What are your views on Arkansas?

[mcheiss]

Well, I thought this would be a good way to make myself known on the Southern Poll. I am from Rogers, in a very prominant and growing part of the state which is Northwest Arkansas.

I want to know other people's perception of the state of Arkansas.

[waccamatt]

Razorbacks

[NcSc74]

Well, I thought this would be a good way to make myself known on the Southern Poll. I am from Rogers, in a very prominant and growing part of the state which is Northwest Arkansas.

I want to know other people's perception of the state of Arkansas.

Bill Clinton, Razorbacks, Ozarks, and "Bangin in Little Rock"(HBO special). The latter didn't do much for the overall perception of Arkansas........also I think of country living and not a lot of cosmopolitan influences. Remember this- people said the same thing about NC a few years ago and we still are fighting the sterotypes and perceptions to this day.

However planning for the future in the 60's and 70's (RTP) and agressive banking ventures, and investment in the colleges and universities have more than paid off. So now NC is not just agricultural and industrial anymore. Also Reginonal co-ops mainly SC has helped the Carolinas emerge as a very powerful and attractive region for relocation. I don't know much about AR but I do know progress begins with government and private sectors working together.

[Viper]

My experience in Arkansas is limited and not a very good one. I attribute it to the highway system more than anything.

On a trip across country that took me through on I-40, I had a flat. No biggie, pop on the spare in 10 minutes, rolling again. Mind you I'm with both my young children, ages 2 and 5, in the car for the past 10 hours already. 5 minutes after I put on my spare, a different tire pops. Shame on me for not bringing two spares, right? Took 3 hours to flag down someone that called in a state trooper who called in a junk yard salesmen to sell me a tire on the side of the highway.

I hear the springs are quite lovely though.

[krazeeboi]

My very first perception of Arkansas was also the HBO special "Bangin in Little Rock." It highlighted the very serious gang problem there, but aside from that, I didn't know very much about it. Seems that aside from the Clintons, Arkansas isn't in the national spotlight very much. But from what I've seen here, I don't think it's too farfetched to think that we will be hearing good things about Little Rock in the near future.

[jmanhsv]

When I think Arkansas, I think rocks. The only time I have been there (early 90s) was because of my parents' hobby of collecting rocks and minerals. So I don't really have a problem with Arkansas.

[mcheiss]

My very first perception of Arkansas was also the HBO special "Bangin in Little Rock." It highlighted the very serious gang problem there, but aside from that, I didn't know very much about it. Seems that aside from the Clintons, Arkansas isn't in the national spotlight very much. But from what I've seen here, I don't think it's too farfetched to think that we will be hearing good things about Little Rock in the near future.

Since that movie came out, Little Rock has made progress against gangs and violence. Task Forces and cooperation have lowered the crime rate a lot.

Also, our Interstates are not that good, but we are getting a few more. From Jonesboro to North Little Rock I think they are building one, and I-49 is supposed to be put along western arkansas.

And of course our famous razorback. I didn't know it was so popular with people out of state.

[krazeeboi]

I'm glad that progress has been made in Little Rock as far as the gangs are concerned. From what I've seen, it seems to be a progressive city.

[satalac]

sitting in the rain at neyland stadium watching clint stoerner fumble the ball and losing the game for the razorbacks. i didn't mind though since i am a tennessee fan.

[I-275westcoastflorida]

Hot Springs is a growing, affordable lakeside community

[Newnan]

A very rural, backwoods southern states, and Bill Clinton.

[triadcat]

I have never been to Arkansas.

I do think of Bill Clinton just a little, mostly rural (like most states) certainly southern, but in a different way than the coastal southern states. I think of the lower half as being deep south, the top half being inland southern with a touch of mid-west. I also think of rocks for some reason and grasslands.

[Mith242]

Wow, no one has mentioned Wal-mart. I've wondered if people see northwest Arkansas and the rest of Arkansas as seperate intitities or if northwest Arkansas still isn't on anyone's map despite all of our major companies up here.

[mcheiss]

Don't forget Tyson and the chicken business Mith.

[Arkansawyer]

I have never been to Arkansas.

I do think of Bill Clinton just a little, mostly rural (like most states) certainly southern, but in a different way than the coastal southern states. I think of the lower half as being deep south, the top half being inland southern with a touch of mid-west. I also think of rocks for some reason and grasslands.

I've never understood this way of thinking that lines that man drew on a map somehow define cultural boundaries. Eastern Arkansas is as Deep South as South Arkansas. Even up the Mississippi River a ways into Missouri is very Southern. Most of North and West Arkansas are mountainous and of Inland South, or Southern Mountain, culture; much of southern Missouri in the Ozarks is this way too. There is no "touch of mid-west," whatever that means. The state of Arkansas, as well as other non-Atlantic Southern states, has had less "yankeefication" than the coastal Southern states, but is seeing it in some areas. For instance the Northwest Arkansas msa has gone from a population of 210,939 in 1990 to 353,833 in 2004. That's a population increase of almost 68% in only fourteen years! This same phenomenon has occurred in other booming areas of the South. It's a new fact of life.

Your idea of Arkansas' geography is not very accurate. Having mountains, of course we have rocks. Rocks are basically what mountains are made of, but I don't know why you would associate Arkansas with rocks anymore than you would associate North Carolina, or other mountainous states with them. We simply don't have grasslands. The non-mountainous areas we have are the Delta in East Arkansas and the Timberlands in South Arkansas. The Delta is the most fertile region in the United States, and was originally an area of dense hardwood forests and swamps, but has been largely cleared for agriculture. The Timberlands are part of the Gulf Coastal Plain, and timber is obviously a big industry there.

Look at the terrains in the South:

Below are some pictures of the landscape I have talked about.

The Ouachita Mountains, the geologic wonder, around Hot Springs:

Ridges in the Ozarks:

Wonderful vista in the Ozarks:

Waterfall at Petit Jean State Park:

Waterfall near Buffalo National River:

The Buffalo River itself, America's first national river:

Nice scene in the Ozarks:

In the other half of the state you'll see a lot of this:

Eastern Arkansas is full of vast wetlands, home to the "Big Woods" as described by William Faulkner:

The longest bayou in the world, Bayou Bartholomew is mostly in Arkansas:

An oxbow lake in East Arkansas:

Oxbow lakes are formed by the Mighty Mississippi:

Click on "properties" to see the origin of the pictures.

As you can see, Arkansas has wonderfully varied regions.

[triadcat]

I've never understood this way of thinking that lines that man drew on a map somehow define cultural boundaries. Eastern Arkansas is as Deep South as South Arkansas. Even up the Mississippi River a ways into Missouri is very Southern. Most of North and West Arkansas are mountainous and of Inland South, or Southern Mountain, culture; much of southern Missouri in the Ozarks is this way too. There is no "touch of mid-west," whatever that means. The state of Arkansas, as well as other non-Atlantic Southern states, has had less "yankeefication" than the coastal Southern states, but is seeing it in some areas. For instance the Northwest Arkansas msa has gone from a population of 210,939 in 1990 to 353,833 in 2004. That's a population increase of almost 68% in only fourteen years! This same phenomenon has occurred in other booming areas of the South. It's a new fact of life.

Your idea of Arkansas' geography is not very accurate. Having mountains, of course we have rocks. Rocks are basically what mountains are made of, but I don't know why you would associate Arkansas with rocks anymore than you would associate North Carolina, or other mountainous states with them. We simply don't have grasslands. The non-mountainous areas we have are the Delta in East Arkansas and the Timberlands in South Arkansas. The Delta is the most fertile region in the United States, and was originally an area of dense hardwood forests and swamps, but has been largely cleared for agriculture. The Timberlands are part of the Gulf Coastal Plain, and timber is obviously a big industry there.

Well, the guy (was it you?....can't remember) asked what our VIEWS are on Arkansas. Plus I said that I have NEVER been to your state.

I am a North Carolinian and have not been to even half of the other southern states, but your state does seem nice from the pics.

[mcheiss]

I was the one who asked the view on Arkansas.

I just wanted to know what people thought about our wonderful state. A lot of people think we are in a backwards hillbilly state. We don't need to correct other people's opinions on the state.

By the way Arkansawyer, that picture of the vista in the Ozarks was on the cover of Randy McNally Road Atlas for 2004 or something like that. Awesome pictures!!!

[johnnydr87]

I must admit guys, even though I've lived in Arkansas for around ten years....my family's perception of the place was pretty negative before actually moving here.

From experience, I can say: Arkansas is a lot more progressive than Louisiana.

From statistics, I can say: Arkansas is a lot more progressive than most southern states.

I'll explain, but first, I will post my favorite pics (some of these are Mith's from the "Fayetteville Pictures" in the Arkansas forum):

Little Rock

Mith242's candid Fayetteville pictures (the building is the new Fayetteville library---ranked 1st in the nation by some magazine)

Ouachita Mountains (the southern cousins of the more famous Ozarks. They are higher on average than the Ozarks.):

Magic Springs Theme Park....on the outskirts of Hot Springs

Hot Springs (again...Arkansawyer showed the best pic)

Ozarks (the Ozarks are famous for being in Missouri, but the highest and most rugged section are in Arkansas.....just take a look at a topgraphical map):

From a post I made a very long time ago about the statistics (so some parts might be outdated):

Northwest Arkansas metro. There are four cities that make up this metro: Fayetteville, Benton, Rogers, and Springdale. It ranked first in "Best Performing Cities" last year, although it moved down to seventh place this year (). At forbes.com, it is ranked the fifth best metro economically (or something like that, it's under forbes.com/lists). This metro is predicted to outgrow Little Rock's (around 550,000) by 2025. It is currently at 323,000. Call it the "Walmart Effect"....or "Tyson"....or "JB Hunt," but companies around the nation are making corporate officies on that I-540 corridor in the Ozark Mountains.

[...]

For the best small metros (under 350,000), Fayetteville AR ranked 5th, Jonesboro AR 28, Fort Smith AR 57, 116 for Pine Bluff, AR.

[...]

To put things into perspective, all of South Carolina's Major metros and minor metros ranked below the top Arkansas candidate (2.7 million population vs. 4.1). Granted, SC had more cities than Arkansas.......Two cities came close to little Rock's ranking, Charleston and Columbia at 22 and 28, respectively. In the minor metros though, SC's top minor metro, Myrtle beach, only beat Arkansas' last: Pine Bluff. (93 Myrtle Beach, 128 Florence, 165 Sumter).

[greystone98]

I do think of Wal-Mart when I think of Arkansas, but also of Clinton, Hot Springs, and some beautiful landscapes as reflected by the photos posted. I've never really visited Arkansas, just driven through several times. It's a beautiful state that I truly don't know very much about.

[Mith242]

I was just surprised that at that time Wal-mart hadn't been mentioned. But it is interesting to see what other people think when your state is mentioned. Obviously not everything is going to be correct because many people haven't been here. I imagine some of my views on other states may not be very accurate either.