SperlingViews - Little_Rock, Arkansas

The cost of living here is very low. Arkansas is a beautiful natural state. It has a great education system as well. However, I have lived here all my life and I'm ready to move.[read more...]

There's really little to do here. The crime is high. There aren't many good jobs and it's not easy to get acquainted with people. Also...I've lived many places and I can tell you that "Arkies" are the biggest back-stabbners in the world...especially in the workplace[read more...]

intested in real estate in Little Rock[read more...]

I must say that we are really enjoying Little Rock and all the small towns in the area. I have lived in 4 different states and so far this is my familys favorite. I have four children under the age of ten and we do stuff almost every weekend. Lots of free or inexpensive things to do. We go to the rivermarket a lot as we always have a great time there. After living in other places I will tell you the cost of living here is way better then others. I lived in MN, LA, and NE and by far they where more expensive. A 150,000 dollar house would cost you about 250,000 in MN. I have so far been impressed with my girls schools. We love all the nature around here. Yes the summers are hot but I would trade that for 30 below winters and winters that last from Sept. till May any day. Now that I have had a Southern Winter I will never go back North. To be honest I was scared to move here as I knew very little about the Little Rock area but we have been very happy so far.[read more...]

PULASKI HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL is fantastic school! No need to listen to all these other people with all these bad comments! if they have never attended then they dont need to speak!I am a current student at PHMS......yes there maybe gangs and violence but they cant change that .... kids will be kids you have to let the parents deal with that!Teachers need to help end bullying and thats what they are trying to do right now! So send your child to PHMS because it is a great school[read more...]

my family and i would love being back home, but we had to move back 2 this sorry bakersfield ca, come next year we will be back in little rock ar.[read more...]

What is my opinion of everyday life in Little Rock? Little Rock itself is the largest city in state of Arkansas, but smaller than Memphis,TN. The quality of life around here has improved some from the past, but still have long way to go. For instance, the public transportation is doing ok, better than the rest of Arkansas, definitely. They still need mucher improvements on city buses such of adding more routes, more services hours, even thought we have street cars or trolley. Trolleys have short routes, only run between North Little Rock and Little Rock sides. No, they are not same as New York City. As for weather... from Fall, Winter, to Spring are very nice. For Summer, it does get very hot. By hot, I mean very hot and humidity. During day in middle of summer oftenly would make you feel like being inside hot-baked oven. And, what's more, nights of mid-summer have more humidity that will make you sweating even if you sitting outside doing nothing. Overall, Little Rock still needs more improvements on quality of life. I think That's about it for now.[read more...]

While I had many preconceived notions of what Little Rock would be like, it turns out to be a really interesting, and in a way eclectic city. The public transportation system reaches pretty much everywhere one would need to go. The cost of living in Little Rock is well below the national average for a state capitol. I don't know exactly when the bars and clubs close, but I know some of them are open until 5 am. The Arkansas river flows right by Market Street, which is loaded with very eclectic bars, live music joints, a tourist center, and even an organic food store. There are casinos, horsetracks and interesting historical areas within an hour or a couple hour drive of Little Rock. I met people who were young singles all the way to retirees, most of the local people I met loved Little Rock. The charm of southern hospitality still exists in Little Rock, whereas, in Atlanta things are changing at a faster pace. In education there are decent school systems in the Greater Little Rock area, or else there is a plethora of private school choices, for a really inexpensive rate, in terms of what I am use to in Atlanta. Little rock also has decent schools of higher education; and the only Master of Public Service degree program in the country and probably the world. ~Mark O [read more...]

I have lived here since 1993, left in 1996 and came back in 1997 to be with my mother who was deathly ill. It doesn't get any better around Arkansas. I live outside of Little Rock and acutally work in Little Rock. The cost of living around here is horrible. You would think that due to the recent economy changes there woudl be changes in the cost of living around here. NO!. It is horrible here. There are no jobs here what-so-ever. And no jobs are trying to come into the state. Arkansas is country and more country and I can't wait to get away from here. The people here are okay, but as for the overall living, for get about it. There is never anything to do here. No attractions. Okay, for those of you that want to go and see the same thing over and over, well maybe. The state fair is a joke, its in the "Hood" so who wants to spend all their hard earned money to gallop around the hood. There is no good shopping centers like in other major cities. Traffic well if the city officials could find away for people north of Little Rock to get into the Downtown Metroplex better there would be no issues. I whole state just sucks the life out of you. So if you are a self-sufficient professional looking to make a major career change here for get about it. And yes Arkansas is very racist. Harrison, AR is well known for it Klan activities in the past. And Forrest City is name after the originator of the KKK( Nathan Bedford Forrest. So go figure. If you like ghetto and country mixed together. Then this is the place for you. Please don't get me wrong there are great places to live here, but overall there is no major opporunities here. In the 80's the car tags use to say "Land Of Opportunity" yeah well they quickly decided to change that lie and now it reads "The Natural State". And natural is all it is. Me, my husband, my brother-in-law, best friend and a few others HATE IT HERE. If you are from Arkansas then this is not for you. Its for those of us who were somehow forced here by others (parents) and somehow are trying to find a way out. My husband and I are looking at Atlanta or Dallas. We will make our decision soon. We have been saving since we got married in 2008 for the day to leave the hell hole. Good ridiance once were gone........Don't Move Here.....Stay Away....You will be Disappointed if you do![read more...]

Like so many other places, we are run by a combination of opportunists who are in it for what they can get on the one side and moralistic hypocrites on the other.[read more...]

Unless you are wealthy enough to afford for your children to attend Pulaski Academy at the rate of $15 - $17,000 per year, do not send your child to Little Rock Schools. My husband and I are the average middle class making $85,000 per year and cannot afford that. In the public schools, the overall test scores are inadequate. All of the schools in the district are on "watch" status or "alarm" status in regards to Benchmark testing. My 12 year old son attends Little Rock Public Schools. Since we moved here 3 years ago from Oklahoma, he can speak Ebonics as well as he can English. His grammar has deteriorated. He is in all advanced classes in order for the work to be equivalent to what he was doing 3 years ago in Oklahoma!! Oh and did I mention they base where you go to school on your race????? I was asked if I and my son were Caucasion on the phone so they could determine where he would go to school. If you are white in Little Rock, be prepared for you child to be bussed 30 miles away to go to a school where they "need to balance the numbers between the races" even if you live 5 miles from a school. And when they say balance ---- my son knows or knows of about 10 other white children in his school. Overall, I have found that Little Rock is still all about what race you are. Blacks and whites alike are on edge just waiting for a race riot. There are race riots at my son's school and on his bus. Little Rock does not seem to realize it is 2010. I am originally from Dallas -- a big melting pot. I was born and raised in Texas. I honestly never thought about what race I was or you are. We all lived cohesively. Here though, it's a different world. It is hateful, shameful, disgraceful and most of all very sad.[read more...]

I honestly agree to this statement this is a hole in a wall kind os place never anything to do and the race issues are very thick here i hate it here as soon as i have a chance im leaving the public schools suck on public transportation for the rural area to the city i have been here for several yrs and have not seen any changes for the better just find somewhere else to move[read more...]

It's great if you have grown up there but, if you haven't stay clear of summer, because it's very hot, and humid, you have the air condition on all night and day. But like i said cool if you've been there since you were a child other than that wear lot's of sunscreen.[read more...]

Little Rock, Ar. is well known for its high crime rate and televised gang problems of the 1990's (Bangin in Little Rock, HBO). It is very true that there are some streets and areas to avoid night or day. Driving in the wrong colored vehicle or wearing the wrong colored shirt can get you killed here. I want to point out that there are NICE places to reside in also. Far west Little Rock, Hwy 10 and Chenal Parkway, are great places to call home. Average traffic, nice shopping, clean grocery stores, beautiful scenery, established neighborhoods, availability of private schools, and LOW crime. Another neat place to consider if you have young children and considering the move here is Cammack Village, Hillcrest/Heights. This area has the best elementary school in Little Rock and LOW CRIME here!! So in closing, yes there are places here that even I wouldn't visit (MLK BLVD, ASHER, DAISY BATES, or any place with a numbered street ex: 31st ST. but, if you have to move here, there are select areas that you and your family can sleep well at night. Hope this is some helpful insight on Little Rock. I will be glad to answer any questions at cferguson1228@yahoo.com Best of Luck[read more...]

Looking for a place to live that is not too expensive for semi-retirement. My wife works in in-home health caare, and we have a teenage girl with us, so schools are important also.[read more...]

I enjoy riding my scooter, as well as motorcycles and bike riding. Is Little Rock conducive to bike-riding ? How about sidewalks? I ask because the town my mom lives in, Longview, Texas, has absolutely NO sidewalks so it's impossible to take a walk in the city. You have to drive to a park to get in a walk or bide-ride.[read more...]

I have lived in Little Rock, for seven years now. It is true that the crime rate is high, for the city. However three quarters of that takes place in the south and east parts of the city ( south of I-630 and East of I-30 ). The city has no development plan as such, shopping centers spring up with out reason or seemingly logic, as do housing developments. All this is targeted for a small, wealthy minority. The down town has undergone gentrification over the last few years, as has the Quapaw quarter, I positive change for the downtown area which had been declining. The Hights are wonderful, with little shops and a small town atmosphere. The worst part of living here is something no one can do anything about, the weather. The summers are hot and muggy, as is the case in the rest of the state with the exception of the northwest of the state. Little Rock is the cultural heart of the state, which is to say that it is one of the least redneck parts of the state with the exception of Eureka ( look it up ). It is also ( with the exception of Eureka, the most GLBT, friendly part of the state, though it is by no means a Massachusetts. What can I say ? If you are going to live in Arkansas live in Little Rock, it is a ok city. whatever you do stay clear of the suburbs, ( Benton, Sherwood,Maumell ) they are clones of each other a flavorless bland expanse of identical houses and equally identical strip malls. Little Rock may have it's crime, ( in certain areas ) but at least there is some since of community here.[read more...]

Little Rock is an excellent place to live and raise a family. It's a slower pace than most well known cities and the metropolitan area is actually Little Rock, North Little Rock, Bryant, Benton, Cabot, Sherwood and Jacksonville. You can have that big city feeling or small city feeling, but either way the entire state of Arkansas does not have the major fluxuations of disruption as do large cities or states. I've never heard an outsider say anything other than how nice, courteous, helpful and giving people are from Arkansas. A lot of little know secrets in Arkansas including the fact that Little Rock is the World Headquarters for the ATA (American Taekwondo Association), the largest Martial Arts organization in the world. Overall the only things we don't have compared to major cities is earthquates, hurricanes, floods, mud slides, snow blizzards and a shortage of "water".[read more...]

I've lived in LR for my entire life and have traveled to many places and can not find any place I would rather live. Of course my friends and family being here doesn't hurt, but I am really proud to be from here. There is such balance here. I love that there are four seasons and it gets so hot in the summer, the only thing you can do is get in the pool and drink frozen margaritas. The trees and scenery are amazing. There is something for everyone. Good nightlife, live music, arts, theater, symphony, parks, trails, awesome restaurants, great shopping...and you can get anywhere in the city in under 30 minutes! We also have the friendliest people in the world. The only negative thing I can think of is there isn't a lot of public transportation, oh and some people don't appreciate LR for everything she is....and they should leave.[read more...]

I have lived downtown for several years. I've had my car smashed into and the stereo stolen three times. I'm trying to relocate. It used to be better...but the crime has gotten really bad. To those who say "well, downtown is not very safe..look at Hillcrest" I would say that a year or so ago a woman was robbed at 8 a.m. in that lovely, safe neighborhood. It's hot and humid in the summer. Not a lot to do. Race relations seem horrible. There are a lot nicer places with more to offer than this armpit. [read more...]