we will eventually be moving out of the Chicago area....
Just on some general criteria, i narrowed it to NE Arkansas -- though i have never been there.
A few things we want are acreage, good soil [that's for me], warmer winters [i was thinking zone7-ish]
and I want to still be a days drive from Wisc -- since we are not planning on selling our 'summer' place up there.
I 'found' the perfect place while looking on line at property ... It's in Pocahontas AR .... one of my concerns is... it seems in the middle of no where and can I live that way? I really do think i can, but if we did something like this, we may bring MIL too as she is getting up there in age and we'd need things for her to do [any Sr. centers for activities?] ... plus my youngest [no sure on jobs in that area]
Those of you who are familiar with NE Arkansas... what info/advice can you toss my way?
Thanks in advance...
Terese
I think i wanna move to Arkansas
Hi, Terese!
Just my opinion, of course, but you might want to consider moving a little more to the west into North central Arkansas somewhere between Pocohontas and Harrison. It is beautiful up in that part of the state. Jonesboro would be the nearest bigger city to Pocohontas. Jonesboro is a nice city and has good hospitals plus Arkansas State University. Also, the New Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid, not Ma-DRID) earthquake fault runs down into northeast Arkansas from Southeast Missouri and it is due for a really big earthquake sometime soon, according to the "experts" in such things. It is not an area I would want to be when/if that happens! All of northern Arkansas has colder winters than we do here in the central Arkansas area. Several counties in northern Arkansas got as much as 12" of snow (or more) during one of the winter snows we had this season. As a general rule, that does not happen frequently and certainly the winters are not as severe as the winters you experience in Chicago. I'm not sure but I think the extreme northern counties in Arkansas would be more likely to be in zone 6 rather than zone 7.
Never having lived in that area, I can't attest to the soil conditions. You might want to google the Univ. of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Each county has an extension service office and they would be able to more accurately tell you about the soil conditions in any given area. The cooperative extension agents are generally very helpful and will even come out to your home and draw a landscape plan for your yard and recommend plants. At least, they used to do that years ago--I'm assuming that service is still available and it is, or was, free.
I am sure you are planning to make a trip to Arkansas at some point to check out the area where you might want to live. You should consider a trip across the northern part of the state from east to west and just check it out for yourself. There are several large lakes in Northern Arkansas including Bull Shoals in the central part of that area. There are several resort areas all along that area which you might enjoy visiting. You can receive a free packet from the Ark. Dept. of Parks and Tourism which will send you several brochures listing the state parks with lodges and cabins and also camping areas. They also include a state map. Here's the link:
http://www.arkansas.com/
I hope this has helped. Good luck with your search for your new home! Dmail me if I can be of further assistance to you.
Marilyn
If I had a choice to move elsewhere in Arkansas it would be over by Harrison/ fayetteville area also. It's absolutely beautiful up there. And not nearly as hot as we are in the more central part of Arkansas during the summer months. Still get cold winters, but not Chicago winters. I think you'd like it over in that area.
Your right about Pocahantas, There is nothing over that way, you'd have to travel a ways for everything. That's not fun.
Arkansas is a beautiful State to live in. All kinds of National parks and recreational spots to visit. PLenty of lakes, & streams also.
Now what made you decide to pick Arkansas? Inquiring minds want to know LOL
>>Now what made you decide to pick Arkansas?
Real EstateTaxes, first... then winters. [the heat and humidity will just about kill me in the summers... but if we still go to Wisc, it should be a non-player.] then the non-flat lands.
I just called on the one house i was looking at... real estate taxes were 720.00 for 2008!! I pd about 9100.00
and the guy was saying $350 credit for your residence.
one thing is... after living where we have been living our entire lives.... highway in the back yard, under flight path to O'Hare, Metra [train] 3-4 blocks away.... we are so tired of the noise and want peace and quiet. SO boonies are right up mine and DH's alley. As long as i'd have shopping 30-60 min away and UPS delivers... we'd be good as gold.
But we'd have to consider other family members if they came with.
If and when we do this... it's the last stop for DH and I. He's semi retired on a disability from work, and i've been a housewife -- retired at 22. BUT -- if our youngest son comes with... we'd need to be in a location where he could get a job.
Wow, 9100.00 for real estate taxes! I thought my 1400.00 was high (and that is after the 350.00 tax credit)! No wonder you want to move! Of course, I should add that salaries are not as high down here so it probably balances out.
This message was edited Mar 29, 2010 7:18 PM
being semi-retired, salary is not much of an issue. I could probably get a part time job so i'm not so bored.
DH had a hobby that takes a bit of time and brings in some cash... BUT yes to the taxes ... now you see why i'm looking at AR.
Up in IL, our realestate taxes pretty much fund the schools.... and they are about 2% of the value of the home.
I've seen homes with 20k in taxes!! our values are going down, but the taxes do not. go figure.
that's government for you!
OH .. I do recall the reason, aside from the tax issue, as to why i was looking at AR...
i was reading about "self preparedness" on a web site... the conversation led to -- where to live so you can garden and not be over populated.
someone posted a link to a map of the US that showed population and good soil... that is what originally led me to NE AR.
If there was, heaven forbid... an economic collapse or government upheaval... DH would love to 'live off the land' so to speak.... pond for fishing and enough land to garden and maybe have some live stock.
I agree with the others. I would be sure to look at the more central and NW parts of the state. Pocahontas is a nice little town but you would need to drive to Jonesboro for shopping. I don't know what type of work your son does, but it would probably not be an easy place to find a job. It is in the middle of farm country. Most of the people in the area are large farmers. They grow rice, soy beans and some feed corn. Farms are usually 500 to 2 or 3 thousand acres. Very little industry of any kind. Like Marilyn said Pocahontas has doctors and dentist and a small hospital, a few fast food places, Wal Mart and a couple of grocery stores and that's about it as far as shopping. There are of course businesses that sell primarily to farmers.
I live in NE Ark, Jonesboro, to be exact. I'm about an hour from Memphis. There are smaller communities outside Jonesboro (Bay, Trumann, Harrisburg, Brookland, Paragould) that you might like. Jboro is a city of about 60,000 people.
As mentioned above, we have ASU and a Convocation Center where all kinds of activities happen, like concerts with big name stars, Business Expos, Health Expos, Craft Exhibit, Rodeos, Monster Truck races, etc.
We have Senior Life Center which your MIL would enjoy. They will even come and pick her up to attend different functions/classes that they offer. I took some painting classes there. But they also have various groups that gather to play cards, dominos, learn computer skills, have dances, etc.
We have a Nature Center on Crowley's Ridge where you can take guests to see the small gardens, hike the trails, and view exhibits of native wildlife.
We also have Craighead Forest Park with a lake, trails thru the woods, different unique playgrounds for children, fishing, etc. They got some grants to continually update the park. And they've really been creating a beautiful place out there. They host the 4th of July festivities there and it's a HUGE event. They also have Blues Fest there in the fall and a Civil War reenactment at some point.
We have UPS, FedX and 3 Post Offices.
We have 2 Super Walmarts, Lowes, Home Depot, several nurseries, several small shopping centers, a big new mall with national store chains, and lots of new national-chain restaurants (Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesdays, Fazoli's, Chili's, Outback Steakhouse, etc. We're hoping to get a Red Lobster sometime soon.) (And of course Memphis is only an hour away)
We have lots of banks, factories and other businesses. So your son would probably have better luck getting a job here instead of Pocahontas, which is about 40 minutes away.
We're in zone 7a, with mild winters, except this last one. We're usually hot and dry in the summer and may go a month or longer without rain, but again this past year was unusual. I don't think my yard has been dry in over a year.
As far as earthquakes, well, anywhere you live, there's the threat of some disaster, so you're not safe anywhere. A faulty wire on your toaster could wipe out your home. Tornadoes are a frequent threat, and we had a bad one back in 71 or 72 which wiped out our high school. But most often we're spared serious damage.
Most of the soil around here is red clay. But you can always amend it. I've converted mine almost completely to black gold. North Central Arkansas is rockier soil; my friends in that area complain that it's almost impossible to garden because they're more or less trying to garden on the side of a mountain and run into rocks everywhere. Of course, it would depend upon the home you choose. Just take a shovel with you and do a shovel test. But remember, bad soil can be amended. Soil that is rocky thru and thru (huge mountain rocks) may require a lot more muscle power or even machine power.
Pocahontas is really a "dead in the water" town; not much to do there, not much to see. Just farmland basically. If your son is going to work, he'll probably have to travel to Jboro and the 40 minute drive could get old fast. But Pocahontas is about midway between Jboro and Hardy. Hardy is beautiful mountainous country, a great place to live if you're retired. But not great if you need to work. It's a tourist attraction, due to Spring River. People fish, canoe, hike trails, horseback ride, etc. It's really a fun place to be on Fourth of July. They shoot fireworks out across Lake Thunderbird--awesome!
Ark is the "natural state" so just about anywhere you settle is going to be pretty. Jboro is growing fast--too fast for me. But if you settle in one of the smaller towns outside Jboro, you can have country life with the conveniences of the city.
Forgot to mention that we also have two hospitals--one that will accept anyone and one that will only accept people with insurance. We have lots of medical facitilities--cancer treatment centers, dialysis center, pain management center, etc., as well as a free clinic.
We're also the county seat, so we have both the county courthouse and the federal courthouse.
And if church is your thing, we have tons of them in just about any faith you can imagine. We even have a mosque and a private Catholic school.
Have I convinced you yet? When are you moving into my neighborhood? I think the house across the field is for sale. LOL
NancyAnn
Ugggggggg... i had this HUGE reply and my browser closed!! Leeme see if i can recall what i wrote...
NancyAnn -- thanks so much for all that info. I did browse at Jonesboro too... I should probably do a search within 30 min from a more major city.
There are a few variables as to when we move. We have one kid moving out mid-May and have to get the other to finish college... he may be the one that 'never leaves home' it seems. Then do we have MIL come with us ... she is 76, but quite healthy and mobile.
When you look at property up here in chicago area... then you look elsewhere... AR for instance, you can see why we want to pack up and run. Though aside from real estate taxes, and sales tax [Cook county is almost 11%, which is one town over] ... we do not have personal property tax though. Things may even out in the long run though -- but anywhere we go, will be lower cost of living than here.
If this house i found was anywhere else, but the total sticks, i'd snatch it up. It is about 95% of what i'm be looking for... price is higher than what i'd want to pay, and the house is way bigger than I'd want -- we are supposed to be downsizing, where this one is bigger than what i currently have .... but for what we'd be getting - it would be worth it.
Unless you just want to live in the northern part of the state, you may also look at Hot Springs, AR area...lots of fishing, skiing, scuba diving. Some great nurseries! Gambling...horses and casino. Lots of smaller areas that are minutes from Hot Springs proper. Plus, only an hour drive from the Little Rock.
However, each area of the state has it highlights...and its lowlights ;o)...the best thing to do is search, search, search. Good luck!
Terese,
You've received some excellent suggestions for evaluating the different areas of the state. The link below will take you to a personal slideshow I created with photos taken at Hot Springs National Park (it is located right in the middle of the city of Hot Springs) and will display some of the local fall color. I took the photos when we took my sister in law (visiting from Alaska) down for a late afternoon visit. Many parts of the state forests will exhibit the same trees, etc. and lovely color when we have good fall weather.
Come take a stroll through Hot Springs, Arkansas ...
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow?fl=2783733&alb=0
Good luck with your decision and future move. I hope we have you for a neighbor one of these days.
Mary
very nice. thank you for posting the link.
Hello Terese! Can't believe I found you here on the mid south thread - and was excited to hear you might be moving to Arkansas!!! How awesome! Then you could join in some of our roundups......
My 2 cents worth..... I am not that familiar with Pocahontas personally but had a friend who grew up there and she said there wasn't much there. But, then I love country life and do not have to be entertained. I LOVE peace and quiet and SPACE more than I like city conveniences, although I will be the first to admit that a 2 hr drive back and forth when you have someone who needs serious medical attention or hospitalization gets really old!
Arkansas is a little unique in that it has several different regions and each has its unique characteristics,...... the Eastern part of the state is known more as delta land where there are large row crop farms..... the NW part of the state is more mountainous but extreme NW AR has outgrown LR in recent years and has really boomed. The Southern part of the state where I live has been in an economic depression for at least the past 20 yrs, particularly in Camden which is near where I live - and so, although there are a lot of houses and farms for sale in the area - there is little employment available. Arkadelphia, Magnolia, and Monticello seem to be the exceptions to the basic overall decline in South Arkansas' economy and I think that is because of the universities located there and they money that the students pump into the local economy. IF, I could pack up and move somewhere else, it would probably be NW Ar because of the much better economy - but the costs for land, houses, etc are much higher there as well. If I was just moving within the state to live in a pretty place and not have to worry about a job - then there are lots of places... but it would probably be near Hot Springs - but not IN Hot Springs. I love the rolling hills of some of the outlying towns (some an hour or so away), but after hearing all my Dad's horror stories about trying to farm as a child in NW Ar - not sure I would want to have to plant anything! Might try growing rocks and be successful but not sure about anything else! I remember as a child seeing my uncles fences that had posts made out of ROCKS because he couldn't put posts in the ground!! :)
Arkansas is a beautiful state in my humble opion...... and it has a lot to offer in the way of beautiful places to live, and wonderful people who live here, but I am sure that will come at a cost of giving up a lot of other things such as mass transit systems, great roads, etc. Our exchange student from Italy is used to living in town - and thought she had came to the end of the earth I think when she arrived in So Arkansas.... LOL.... but during our recent drive across Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas on our way to Colorado she realized that she COULD have ended up even more out in the middle of no where than she did !! ^_^
The further you venture into Arkansas though - the further away from Wisconsin you would be.......... and although I drove to Green Bay in a day - it was a REALLY, REALLY long hard drive and one that I would not recommend on a regular basis.......
I know what a great gardener you are - and know that no matter where you land, you will have it looking lovely in no time! Please keep us posted on what you decide!
Genna
Thanks Genna for that great post. I have been 'scanning' more of the state. It really looks lovely.
and from where i have lived most my life... Burb of Chicago... total "flat lands" it really is quite unappealing when you love nature... oh and peace and quiet.
WOW.. that is a long trip to GB. that's 4 hrs from me.
We can usually do 700 miles in a day... much more than that is really pushing it.
yeah, I know what you mean. We just got back from a "road trip" to Colorado for Spring break with a vehicle packed to capacity!! Drove across Oklahoma in horrible conditions - ice and snow covered roads - but thankfully most of trip we had good weather. But it was a long way! about 1300 miles one way.......
When do you think you will be moving??
I would warn you to do quite a bit of comparison pricing before you buy..... knew a man who moved from California here due a transfer into one of the local defense plants and he WAY over paid for a house just because he thought he was getting a bargain (based on California prices!!). When he left this area, he took a BIG loss on his house because he couldn't sell it for near what he paid for it. I am sure that the closer you get to LR or NW Arkansas, the more the prices for land will escalate. Also, there are pockets in Arkansas where land prices are higher because of the particular school district - but if you don't have school age kids, then you wouldn't need to pay the higher prices.
Best of luck in your continued search! If you decide to come down this way for a visit, please let us know!
Genna
Genna -- we are probably yrs off... but you have to FIND a location first. I have one kids moving out in May, the other still in college... well they both are stull... but one moving out helps. THen there is MIL to take into consideration. Do we wait 'until she is no longer with us" or move her too, which means selling 2 homes, moving 2 homes -- etc.
First off, we need to find a state... then do some traveling to find a city/location.
I understand ya on the housing market... our's is bad, meaning we've lost a bit on the house, and we did not buy at peek... we;ve been here almost 9 yrs. But Dh has said.... we;ll take a hit on this house, only to buy one where someone else has lost a lot of value. The one i saw up in Pocahontas was unbelievble... you can't even find anything like that in N. IL for under a 1.5 mil i'd guess. So 429k looked like a steal in my eyes.
If we bring MIL with us, and say there is a guest house, like the one I found... we can get more home [spend more] than we would if it were just DH and I.
As for the state we choose... taxes will have A LOT to do with it. We will probably be fixed income, like we are now.
Real estates taxes up here are HUGE, but our income tax is currently only at 3% -- but they say it may go up to 4.5%. Sales is high, but i think it is everywhere. I'm currently at 8.25% in our county. food is about 1.75% which isn't bad, but some places are 0%. Then there is license plates ... it was 48$ per plate annually for a long time, then it jumped to $78, then $79 and now $99 per car. We have 5, including the kids. But DH & I it's 3.
And insurance up here is getting bad too. like the value of the home goes down, but the insurance keeps going up.
We dont need "big city" entertainment; IE theaters, museums, etc.... a good hardware, grocery and good restaurants... DH likes to eat out.
We love tranquility, peace & quiet and nature. Wouldn't mind 'the other stuff' to be about 30 min away... and yes, as we age... a good hosp/medical facility is always good.
I"d think within the year we should be traveling to see if we can't find a location.
Just for sh*t's and giggles... this is the property which i fell in love with.
http://www.unitedcountry.com/Search06/SearchViewProperty.asp?item=703145&office=03034&no=03034-68520
certainly MORE house than i need... but with all that land... i could be really busy. i'd just need a gardening shed and green house.
The house in Pocahontas is very nice but what you have to keep in mind in a rural community like that is that there is not a big demand for houses of that type. So while it is a bargain compared to Chicago real estate, it could be a hard home to sell in Pocahontas. I know what you mean about differences in real estate prices. My son lives in Northern CA in the bay area and just an ordinary house is a minimum of $800,000. Here a similar house would sell for around $200,000. A decent size house with 4 bedrooms and 2 or 3 baths is over 1 million. So someone from that area looking at real estate in Little Rock could easily pay a lot more than a home is worth in this market just because as Genna said they are used to much higher prices. So bottom line you need to do a lot of looking and comparison shopping and learn what the prices are for any area you are looking at.
Simply stunning! I can see why you like it so much!
well, the kicker was the guest house for MIL.
I was not even looking that high price-wise ... but it caught my eye.
too bad it's in the middle of no-where.
The people behind us have a guest house...his mother lives in it. It is a very nice little house. I wouldn't mind having one, too ;o)
I would love to have a guest house too! It could be my play house! LOL
Didn't JudyCooksey used to live in Pocahantas?
Two cents worth from this country person.
"shopping 30-60 min away " who needs it? UPS and FedEx will deliver anywhere. A DSL connection is a must!
"30 min from a more major city." You have no idea how fast we can travel in 30 minutes in a rural area compared to the same time frame in a major city. lol We do not think of distance in miles but in time.
"good soil [that's for me]" that I understand but you don't want to endure the heat and humidity so will go to WI during the growing season?
I'd say make it easy on yourself... you will be retired ~ look at a smaller home, a low maintenance yard... I am thinking of myself! lol
Interesting information here... I'm thinking all these DGrs work for the Arkansas Bureau of Travel.
Sheese! Now y'all got me wanting to move to Arkansas!
I'd like to live in Arkansas but I'd live near the Diamond Mine.
I just love going there searching for rocks of every type; maybe someday I'll find a Diamond worth something. It's better and cleaner than Vegas...even w/ all the banks of dirt everywhere. LOL
You've got to consider the hills and curved roads in Arkansas; sometimes you don't travel very far quickly due to the back and forth roads. But, you can't have as many pretty places w/out those hills!
Pod -- I did not know Judy, but I recognize her name. and I do browse the "Memory Garden" every few months...
as for the 30 min for shopping... that would be mostly for groceries.
There are reasons why we would like acreage... but also, i guess when "looking" you have what you'd really like to have, then make compromises along the way.
Aunt_A .. I've never considered OK... just seems to far away... and for some reason, when i think OK, I think tornadoes.
It's weird, the area i live in ... We do not get any 'natural disasters'. just heavy rains, but we have not been effected by that since we moved to a newer home. our old home used to flood.
Terese
Wow - beautiful home! That looks like it would be perfect - MIL in guest house - son who wants to live at home in the studio apartment! Plus room in the house for guests to come and visit. I can certainly understand why that caught your eye...... house has lots of extras like hickory cabinets, etc which would add to the value..... I have no idea what acreage goes for in that area, but in our school district that would be a bargain just because of the acreage.... but across town, it may or may not be... So it would definitely depend on the location, situation, etc. You could always add a small guest house/shop building..... if you found a different location. My husband's shop could easily be converted into a guest house if necessary because of the way it was built - but of course he would have no where to put all his "stuff" ! But you could design the guest house so that after your MIL was gone it could be utilized as a shop ?? Just a thought.
I hadn't really thought about what Pod said - but she is right you will need to take into consideration that IF you are going to Wisconsin for the summers you will be gone for most of the growing season .... that also means additional cost of hiring someone to maintain the lawn, water plants,etc while you are gone, and IF the house is in a more secluded area - it also increases the chances for theft since everyone in the area will know that you are gone for the summer! In some locations, neighbors will watch and help look out for your place while you are away - but to be gone for long extended periods of time can still create problems. We lived in Colorado 2 summers while my husband worked on his masters years ago..... but we lived in town basically in a small neighborhood and the neighbors were great to keep tabs on things for us and we hired a friend to keep the yard mowed. But, even with that, it was obvious we were not there...... never anyone outside in the yard, the cars were never moved, the dogs were not there, etc etc. So definitely a LOT to consider and plan for....... especially if you plan to have any livestock on the acreage!
Pod - most of us left here in Arkansas love it - or we would have already moved somewhere else!! Hundreds of people, mostly retireds, move to Arkansas every year to stretch their retirement dollars. Most of them have had fairly successful careers somewhere where the pay was better so when they move here in retirement they are in pretty good shape financially. North Arkansas - particularly around the Mountain Home (and also Hot Springs) area is full of "imports" that have chosen to make Arkansas home.
'
Keep us posted Terese.......
Genna
Yep, Podster, we all work for the Ark. Dept. of Parks and Tourism! (for free) LOL
speaking of diamonds, somebody found a rather large diamond just a few days ago. I've been to the diamond mine just once and it was years and years ago. mmmmmm, maybe another trip is in order. :o))
Genna... i have considered many of those things...
I believe there is a shop on the property too. DH needs a shop. currently his is in the basement -- so it's a stinky mess most the time. He works with metal, and that metal dust is just everywhere, not to mention titanium shavings.
DH is one of those 'survivalist' thinkers.... he prepared for Y2K, always stocking up for a natural disaster kind of thing...
so we'd like to be able to 'live off the land' if it comes to that.... I like to live in my own naive kind of world where these things just wont happen...
so, living in a suburb isnt gonna happen for us. that is why we are gonna look for "land"
**rolls eyes** he'd love to have a 'shooting range' on the property. I don't particularly like guns...
He has a friend in KY that has one, and he thinks it's the greatest thing.
BUT -- like i mentioned... we are yrs off ... if and when we finally make the big move... I just want to have explored all our options. and if MIL is not with us... the 'shopping' will be a lot easier... she is currently 76?? but quite active and healthy.
Yeah I understand.... one other thing to consider is that apparently a large part of this acreage is already fenced - another large expense were you to have to do it yourself.... one reason my place isn't fenced yet! The pond is another extra - that would cost several thousand if you were going to have to have it dug(don't have one of those yet either!!).... and, not sure, but there are several houses in that area that have geothermal units - because there is a company in that area that makes geothermal units .... and IF it has that - that was another 15 - 20K investment...... just food for thought.
My husband is somewhat like that...... always thinking in extremes! so I totally understand.... But it is nice to feel like you can raise a garden, shoot deer out of the back yard, possibly raise your own beef, chickens, etc if you need too! So far, I only manage to raise (most) of my own eggs.... but I would love to get the fences up so maybe I could have a few cows. But then my kids would probably freak out when I wanted to put one of them in the freezer! :) I grew up on a farm - had hogs, cows, chickens, horses, and just about everything else at one time or another...... my maiden name was McDonald and we always lived up to the song! LOL
Genna
ROFLOL, Genna! By the way, did you know that you should sing one verse and one chorus of "Old McDonald had a farm" when washing your hands. That way you assure that you have washed your hands for 20 seconds, thus making sure they are really clean. I read that in the ladies room of a restaurant in Branson, MO. Just a little trivia for you! LOL
a friend of mine uses the Happy Birthday song.
Funny Marilyn......
More from the bureau of tourism. Like some of the others have said-if I where to move out of the central part of the state, it would be to the NW corner. Before the real estate market went bust in most areas, the market for high-end/custom built homes had went bust pretty much in NW Arkansas. About that time a demographic report had came out saying that if they did not build a new high end home for 3 years in that area they would have new homes to sell the entire time. That should be helping keep the price of homes for sale down still. What those prices are I have no idea.
I was in West Chicago 2 years ago this month for some training. Worried for months after that I was going to get some large bill because of driving through and not paying tolls everytime I should have (lol). Great places to eat. Lost more money than I should have a casino on a river. We have (2) areas in Arkansas with that kind of variety, and they are small areas in comparison. But I love Arkansas and hope you will come and take a look.
West Chicago is not far from me. ahhh, the toll system, and lucky you didnt get a bill as the fees are huge.
and great restaurants we do have!! lots of good eating out here. I'm not a gambler, but i've been to "the boat" once with friends... way to expensive. I think that one would have been Aurora, as Joliet is a bit south.
>>But I love Arkansas and hope you will come and take a look.
I'm really hoping we do come for a visit and just fall in love with it.
Just don't come in July or August !!! (at least not for the first trip!! ) ^_^
Genna
it will either be fall or spring... since we are up north May-Oct.
Genna ~ I can see it now... the E I E I O ranch! I love it! I'm not long on large livestock. Chickens I love but have resisted more of them.
Fayetteville and north thru Bentonville is a pretty part of the state. We go thru there when we visit in MN although I did see the 13" snow that Fayetteville received this past winter was record setting. Brrrr! I'd have to snowbird to the south in winter. 8 )
Genna was right on the home/land prices being relative to where you currently live. One of my MN sisters sold her home the first day it was on the market. She told the realtor it must have been priced too cheap and the realtor said no ~ the buyer was from California and he thought it was a bargain compared to CA prices. When you shop, look at the mean real estate prices in that area of the state.
Further to drive but the Mena area is lovely too with some great parks and roads and hunting and....
>>When you shop, look at the mean real estate prices in that area of the state.
Thanks Pod... will do.
I think the first place that sparked my interest was 80 acres in Clinton, AR
it was much more in my price range, and only one house... .but the land seemed awesome... lots of woods.