n Fort Smith, Ar - 10/27/2012
Good place to raise a family. City of 80,000 with lots of good churches. Schools are pretty good with a very good 4 year university. Low cost of living. Housing is low compared to many places with bargains for those that can be selective. Winters last only a few weeks with cold weather being 15-25F for lows to 40-60F daytime highs in Jan and Feb. Summer months of Jun-mid Sept can be very hot 75F lows to 100F highs and humid. Must have A/c in your house and auto to be comfortable. [read more...]
|
|
| Crime rate climbing - 8/14/2012
The crime rate is climbing in Fort Smith. It is still not as bad as crime rate within a larger city; however, it is becoming more noticeable. [read more...]
|
|
| Crime - 8/12/2012
Feels safe![read more...]
|
|
| Relieved - 11/29/2011
I'm VERY relieved that some people don't like it here. This city is just the right size as it is...don't need more people, more crowds, or more traffic.
Born and raised in Madison, WI, lived in St. Paul,MN, Seattle, San Antonio, and Omaha. Wife lived in Westchester County, NY until 8 years ago. We LOVE it here in Fort Smith. More Western than Southern. Yes, it's conservative (and we're not) and yes it's religious (and we're not) and yes, good restaurants are rare. It's still a good place to live and we're glad we retired here. Great for history buffs, mild spring, winter and fall. Summer is hot and humid. Not paradise, but paradise is no good if you can't afford to live there. People are very friendly - and by the way, they are from all over!![read more...]
|
|
| Awful place to live. - 11/5/2011
The people of Fort Smith are nosey,rude and confrontational...If you are having a private conversation with another person,they butt in and offer their opinion even though they were not asked...They are also a city full of deceptive liars and if you are looking for a great place to live,move somewhere else.[read more...]
|
|
| Fort Smith - 8/26/2011
Fort Smith’s pluses are low crime, low cost of living, and mild winters. The person who said we have “cold winters” must be from southern Florida. Compare the average Fort Smith winter to one in Minnesota and you’ll see what a cold winter truly is.
That said, the downsides outweigh the benefits. This is a very Republican and religiously conservative area. If you don’t fit into that mold, you might not feel like you fit in. This is the South. “Good ol’ boy-ism” is still fairly strong, and it might turn up in places that would surprise and annoy you.
Chain stores (Walmart is everywhere!) and chain restaurants dominate, and aside from the mom & pop Asian and Tex-Mex places, the local restaurants are really mediocre. Central Mall, the shopping area that everyone abandoned a formerly thriving downtown for in the early 70s, is clean but doesn’t seem very busy, nor does it have much to offer. Your bookstore options are limited, and I hope you like buying your music from Walmart, Target, or Best Buy. The cool places with a vibe closed long ago.
The culture is very monotone. There are a few stabs at the creative arts, but it seems like most bands and festivals are for country, blues, or contemporary Christian. There’s a small theater group that puts on plays several times a year, and it seems to have decent community support. Museums are limited to frontier history, though there is an art center I haven’t visited lately that exhibits paintings by local and regional artists.
Public transit is a joke. I checked to see if I could get to work (which is five miles from home), and it would have taken over an hour by bus. The routes are few and very limited. Amtrak doesn’t come here, which is disappointing, if predictable. The airport is nice with word-class bathroom facilities (some award was given, see Wikipedia), but it’s also not entirely adequate (Dallas and Memphis are the only cities it supports). Finally, there’s a grubby Jefferson Lines bus terminal downtown. Enjoy that.
Summers are freakishy hot. This summer, we’ve seen triple digit days with little or no rain for weeks on end. Springs can be wildly stormy at times, but autumns are nice.
If you’re a conservative Christian with a young family, this would be a great place for you, provided you can get work. If you’re Republican and Jesus-centered, then you really need to think hard on whether moving here is best for you. If you like the idea of Arkansas but want something more cosmopolitan (which wouldn’t be difficult), you might check Fayetteville. It actually feels like a real small city, has a nice downtown, a lot of culture, and a lot of good, local restaurants.[read more...]
|
|
| You Think You Want To Move Here, But You Don't---I - 7/24/2011
In today's economy, nearly any town has it's problems with unemployment, etc. However, Fort Smith, Arkansas has ALWAYS had high unemployment. This skews the statistics and enable bogus comments such as, "Fort Smith's unemployment figures haven't changed much because of the economy." It's true---the figures haven't changed much because unemployment here is still above the national average. But to make it seem that Fort Smith is a stable place is deceptive. The large manufacturing firms that relocated here many years ago to escape states that allowed labor unions have decided that even Ft. Smith is too much trouble and they're all heading down to Mexico. Everyone that worked in these plants was from Oklahoma, anyway. Anyone living in Fort Smith is generally shunned by the firms---not sure why. In fact nearly ALL jobs in Fort Smith are held by people from rural Oklahoma. Ask anyone you meet at the dentist office, the schools, retail---you name it. They're ALL from Oklahoma. I think a toll bridge on the Arkansas river would be nice, or maybe a tax for Okies coming here to take jobs from Fort Smith citizens. Once a business allows Okies to work there, it isn't long before one of them becomes a supervisor or some form of lower management. After that, it's all over. From then on, they'll hire nothing but Okies. In fact, in Okie-infested businesses in Fort Smith, the Okies will deride Ft. Smith and talk about how much they hate it. Go back to Oklahoma is what I say. This is also the Bible Belt, so if you're a normal person from somewhere else, be advised that in no way is diversity tolerated here. I've seen many a Californian who had a relative in this area try to move in, only to give up and head back out West. Ft. Smith is a strange bird, indeed.[read more...]
|
|
| Ft smith - 2/14/2011
Ft. Smith sucks big hairy monkey balls..... I just moved here, winters are cold, there are NO JOBS here wirlpool and riverside shut down and the others have lay-offs, the summers are sticky and the people r not nice like my next door neighbors they r old and don't like Lil kids, there r no deed restrictions so anyone can do anything to their yards or should I say do nothing to their yards better yet! I would think twice about moving here! And good luck if u r trying to lease and the schools suck too! I have have nothing nice to say about it. The schools would have u drive in ice so they can make their money for the day, plus good luck on getting a school bus to run. So...stay away from ballman ele school and 37th street (beware of the hateful neighbors) [read more...]
|
|
| Ft smith - 2/14/2011
Ft. Smith sucks big hairy monkey balls..... I just moved here, winters are cold, there are NO JOBS here wirlpool and riverside shut down and the others have lay-offs, the summers are sticky and the people r not nice like my next door neighbors they r old and don't like Lil kids, there r no deed restrictions so anyone can do anything to their yards or should I say do nothing to their yards better yet! I would think twice about moving here! And good luck if u r trying to lease and the schools suck too! I have nothing nice to say about it. The schools would have u drive in ice so they can make their money for the day, plus good luck on getting a school bus to run. So...stay away from ballman ele school and 37th street (beware of the hateful neighbors) [read more...]
|
|
| I thought it was a cute town - 10/30/2010
I just came back to FL from Fort Smith, had a job interview at a medical center over there. Everyone I met was as nice as could be, gas was cheaper there than my hometown, and the rates on apt rentals are awesome!! I can certainly get ahead in this town and be able to save money. Fort Smith is about to gain a new member of their little community.[read more...]
|
|
| Ft. Smith,Arkansas....Well, it sucks!! - 9/8/2010
Yes there is crime in Ft. Smith.It's not the stuff of big city life, but it's here.That's not you should be worried about though, be worried about the economy here.Jobs in this area are very scarce.Here, it's not what you know, it's who you know.This city is all about the "good ol' buddy" system.You could work in a poultry plant, but those jobs are taken by immigrants, legal and illegal.As far as attractions go...not much.Once a year there is a traveling fair that comes through.It's has a very generic feel to it.If you rent here, the northside of town is cheap, and you'll see why.You'll find out first hand just how much crime does happen here.If it's the southside, way overpriced.The schools here are at best,lacking.Don't take my word for it, just look up how Arkansas schools rank nationally.In most categories, we rank bottom, or pretty damn close.This town is controlled by the same 20 or 30 people that has been in control for 60 years.Very behind the times!!I've lived here for 36 years, born and raised.That's about to change, it has to, or me and my family will starve to death.Like I said, no jobs here.So, take my advice, DO NOT move to Ft. Smith,Arkansas, it really has nothing to offer. [read more...]
|
|
| I love Fort Smith! - 1/9/2010
We moved here in 1978 and it has been a wonderful experience. The town is large enough to have everything I need but it isn't so large that I am afraid to get out in it.
Fort Smith is a friendly family oriented town. It has been a wonderful area in which to raise a family.
Many summers are hot and humid but not as bad as many southern states. The winter consists of only 2-3 months. Usually it doesn't even get cold enough to wear a coat. I will take heat in the summer if I can usually have mild winters and little to no snow.[read more...]
|
|
| It's not bad - 8/4/2009
Fort Smith is ok. The people are fairly nice. It would be better if they used their turn signals when driving. Being a transplant from the Northwest I kinda feel out of place. We have a mall and most of the big chain stores. We're not near the ocean, so fresh seafood is hard to find. The taxes are high compared to Oregon which has no sales tax, but the cost of living is less. Good Chinese food or a proper pizza is nonexistent. The BBQ is good. The climate is super hot (air conditioning is mandatory) in summer and super cold in winter. Best time of year is Fall which lasts about a week. Spring time is high winds, hail and tornados. As long as you have a bomb shelter in your backyard you'll be safe. Also, we're in the Bible Belt so be prepared if you were raised otherwise.[read more...]
|
|
| Beware of public schools in Fort Smith - 6/11/2009
I have lived her a very long time and we are looking to move to Texas for hopefully more jobs and better education. Be aware that Fort Smith laid-off a lot of teachers and cut many programs in music, PE, etc. My daughter goes to high school and her math class as 55 students, her english class as 47. In both classes, they have to share text books. Most parents I know have bought used text books from Amazon.com and other sources. Since Reem and Whirlpool decided to move to Mexico, the area has a steady decline in jobs and home values. I think the city in 20 years could really go under if the leadership does not attract new industry to the area.[read more...]
|
|
| crime rate - 11/27/2008
High crime rate in Ft. Smith? Are you kidding me? If there are bad things that happen here, I certainly never hear of them. This is a very nice, friendly, clean, safe town with great amenities, including a PGA tour golf course, excellent schools (both public and private), and a variety of restaurants that offer local and ethnic cuisine. Camping, boating, hiking are all easily accessible. Shopping is the drawback here, but we're working on attracting more stores to our city. Unfortunately, as it stands now, you have to plan on buying your clothes in Tulsa, LR or Dallas and your furniture in NW Ar! We're regionally known for our music, with the jazz festival, blues festival, Chorale, Symphony, and lots of local bands. Lots of potential, a hidden gem. And lots of Docs here, like every other person you know is a physician or dentist here.[read more...]
|
|
| The Worst Bus Service In The World - 6/7/2008
I have never seen a bus service like this, EVER. The drivers will advise you to take any route that will eventually reach your destination, with no regard to whether it is the shortest or the longest way there. They have no concept of the value of time; presumably because they are paid so very little. They will take you a full hour out of your way to get you one block closer to your destination, and when you see they are headed in the wrong direction, they will tell you if you don't like it you can pay another dollar on a different bus. The drivers will give you false information about their schedule; yet, the company will not take any action against the driver who has provided the false information and pathetic customer service. The company refuses to be held accountable for their drivers' incompetence.
[read more...]
|
|
| breakdown of climate - 3/4/2008
the weather here in the summer ranges from 90-110, so it gets pretty hot. spring and fall we have very comfortable weather!!
winter ranges from 25-70 degrees, it just depends. it doesn't snow a lot but sometimes it does.
it's also very humid![read more...]
|
|
| Hot, Muggy, and just miserable.... - 10/27/2007
When I went here looking for apartments The prices seemed good. 320 for a large 1br didn't seem bad. However I when I called to get the stats on the apartments and to set up an appointment to view them, the people were really rude and none of them seemed to want to disclose anything other then How "awesome" the place was. I would ask them how expensive utilities were and they scratched ther heads like they had no clue, then yell at you. I called several and they would hang up on me as soon as I asked when I could take a look. I was even very professional on the phone and I had typed up a script on my laptop as to what to say. They seem to not want to have anything to do with anyone from NC license plates. As soon as they seen my plate they went downhill after that. They seem very hostile towards liberals over there. The whole state of AR is very conservative. And the weather is miserable and hot as hell. Fort smith is also very dirty and very hard to navigate even with a GPS! I would avoid this city like the plague unless you are a southern person with conservative values and are able to tolerate rude people.[read more...]
|
|
| A lot of potential - 3/8/2007
Fort Smith has a lot of potential--a few more restrictive ordinances to clean up the car stereos and bad drivers, enforcing a little air quality control on its industrials, curbing the number of adult venues, and doing a little more to encourage white-collar jobs into the area and Fort Smith could be just as much a jewel as Fayetteville and Hot Springs. The city isn't looking at the lessons and progress happening up the road and at how Hot Springs cleaned up and turned around. If it would just follow suit, I think it could be back on track like it was when my family and friends transplanted here in the late 90's.[read more...]
|
