Reviews & Comments
Fayetteville, AR
I love this town -
7/23/2006I lived in Fayetteville while I was in grad school. I moved there from Southern Missouri. I thought it would end up being very similar to where I was moving from but it was not. It was much better. Fayetteville has a much more hospitable feel about it. People are kinder and give you more of the small town vibe, despite the fact that it isn't a small town area. With Bentonville, Rogers, and Springdale this is actually a pretty populated place. The town has done a great job keeping trees around and keeping things pretty. There's this huge sense of tradition and pride for the University and the campus is gorgeous. It takes about 15 minutes to drive from one side of the town to the other, and it isn't a huge city, yet everything you could ever need you can find... restaurants, movie theaters, specialty stores, etc... I know that someone said that if they could move back to Fayetteville they would do so, and then another commenter stated that they could if they wanted. Well, I can't feasibly move back there right now because I'm currently working for a business that can't move me to wherever I want, but if and when I have the chance to move back there, I will. Fayetteville was also on the new top 100 list of best small towns to live that CNN publishes. I thought that was pretty cool.
Willard, MO
This place is not anything special... or even clos -
7/23/2006Sure, there are the people who've lived here their entire life who insist this is perfect, small-town America. It's not. They only think it is because they've never been able to move anywhere else. It's not aesthetically pleasing at all. It's full of people living in small, poorly built homes. The school is large for the area and takes in some of North Springfield. The town is really backward concerning planning and development. They haven't allowed fast food or other chain establishments for years so as not to hurt the "small town charm" Willard supposedly has. Too bad there wasn't any of that to begin with. Nothing but a very depressing little strip that used to be downtown. There are some dirty old buildings that house a few low class restuarants, etc. There is no shopping except for a terrible grocery store where you're lucky if they carry staples like bananas and milk. It's just far enough to drive to Springfield for it to be a pain in your butt. Then you have to drive even farther since Willard is on the Northwest side of Springfield... the part of town that is old and houses nothing but more depressing old run down buildings, a lot like Willard. The South side of Spfld is where everything is and it takes you a good 30 minutes to get there. My advice is that if you really want to live in the Springfield area (and if you do, you really need to think it over again) move to one of the suburbs that are actually growing and can offer you more than a depressing view as you drive to work every morning. Try Ozark, Republic, or Nixa. Even Rogersville is better than Willard. Still depressing, but at least the town isn't run by people that won't even allow a McDonald's to be put in. I mean, they're at least willing to try and grow a little, right? If you want beautiful, very small-town America with few people and not much hustle and bustle, choose farther North and West of Willard in Greenfield or Ash Grove. These towns are prettier, and, although they also don't offer a lot along the lines of restaurants and stores, they still have old homes that have been kept up, and that gorgeous atmosphere that people look for who don't want to live close to a city. Springfield is a longer drive from these towns, but it's worth it not to have to look at new, two bedroom, cheap homes slapped up in odd clusters that all look the same in a flat, almost desolate looking area. These other towns have character. If you move here after reading this, it's y