Don't move to Arkansas - 2/5/2010

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!

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Politics - 1/9/2010

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.

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Public Schools / Overall - 12/10/2009

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.

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horrible - 12/6/2009

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

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ALRIGHT - 6/11/2009

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.

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Crime level is high but, there are some safe place - 6/5/2009

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

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Home - 5/21/2009

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.

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Thinking of moving here - 5/5/2009

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.

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an ok place - 11/17/2008

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.

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Excellent Place to Live - 3/7/2008

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".

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I love LR - 2/22/2008

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.

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Don't Move to Little Rock - 2/6/2008

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.

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It's not what it seems.... - 10/30/2007

I lived Little Rock for 3 years and am so glad that I no longer call that place my home. When I first moved there I was welcomed with open arms and it seemed to be a friendly environment. After the initial phase of the "newcomer" was over, it was a distinctly different environment. People there were rude and personally hateful. They criticized everything you did, everything you wore, the type of car you drove. If you did not meet their standards or you weren't from there then you were considered an outsider and not accepted. People were cold and expected you to serve them since you were the new person. While the town may seem religious, majority of the people I came into contact with were very anti the church. The first impression I got of Little Rock was not what the town actually was like. Stay far far far away from this town if you have never lived in Arkansas or attended any college in the state of Arkansas. If you are relocating back then it will probably work out great for you! Good luck!

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Little Rock has some very nice areas - 10/26/2007

Little Rock is a widely diverse city with a lot of different people. You have people who have moved here for the amazing job growth, people who have moved here to retire or put down roots in the great culture, AMAZING scenery and mountains, and people who are from here originally, of course. Arkansas is not as "hillbilly" as people usually think. For example, there is a lot of money in Little Rock, predominantly in the area of West Little Rock. This is where a lot of the growth is- zip codes 72135 and 72223. Around here, the average house you find is probably going to be in the $400,000-$700,000 range. You'll find that this is one of the most low cost of living states in the country. Trees are everywhere, and the mountains are gorgeous, especially in the fall and winter when they become a wide array of colors. If you hate having to shovel a lot of snow, come here, because it never gets too cold and the average snowfall for the year is about 3 inches.

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Hillbilly's in Little Rock - 9/17/2007

Are there ANY Hillbilly's in Little Rock?

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Little Rock is great - 6/28/2007

Little Rock is a great town with a lot of stuff to do. Come here and enjoy the fun with us, or don't come, and we'll just have more fun kept to ourselves.

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To "C" from May 31 - 6/26/2007

You probably think that the CITY of Little Rock is full of people who have never been anywhere else in life, right? Wrong. There are many highly educated people who reside in the LR/NLR metro area and have lived in other areas. You have obviously not lived here very long, and you probably don't get out very often, which shows that you don't need to talk bad about this culturally diverse city when you probably don't ever leave your computer all day saying bad things about CITIES that you know nothing about.And if we want to call it a "city", we can, because on the bill I get each month, it says "City of Little Rock". You need to live here a while before you try venting your anger off on some nice, medium-sized southern CITY. I am proud to say that I am a citizen of Arkansas and especially one of Little Rock.

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Little Rock is Great - 6/23/2007

Little Rock has about 200,000 in the city and more or less 800,000 in the metropolitan area. It it the governmental, financial, business, and cultural center of the state of Arkansas. One of the interesting assets of living in Little Rock is the amazing landscape, full of mountains, valleys, rivers, and even swamps. You'll find a relatively low cost of living, great, warm weather year-round, and a lot of rain. Shopping is pretty good, there are some good and bad parts of the city, and the downtown is a of a fun, medium size and is great for a weekend trip with the family to the river market district and the downtown museums. The west side of Little Rock is sprawling at a manageable pace, and you will love all of the trees- pines, hardwoods, and especially the southern classics- dogwoods, magnolia, and azalea plants everywhere. So come visit Little Rock, or spend the move here like the many others moving here for the beauty,culture, and elegance of a medium-sized southern town. A mini Dallas:)

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Wow, People are on the optimistic side in Little R - 6/18/2007

Only been to Little Rock 3 times and have an account there, who I must say are the nicest and most proficient account I deal with. From the lack of ranting and raving from the reviews on here, I will look into the city more. You must be very positive people, says a lot for the town and the quality of people there. This is the only city I've looked up that had more than one positive review. Maybe I will escape the Atlanta traffic soon, and relocate there.

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City life - 5/10/2007

If you are looking for city life, then Little Rock may not be a good choice. There are tons of things to do but, it's all basically outdoors, adventure type stuff. It's a definate change from the west coast!

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