Topic: northwest arkansas opinions?

[rb550four]

  I'm feeling the need to move out of NY, Arkansas has caught my attention. I've been on sites for 2 nights and have seen things that I like, but the sites are set up for vacationers.
  I haven't been able to get a handle on what this place is like. I have questions that sites don't answer and I was wondering if there are some residents there that can tell me about it.

Like is there work there ? Even for a Yankee?  I Had some problems in the Carolinas many years ago about being Yankee ....or a northerner. Is it like that?

Is there work that doesn't involve Walmart or chickens? That's all we here about Arkansas in NY.

Would you say it is a higher cost of living there or better than other places?
It looks progressive but, strangely still old south to me. Beautiful too.

What drives the economy? Computers , natural gas, food processing, retail? I haven't been able to find out what drives the economy there with information on the state sites .and it's hard to say if I would be a good fit in the workforce,not knowing.

Are the property taxes bad, is allot of commercial real estate available, would it be hard to open a business there?


Does this state smother it's residents with extra laws, heavy taxes, making it difficult to succeed? Licences, permits, endless hoops? Or is it not a Big Brother state?

Is it a decent place to live?

Is there something horrific about it that residents know but vacationers don't? Like the winters are as hard as NY's or summer it is as hot as New Orleans.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[tomkimberly]

To get an idea on the types of jobs, check out the jobs section on Craigslist in the areas you are looking at.

If you have welding skills, you should be able to find work anywhere.

If you low skills for the available jobs, don't expect to selected over any of the local boys.

Tom

[Duke McDukiedook]

Walmart and chickens with some springs here and there.
It is in the middle of the Ozarks, draw your own conclusion from that.

[Roach Carver]

Okay, I live here and I lived in New Orleans for a few years so I will give you my opinion. NW arkansas is laid back, fairly progressive in my opinion. Fayetteville is a college town. The roads are great here. Property taxes, well we have them just like everyone else and I have not paid anywhere else so I cant tell you there. Do we accept "yankees" here? I think so, do you like to have a good time and go out of your way to try to get along? Most of us do. here is another place to ask some questions and get some idea at least about the guys that I know personally in this area on the forum that could likely answer so more of your questions.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=84612.0

[rb550four]

   Thanks for the thread , 443 pages,  looks like I  got some reading to do.
No , I'm not a welder and I don't want to steal any local guys jobs... am familiar with stolen jobs, here local tradesmen are being replaced with imported workers from countries south of Texas. They are being taken advantage of , so neither of us is happy.
 I would open a small business at some point, but I don't expect to hit the ground running right away since I 'd leave here with little and would need to find a job while I put it all together.
  The Yankee issue came up for me about 30 years ago and it was a PITA for no reason. Heck, my family didn't even get to this country before 1930 so there never was a civil war issue to be argued. I was wondering since we are now more tolerant and politically correct if that would be a thing of the past.
   Checked out CL, looks like everywhere else...I'm getting closer to actually planning a trip down and have some reading to do.
Thanks for the input gentlemen.

[Roach Carver]

The guys on the other thread I posted have a broad spectrum of jobs. I would pose this question there as most of them go to that thread only and don't go to the rest of this forum.