Arkansas folks speak up.........

[draye]

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  :yiipchick

Thanks.
Hope you have one too.

To all on the Arkansas thread, Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Hey there Arkansas folks!

I don't live in Arkansas right now, but I'm currently a third year vet student who wants to get into poultry medicine. I ended up getting an externship in Springdale, AR at Tyson next October and I'm really excited about it. However, I never really thought about living in AR and it may be a good option for me. My brother is in TX and I would eventually love to move out that way anyway.

So I was wondering what you guys might be able to tell me about Arkansas! What is the weather like? The culture? (I'm originally from NJ which has a fairly unique culture, though I live in a very country area of NJ) Are there cities and towns, or mostly a lot of farmland?

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Hello Chickerdoodle13!

Congrats on your Externship. You will find the culture very different from NJ but not as extreme as some might since you grew up in a rural area. Springdale is a neighbor to Fayetteville which houses the U. of Arkansas which has the best Poultry Sciences department in the U.S. and there is a wealth of culture (music, art, museums, etc.) in the area due to the students. We do not have large cities by NJ/NY standards. Our largest city is Little Rock and NY folks would laugh at it being a city most likely. The majority of the state is farming I would say. The Springdale area is in the edge of a mountain region and really beautiful (I think). There is a large "hippie" population around the area and lots of organic/natural products offered at local farmers markets.

http://www.arkansas.com/

Check out this link. It is the tourism site and has some great info. If you enjoy water sports, hiking, hunting, or just about any outdoor activity, Arkansas is a great place.

When will you arrive?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Northwest Arkansas has four “major” cities strung out along interstate 49, Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Rogers. There are also a lot of smaller cities/towns in the area. All together the population is over 400,000 and growing. Each city/town, large or small, has its own character. In addition you have Eureka Springs off to the east that has its own special character. Can’t ignore Eureka Springs.

This immediate area is home to three fortune 500 companies, Walmart, JB Hunt, and Tyson. The Poultry Science section of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville is one of the top three poultry science colleges in the US thanks to Tyson sponsorship. I’m sure you’ll find Dr. Clarke and the other members of the poultry science department to be interesting people and up on their profession. Thanks to the sponsorship of all three plus a lot of other thriving businesses, partly in support of their headquarters, we have a world class art museum (Chrystal Bridges), the Walton Art Center that has touring Broadway plays (this season’s Broadway program is six different plays) plus a lot of other entertainment. Theater Squared is a nationally recognized black box theater with its own season package. The AMP (Arkansas Music Pavilion) brings in a lot of really interesting artists. You can do a search on these to see what plays and concerts are offered.

We do not have any real professional sports other than a 2A baseball team but the University of Arkansas (plus other smaller colleges around) can provide quite a bit on the sports side. The University also puts on student plays plus they bring in a lot of speakers where you can see a lot of different topics if you care to. Mainly due to the University Fayetteville is considered more “progressive” if you will while some of the other areas are very “conservative” in thinking. If you look you can find about what you want.

There is a nice trail system throughout the area with plenty of hiking opportunities. We are in the Ozarks. The geology of the region is very interesting and you can see some really pretty scenery. If you want isolation you can find that.

Due mainly to the University and the three fortune 500 companies we did not suffer as much as many parts of the country due to the recent recession. We were affected but we are not seeing as much recovery as some because we don’t have as much to recover from. We are more stable. Other parts of the state were hit pretty hard and some are still pretty slow to recover.

Our airport, XNA, is fairly expensive to fly in and out of. That can be a drawback but in general the cost of living here is really reasonable.

If you come in with an attitude that we are a bunch of hicks, yeah, you’ll have problems. If you come in with an attitude of looking around and trying to find what you want, you’ll probably enjoy your time here. If you look you can find a lot here, but your attitude will determine how much you enjoy the area. With our population in the area you can find a lot of things here but we are not the big city.

I wish you luck!

 

[Free Spirit]

Hi @Chickerdoodle13 .

You'll be surprised when you get here in a good way. I came from Seattle about 16 years ago (major metropolis). While the culture is quite different you'll be happy to know that it's pretty modern here. It has even grown A LOT since I moved here. Where there was pasture is now shopping centers. This is the home area of Walmart too (Bentonville, a nearby city). So if your familiar with more rural New Jersey you'll fit right in. There are a lot of transplants out here (people from all over the country) so you should feel right at home. Basically a modern lifestyle with a hometown feel.

The weather is moderate. But when it rains... it really rains. Thunderstorms are common and beautiful. We do get snow. Not like in the northern states but 6-12 inches is not unusual. Many times the snow is here today and gone tomorrow (it never lasts long). Summers, of course, can get hot averaging around 100 degrees but the humidity can make it feel hotter. But that's what air conditioning is for. August tends to be the driest month.

Cost of living is lower here too. Housing is much more affordable. Generally traffic runs pretty smoothly out here and you won't find the long line crawls like you do in the larger cities (unless there is an accident or flooding on the highway).

That is a nutshell of Northwest Arkansas. Hope you find it as welcoming as I did when I moved here.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Hey there Arkansas folks!

I don't live in Arkansas right now, but I'm currently a third year vet student who wants to get into poultry medicine. I ended up getting an externship in Springdale, AR at Tyson next October and I'm really excited about it. However, I never really thought about living in AR and it may be a good option for me. My brother is in TX and I would eventually love to move out that way anyway.

So I was wondering what you guys might be able to tell me about Arkansas! What is the weather like? The culture? (I'm originally from NJ which has a fairly unique culture, though I live in a very country area of NJ) Are there cities and towns, or mostly a lot of farmland?

I think you will love it. Everyone pretty much said what needs to be said. If you want a city life you can have it. If you want the peace and privacy and non regulation of a rural life you can have it and still only be 15 minutes away from the city.
A vet who wants to get into poultry medicine? Great! We need vets who will help with our chickens! Please stick around and make yourself a visitor to the Emergency and Disease forum! It gets busy in there.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Thanks so much for all the responses guys! It's making me excited to visit!

I'll be going there the week of Halloween next year. It's still early, but we had to get all our externships set up ahead of time so we could be sure to make room in our rotation schedules.

It's a bit scary because I really have to start thinking about where I would like to move. We start applying for jobs in about a year! Part of the decision will be based on where the poultry jobs are, but it seems there are quite a few from Texas to Georgia. I spent a month in NC and didn't care for it so much, but I was in an extremely rural area and there wasn't much around for about an hour drive. I definitely want some civilization, especially since I would like to raise a family at some point, but I am certainly not opposed to rural!

Living in upstate NY for school right now, I'm definitely getting tired of the snow! I would love to live somewhere where it wasn't snow ALL the time and it seems like you guys still get seasons. Fall is my favorite and I would miss that a lot moving away from here!

I find myself in the emergency section every now and then, but it's difficult because as a student, I'm really only allowed to say "take it to a vet" or "cull it"! It's tough with chickens because most people don't want to bring their birds to a vet and they would rather self treat, which is perfectly understandable! So I help when I can but sometimes it's frustrating being behind a computer screen! I love helping with husbandry stuff though, as I've had chickens since I was about ten.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

It's great that you are planning ahead. Sounds like Springdale will be a good fit. Very close to lots of things to do but depending on where you are you can get acreage.

We have a great fall. Lots of folks take trips through the area for the fall foliage.

Best of luck with your classes and good luck on the job hunt.

 

[Free Spirit]

It's great that you are planning ahead. Sounds like Springdale will be a good fit. Very close to lots of things to do but depending on where you are you can get acreage.

We have a great fall. Lots of folks take trips through the area for the fall foliage.

Best of luck with your classes and good luck on the job hunt.

x2. If you love fall and the fall colors, then you will love it here. Take a drive over to neighboring Eureka Springs in the fall and the views are positively breath taking. If you're going to be arriving next fall then you will be very happy.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

https://www.facebook.com/bikesblues...158279.172207346329/10153038516586330/?type=3

Here is a link to some fall foliage in the Ouchita's.

At least the cover pic. One of the largest Bike rallies in the US now happens in Fayetteville in September.