Arkansas

[next_migration]

Arkansas is a state of about 3 million people, with over half a million each in the two metropolitan areas of Little Rock and Fayetteville. Both metro areas are reasonable enough in size and cost to be of interest to some migrants who need urban employment. Most of the state has lower population density with affordable housing and plenty of room for more people. Arkansas’ motto is “The Natural State,” and it is well placed for natural resources, with plenty of forests and farmland (Arkansas produces almost half of the nation’s rice crop), as well as a significant steel industry, a developing film industry, and, in places, tourist industry driven by the attractive scenery and varied outdoor recreations.

 

Northwestern Arkansas, which includes the Fayetteville metro area, is becoming a local center of tech industry, with a few towns offering bonuses to get remote workers to move in. That region is the home of several retail, transport/distribution, and agribusiness megacorps, including the politically powerful Walmart, which has encouraged many Walmart suppliers to set up offices in the area.

Arkansas has great potential (only) for people who want very conservative government: many counties are “dry,” and [a previous version of] the state’s official booklet on senior services gives Sen. Tom Cotton (2021) two pages to rant about how he’s saving seniors from a plot to destroy America by letting kids learn about slavery. Cities that might be considered include the following:

 

o  Rogers in the northwest is a city of 70,000 people located towards the north end of the Fayetteville-to-Bentonville urbanized area, next to Bentonville. Rogers hosts a variety of manufacturing and food processing businesses, but the biggest employer is, unsurprisingly, Walmart. This region sees considerable tourism due to its beautiful scenery and many craft fairs and festivals. There are plenty of cultural activities in Rogers, which has a substantial Latino population. Housing is significantly more expensive than in some parts of Arkansas, but still below the national average.

o  Bentonville (54,000 people) hosts the home office of Walmart and many satellite offices of Walmart suppliers. It is less affordable than Rogers, because the influx of corporate employees and business money has inflated housing costs to an above-average level. On the bright side, that money has also contributed to excellent cultural resources, such as a large free museum of American art. Bentonville has a significant community of Indian-American Walmart workers. A community college is located between Rogers and Bentonville. Residents say that Bentonville maintains a friendly, small-town feeling despite its growth; however, those who don’t have a source of above-average income should not consider the place.

o  Fayetteville (94,000 people), at the other end of the northwestern metro conglomeration, is likewise rapidly growing and rather expensive. It is home to the University of Arkansas, which receives support (and, of course, political influence) from several of the megacorps based in the region. There’s an attractive historic district and various cultural and recreational activities. This city has received astonishingly good reviews from residents. People are generally happy here.

o  Siloam Springs (17,000 people) is in the extreme northwest, on the state line opposite West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma. It’s known for its particularly beautiful downtown and high number of churches per capita. White people are most likely to feel welcome, although there’s a sizeable Latino minority. There are several employers in the food processing and manufacturing sectors (including Simmons Foods, a major employer that also produces pet and livestock foods), and a modest tourism business for attractions along the Illinois River.

o  Russellville (29,000 people) in the central northwest is politically dominated by Baptist churches (package liquor sales are banned, though you can drink at a restaurant or bar). There is a surprisingly diverse manufacturing base in the area and a STEM-focused university, Arkansas Tech, but local businesses are limited. Russellville is the home of Arkansas’ only nuclear plant. Located on Lake Dardanelle, the town is a good spot for fishing, camping, and hiking; it also has some local cultural events and hosts the annual county fair.

o  Mountain Home (ca. 13,000 people) in the central north is most welcoming to white conservative Christians. People who fit that definition enjoy its pleasant small-town atmosphere. Outdoor recreation is plentiful; one of the local rivers, the Buffalo National River, is free-flowing (undammed, a rarity in the U.S. these days) and home to an International Dark Sky Park. The local economy is not very diverse, but includes a variety of manufacturing, retail, health care, and old-age services (many of those white conservative Christians are retirees). There is a two-year Arkansas State University branch that works with local employers to create job-training programs. Through a local “promise” program, students who start at ASUMH soon after graduating from the town’s high school can receive four semesters of free tuition.

o  Searcy in the central-northeast is a town of about 23,000. It is in a dry county and, like the previous two, best suited for conservative Christians, especially white ones. Searcy is the home of a private Christian university, Harding University, a major employer that has a better academic reputation than a normal Bible college and provides more cultural resources to the town. There’s also a small community college. Many residents are employed in distribution (especially for Walmart), food processing, and other manufacturing. Searcy is a surprisingly good food town given its size, demographics, and dry status, with independent restaurants representing some cultural diversity.

o  Jonesboro in the northeast has about 76,000 people and a small metro area. It is home to Arkansas State University. Health care, retail, manufacturing, and food processing provide many more jobs. Sometimes called the City of Churches, Jonesboro has many cultural amenities (at modest scale, naturally), but the cost of living remains cheap. Has a small bus system.

o  Batesville in the northeast is a historic town of some 11,000 people. There is a little ethnic diversity, primarily Latino. The local chicken processing industry provides poor air quality. However, many residents enjoy its peaceful, friendly small-town character.

o  Fort Smith in the west has close to 90,000 people; its metro area includes counties in Arkansas and neighboring Oklahoma. The population includes Latino and Asian-American communities; there is a Spanish-language paper and two radio stations. Manufacturing, food processing, education, health care, retail, and the military provide employment; there is a diverse manufacturing base. There is a University of Arkansas branch baccalaureate/community college, a lively music scene, and several festivals, including a bistate state fair. Unemployment is a bit high, but Fort Smith is noted for its cheap housing and low crime. Has some public bus service. Recently announced that its aging water treatment system requires expensive upgrades to avoid catastrophic failure.

o  Van Buren (about 23,000 people) is the second-largest city in the Fort Smith metro area and has many of the same economic sectors, emphasizing manufacturing, food processing (especially poultry), and health care. A former steamboat port on the Arkansas River, it would be at risk of severe flooding if its levees failed, but so far, so good. It is less diverse and more conservative than Fort Smith and people who are visibly nonconforming may become well acquainted with the police. Residents describe it as close-knit and boring. There’s a pleasant historic district and lots of outdoor recreation.

o  Little Rock (202,000 people) is the capital of Arkansas, and by far its most populous and diverse city (unlike the vast majority of places in Arkansas, there is a large Black population). It has an active river port, a valuable feature whose associated industrial park supplies thousands of jobs. There is a broad variety of corporate, non-profit, and government employment; health care is an important industry. There is a major medical school and a medium-sized state university. Arts and culture are plentiful. Little Rock is home to state schools for blind and deaf students. There is a good-sized transit network, which connects to several nearby suburbs, and an Amtrak stop. Cost of living is reasonable, but crime is high compared to most cities in the state, and some neighborhoods will be better avoided.

o  Sherwood (33,000 people) is a suburb of Little Rock. It’s greener and more peaceful, but has less diverse employment. It’s considered family-friendly. Real estate is expensive by Arkansas standards, but not awful by national standards.

o  Conway (64,000 people) is technically a distant suburb of Little Rock. It has many jobs in high-tech and education (there are three colleges, including the University of Central Arkansas) as well as manufacturing and advertising, though some residents find well-paying jobs hard to find. Conway offers many cultural institutions, including a professional Shakespeare company and the popular music festival Toad Suck Daze.

o  Cabot (26,000 people) is also part of the broader Little Rock metro area, but maintains a rural feeling. It grew in the school-integration era as a home for “white flight” commuters working in Little Rock. It remains a bedroom community and extremely white, and minorities would be unlikely to feel welcome. Churches are numerous. The county is dry, except for Cabot’s two country clubs and the VFW post. This sounds like hell to me, but someone will probably like the sound of it.

o  Texarkana on the southwestern border is the center of a modest metro area. The city proper includes about 65,000 people split between the two sides of the border; the Arkansas and Texas halves are separate municipalities. Major employers include the military, logistics, transport, distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail; there are Texas and Arkansas state community college branches and a medical school. This city has more economic challenges than some others, and poverty remains high, but costs of living are low. There is an Amtrak stop.

 

Unusually for the region, Arkansas takes public transportation seriously, spends money to manage it, and makes useful information about transit readily available. The state (except a central area) is broken down into eight regional systems with regular service at varying levels within those systems, and there are a few long-distance bus lines. These provide service to all the expected large to medium-sized cities plus close to twenty small towns, most of which are really too small or insular to be welcoming to outsiders, even if on paper they look promising. Amtrak stops, in addition to Little Rock and Texarkana, include Hope, Arkadelphia, and Malvern in the southwest and the very small Walnut Ridge in the northeast.