Reviews & Comments
Fayetteville, AR
Northwest Arkansas including Fayetteville -
6/9/2006My family and I moved into the Fayetteville area about 2 years ago. We have lived in different communities in California, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The economy is a mixed economy with Wal-Mart and Tyson foods being dominant players in the area. This translates into areas where the upwardly mobile Wal-Mart and Vendor executives live and play. As well as the agrarian workers that services Tyson industries. So you have the ultra rich as well as the ultra poor each with their own lifestyle. In small towns like you find in Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville is only like 65,000 people) these divergent lifestyles actually mix. Everyone has been very nice, but you will need to research the nuances to find the area that suites your lifestyle. There are arts centers where you can see high caliber plays and entertainment (Walton Arts Center - Fayetteville). There are plenty of very high society private golf courses and shopping (mostly in the Roger-Bentonville areas). There are areas that cater to the retiree (Bella Vista). There are also great areas for the outdoorsman. All of this is in a 30-40 mile corridor near I-540. We have two small children and the schools are actually better than advertised. Activities for families are a lot more than you would find in a metro area this size. My son plays hockey and they even have a hockey team that he plays kids from other areas like Tulsa (OK), Litte Rock (AR) and Springfield (MO). You are in the South but it is not the Deep South as is commonly refered to. The people in the area are not reliving the Civil War everyday. The racial tensions that you find in some of the other deep south states is not as prevelant. However, the community is becoming more diversified and that does create some tension in area. I have not see any overt signs of this tension like I saw in other communities (even northern communities that self segregate). The commmunities have small festivals going on all the time and it can be a lot of fun for the kids. The area supports a lot of causes. Plenty of runs to raise money for causes and things of that nature. Wal-Mart and Tyson support a lot of local investment through non-profits. Also, a lot of non-profit money provide services that you may not even see in larger communities. It is warm in the Summer but the Winters are mild. However, on the occasions that it does snow (maybe 2 times a year about an inch at a time) the area comes to a stop because unlike the northern sta