fayetteville arkansas

[alienjenn]

I am considering a move... please tell me what you know... if anything... about this city and the surroundings...

 

I like to hike and bike (especially on rail to trails...) I love me some mountain hiking... and camping... we live near the shenandoah national forest in va now and it is free to hike... especially in the back country (my preferred camping areas) is there anything similar??

 

 

[Nomad Jay]

GoogleMaps shows a hand-ful of parks within the city limits. The Ozark National Forest and the Hobbes State Conversation area both look to be within 30-45-minutes driving distance.

 

This isn't strictly parks-and-rec but this link may help:  http://www.city-data.com/city/Fayetteville-Arkansas.html. CityData has a good deal of statistical information about everything from weather to median income to housing costs to crime rates. I've lived in five states in the last three years and I use it to research wherever it is I'm headed to next.

[alienjenn]

I will look at that site... I was hoping for locals with first hand inside info...

 

 

I am considering moving there... and my friend who I will move near isn't really an outdoorsey type person and doesn't know how to answer my questions....

[rrar]

I think if you enjoy hiking, biking and camping, you'd probably like it here in Fayetteville very much. It's an incredibly beautiful area of the state, likely not much unlike where you're at now.  There are tons of places to do each of those three things close by, and even more options within an hour or so drive in any direction.  Fayetteville is one of four larger cities in the area that make up what's simply referred to as Northwest Arkansas (NWA).  Each of those 4 cities has its own unique feel. I'd definitely suggest spending a few days in the area and checking it out. I think you'll like it.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask away.

[alienjenn]

I am supposed to come out for thanksgiving... and I am going to look around... anything in particular you recommend?

[Nocturnis]

Well I can't tell you much about it but I was born there but raised in Texas. Just had to post because I hardly ever seen it mentioned.

[Barbarossa]

I lived in Fayetteville for the last six years (now in Denver, CO), and unless you're 1.) working for Wal-Mart or JB Hunt or Tyson, 2.) going to the U of A on a scholarship, or 3.) really enjoy drinking to excess,  I wouldn't do it.  It's a dying town.

 

There are a couple of running clubs and three significant cycling teams, but not much else in the way of sports, national level races notwithstanding.  The music scene isn't what it once was, the bars are trying to be trendy club type venues and failing, and crime was climbing when I left in June.

 

If you're a cyclist (personal experience speaking), get ready to have beer bottles thrown at you from trucks, have cars run you off the road so that you have to bail into a ditch, and gas stations tell you to get out because they "don't serve your kind."  It's not always like that, but you NEED to find a team so that you have a peloton. 

 

If you're a strength athlete, there is one rugby club with a variety of fitness levels in it, and a couple of Crossfit boxes.  Beyond that the only decent gym I can think of off the top of my head is the HPER, and that's restricted to U of A faculty/staff/family/alums.

 

If you've got any specific questions, let me know and I'd be happy to talk to you about it further.  But seriously, don't move to Fayetteville unless you have a damned good reason.

 

Cheers,

 

Perry