After nearly 70 years, I finally found my home
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11/18/2022
After leaving critical reviews for a LOT of different cities, I finally found my home. Before moving to Little Rock, I had researched nearly every medium/big city in the South. Most were either too expensive, had too much crime, or both. My home town was Gulfport, Ms, but the Gulf Coast has become pricey, and the crime is much worse than when I was growing up there.
Then one day a neighbor from across the street from where I was cat sitting in Tucson mentioned L.L. Sadly, in my ignorance, I thought, Arkansas? Pigs and BBQ and red necks? No, it's not like that at all. Almost w/o exception. everyone I've met has been friendly, polite and talkative. True Southern Hospitality.
It wasn't like that in my AIRBNB here though, that was mostly alcohol and drugs. After spending a lot of time calling and looking at apartments, I went to The Good Shepherd Senior Community where I live now. It's absolutely beautiful here. The staff and residents have been so kind. It's NOT just here though. People in stores are very courteous, and the only negative has been dealing w/ Comcast/Xfinity, but they're terrible everywhere.
Everywhere you go, it's yes sir, no mam. That never, ever happened in Tucson, where my 6 mo stay extended to over 2 miserable years due to COVID. Just getting off the train here was a great experience, I knew immediately that I was in the right place, finally. What worried me was getting around though. The hills are steeper than San Francisco, and they're everywhere. But a new and bigger battery for my eBike fixed that.
Little Rock has a street car, regular bus service, and micro transit service, the latter consisting of smaller buses that are on-demand. You call them up or use their app, and they come to your door and pick you up, then take you to your destination. W/ 6 or 7 different coverage areas, you can get around quite easily. It's not a cab service, you will be picking up other people and riding w/ them to your destination, but the buses are clean and new, and the views are nice. Keeping the coverage areas small means the buses aren't crowded and most trips are short.
I don't know too much about other parts of the city. From what I do know, the crime is quite high, but it's not in all the areas, and it's nearly always between two or more parties that know each other. It's not like people are breaking into homes w/ guns or armed robberies on the streets. I have seen none of that, and feel very safe where I live, bus and bike.
Today shows you what a gem this place is. After having difficulty updating my address, I finally was given the phone number of the local post office. Like all post offices, they're very busy, but when I did finally get hold of them, they were so friendly and courteous it almost made me shed a tear. Then, much later in the day, the woman who I had talked to there called my on my cell phone to make sure I had the address right! Now, how often has this happened in anyone's life? The cab drivers give you their personal phone numbers and names, as do the uber drivers! None of this has ever happened to me anywhere, ever. When I called the Metro Connect later to pick me up, the woman on the phone stressed that she NEEDED me to take the transit because if it wasn't for us, she wouldn't have a job! Anywhere else, it's just about getting the person off the phone so you can get to the next one in line.
The winters do get cold, but you do get the full 4 seasons (I could do w/o the c cold ones). Otherwise, this place is a gem. Beautiful views, the trees are so old and wise. New construction is starting up nearly everywhere, so things may change, but maybe not. I ask everyone I meet where they're from, and 95% of the time they say Little Rock or another nearby Arkansas city. Unlike places like Florida, this place is "Southern" enough to keep the snowbirds away, as well as our winters. So I expect all the new construction to go to other folks from Arkansas, or at least other Southerners. That keeps it "real" here. I've lived in too many cities that had their native culture destroyed my transplants who constantly complain that things aren't done like where they're from. Well, that road goes two ways. They can leave as easily as they came, no one is stopping them.
There is a good mix of demographics here too, unlike places like Fayetteville, which is 80% White and mostly students. For someone like me who is a very liberal Southerner, I fit right in, even among the Republicans. Most people here seldom discuss that or religion, they're focused on their interests.
steve | ,