Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Arkansas

You consider moving to Arkansas but want to get additional information on living costs, housing, safety, entertainment, public infrastructure, climate and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Arkansas in the following chapters.

Living in Arkansas – Overview

Advantages of Living in Arkansas

1. Arkansas has lots of interesting nature
2. You can spend lots of time outdoors
3. You can get more than enough fresh air in Arkansas
4. Living in Arkansas may let you stay fit
5. Arkansas is a state with low population density
6. Arkansas is a pretty relaxed place
7. People in Arkansas are usually friendly
8. Many people will help you out on various occasions of daily life
9. People in the big cities of Arkansas are pretty tolerant
10. People in Arkansas are genuine and real
11. You can make friends for a lifetime in the Arkansas region
12. Living costs in Arkansas are pretty low
13. Housing shortage is not a big deal in Arkansas yet
14. Rents in Arkansas are pretty low
15. Many people in Arkansas are still able to buy decent homes
16. Overall financial pressure for people living in Arkansas is rather low
17. Arkansas may be an interesting place to invest in real estate
18. You can live a pretty original life in Arkansas
19. Arkansas may be a great place to live self-sufficient
20. More than enough recreational spaces in Arkansas
21. You can experience real seasons in Arkansas
22. People in Arkansas often focus on what really matters
23. Decent air quality in most parts of Arkansas
24. Arkansas will not run out of drinking water anytime soon
25. You can teach your kids a lot about nature in Arkansas
26. Moving to Arkansas can make sense if you don’t like big city life
27. Arkansas is a pretty quiet place
28. You will not get stuck in traffic jams often in Arkansas
29. Easy to find a parking lot in most parts of Arkansas
30. Arkansas may be a great place to retire
31. Arkansas is a pretty pet-friendly state
32. Poverty is not a big problem in many parts of Arkansas
33. Number of homeless people in Arkansas is lower than in many other states
34. People in Arkansas are not as career-driven as in other states
35. Decent supply of material goods in most parts of Arkansas
36. Arkansas may still be underrated

Arkansas has lots of interesting nature

One benefit of moving to Arkansas is that you can spend lots of time in beautiful nature.

In fact, there are many lakes and forests where you can just sit down, relax and reload your batteries for the stressful times that may lie ahead of you.

You can spend lots of time outdoors

Since you will have many great locations where you can spend your time in nature, you can also make your life more interesting by going hunting, fishing, camping and doing many other things outdoors.

You can get more than enough fresh air in Arkansas

Since you will have the incentive of spending lots of time in beautiful nature, you can also get lots of fresh air and this can increase your oxygen levels and may make your brain work much better compared to people who are just sitting indoors all day long and watching TV.

Living in Arkansas may let you stay fit

Since you will get lots of natural exercise through those nature activities, you may also be able to stay fit and vital and may not be at great risk of suffering from overweight or even obesity.

Arkansas is a state with low population density

Another advantage of moving to Arkansas is that it is also a state where population numbers and density are rather low and compared to people living in NYC or other crowded places, you will have much more space in public for yourself and will not run into people as frequently as in many other big metropolitan regions.

Arkansas is a pretty relaxed place

You should also know that Arkansas is a rather relaxed place.

In fact, people are often not as stressed by their jobs or their lives in general compared to many other regions since life in Arkansas is just more in line with nature and there are also more opportunities to relax from your stressful life than in many other regions.

People in Arkansas are usually friendly

You should also know that most people in Arkansas are also pretty friendly and give you the feeling that you are welcome and this makes it easy for you to socialize, especially in the bigger cities where you will have more than enough opportunities to hang out with other like-minded people.

Many people will help you out on various occasions of daily life

Another upside to moving to Arkansas is that you will also meet many helpful people.

In fact, it is in the DNA of people in Arkansas to help you out on various occasions of daily life since they also expect you to help them out in case they need help and everyone can benefit from this attitude in the long run.

People in the big cities of Arkansas are pretty tolerant

While people in the rural parts of Arkansas may often be pretty traditional, people in the bigger cities of Arkansas are usually pretty tolerant and no matter where you come from, you can often have a great time.

People in Arkansas are genuine and real

You should also know that people in Arkansas are often honest and real and while you may not like this at first since it may reveal some poor aspects of your life, you may really appreciate it in the long run since you can really grow in character and can also really count on the opinion and promises of your peers.

You can make friends for a lifetime in the Arkansas region

Due to their honesty, you also learn to trust many people in Arkansas and since you can often really rely on those people, you may be able to make many friends for a lifetime who will care for you during difficult parts of your life.

Living costs in Arkansas are pretty low

Another advantage of living in Arkansas is that overall living costs are often pretty low.

In fact, you will be able to afford much more for the same budget compared to people living in San Francisco or other much more expensive places.

Housing shortage is not a big deal in Arkansas yet

You should also know that housing shortage is not a big problem in most parts of Arkansas and this means that you will find more than enough housing options and don’t have to worry much in this regard while people moving to Seattle or other more popular places often really struggle to find an affordable place to stay within a reasonable amount of time.

Rents in Arkansas are pretty low

You should also know that due to rather low demand for housing, also rents are pretty low compared to national average and you will therefore not have to spend a big fraction of your disposable income on housing and may have more money to spend on other important things.

Many people in Arkansas are still able to buy decent homes

If you don’t want to rent for the rest of your life, moving to Arkansas may still make quite a lot of sense since property prices are still rather low and you will not have to spend a fortune on a home and may be less likely to get into serious financial trouble due to your home purchase compared to people moving to Los Angeles or other places where you often have to pay far more for a home.

Overall financial pressure for people living in Arkansas is rather low

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, also overall financial pressure related to moving to Arkansas is rather limited and you don’t have to make great money from your job to afford a decent lifestyle in this region.

Arkansas may be an interesting place to invest in real estate

Arkansas may also be an interesting place for real estate investors since rental yields are often pretty decent and lack of rent control puts you in a pretty good spot when it comes to raising rents to the maximum and if you are serious about building wealth with real estate, you should at least consider investing in this region.

You can live a pretty original life in Arkansas

Since Arkansas has lots of beautiful nature, you can also live a pretty original life and can make similar experiences as your ancestors decades or even centuries ago and this can also give you the great feeling of going back to the roots.

Arkansas may be a great place to live self-sufficient

If you don’t like the classical lifestyle most people out there live right now with high consumption and less focus on happiness, you may be better off making a change and living self-sufficient and Arkansas may be an interesting place to live a self-sufficient lifestyle since you may be able to forage for food and grow many veggies in your garden while you don’t have to spend lots of money on housing and overall financial pressure of making really good money will be pretty low.

More than enough recreational spaces in Arkansas

Apart from the many forests, lakes and other nature reserves, you will also find many recreational spaces within city borders and will therefore have more opportunities to relax compared to many other regions where it is often more crowded.

You can experience real seasons in Arkansas

Another upside to living in Arkansas is that you will also be able to experience real seasons.

While summers are pretty warm, winters are relatively cold and this enables you to go swimming in summer and skiing in winter and you may therefore have a more interesting time compared to people living in El Paso or other regions where it is often warm all year long.

People in Arkansas often focus on what really matters

While people in many other regions often just care about what you have and may leave you in case you lose your money, people in Arkansas are often different in the sense that they put a higher priority on core values and focus on what really matters in life instead of just focusing on amassing as many material things as possible.

Decent air quality in most parts of Arkansas

You should also know that air quality is pretty decent in many parts of Arkansas and while you may not consider this important, you should still know that good air quality may play an important role in reducing the risk of suffering from serious health issues in the long run.

Arkansas will not run out of drinking water anytime soon

While people living in Phoenix or other desert-like environments often have to worry about running out of water due to climate change sooner or later, Arkansas will most likely not run out of water anytime soon and you don’t have to worry much in this regard.

You can teach your kids a lot about nature in Arkansas

Since there are more than enough nature reserves, your kids can also grow up with those things in a completely natural manner and by teaching your kids about nature, you can make sure that they understand the importance of preserving our planet as best as possible so future generations can still enjoy those beautiful environments.

Moving to Arkansas can make sense if you don’t like big city life

Moving to Arkansas may also make quite a lot of sense for you in case you just don’t like big city life and want to live in a more peaceful atmosphere without having to care about many problems you may have to deal with in most big cities out there.

Arkansas is a pretty quiet place

You should also keep in mind that Arkansas is a rather quiet place and outside the big cities, you will rarely get distracted by loud car noises or annoying people and can really enjoy your life in this region.

You will not get stuck in traffic jams often in Arkansas

Another benefit of living in Arkansas is that traffic is not a big problem yet and traffic jams are rather rare so you can get around by car in a pretty efficient manner and don’t lose as much time in traffic as many people in Chicago or other more crowded regions.

Easy to find a parking lot in most parts of Arkansas

Since traffic is not a big deal in most parts of Arkansas, you will also have a pretty easy time finding a parking lot while many other people in more crowded regions often have to spend much more time and money on this topic.

Arkansas may be a great place to retire

Since people in Arkansas can spend lots of time in beautiful nature, it can also be a great place to retire since pensioners can engage in many nature activities and can stay fit while those activities are often free or don’t cost lots of money so retirees don’t have to stress their financial capacities in Arkansas as much as in many other bigger metropolitan regions out there.

Arkansas is a pretty pet-friendly state

You should also know that Arkansas is a rather pet-friendly state and when you walk down the streets with your dog, chances are that you will find many other dog owners to chat with and you can therefore socialize in a pretty natural and playful manner and can meet many like-minded people.

Poverty is not a big problem in many parts of Arkansas

While the gap between the rich and the poor is also about to increase in Arkansas, poverty is not as of a big deal as in many other more urban states since living costs in Arkansas are often much lower and even people who don’t make really good money may be able to live a decent lifestyle.

Number of homeless people in Arkansas is lower than in many other states

Similar to poverty, also homelessness is not a big problem in most parts of Arkansas since housing shortage is not a big deal and rents are pretty low so many people find a decent place to stay rather quickly.

People in Arkansas are not as career-driven as in other states

Many people in Arkansas are also not as career-driven as in many other regions and this means that people usually take more time to help you out and may also be less stressed compared to people who are quite career-focused and just rush from one meeting to another all day long.

Decent supply of material goods in most parts of Arkansas

You can also be pretty sure to find most things you need for daily life on a regular basis in the Arkansas region since overall supply of material goods is pretty decent and while you may have to drive a bit to find a big grocery store in rather rural regions, chances are that you will still not run out of important material goods anytime soon.

Arkansas may still be underrated

Since living and housing costs are pretty low in Arkansas while you can still enjoy lots of beautiful nature, Arkansas may also be underrated right now and by moving to Arkansas, you may get much more for your money than in most other regions.

Now that you know the reasons for moving to Arkansas, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of living in Arkansas in the following so you can get a more realistic picture of reality and will be better able to decide whether you still want to move to Arkansas or want to live in a different region taking into account your personal preferences and circumstances.

Disadvantages of Living in Arkansas

1. Internet connection is not really good in many parts of Arkansas
2. Distances are often pretty long in Arkansas
3. Pretty poor public transport in Arkansas
4. Hard to get around by bicycle in most parts of Arkansas
5. You may urgently need a car to get around in Arkansas
6. Hard to find good schools in Arkansas
7. Limited number of really good colleges in Arkansas
8. It may take you quite a long time to send your kids to school
9. Managing your daily life in Arkansas can be quite time-consuming
10. Nightlife in Arkansas is not great in most regions
11. Limited entertainment options in Arkansas
12. Not many great sports teams in Arkansas
13. You may miss cultural diversity in the rural parts of Arkansas
14. You will not meet many tourists in Arkansas
15. Arkansas doesn’t have many big cities
16. You will just not get the feeling of big city life in Arkansas
17. You may get bored with the Arkansas lifestyle in the long run
18. Arkansas may not be a great state for students
19. Many young people think about leaving Arkansas
20. Crime rate in Arkansas is above national average
21. Unemployment may become a serious problem in Arkansas
22. Future outlook for Arkansas is rather questionable
23. Natural disasters may destroy your home in Arkansas
24. Cold winters may become annoying for many people in Arkansas
25. Hard to find many great shopping opportunities in Arkansas
26. Income level in Arkansas is pretty low
27. You may have a hard time saving enough money for retirement
28. You may have to rely on yourself if you live in remote places of Arkansas
29. Sending letters may take more time than in more urban regions
30. You may have serious problems finding solid medical treatment
31. Some regions in Arkansas are still pretty conservative
32. You may have a hard time building a strong business network in Arkansas
33. Starting a fancy career may be pretty hard in Arkansas in general
34. Not many international airports in Arkansas
35. Arkansas may not attract as many ambitious people as other states

Internet connection is not really good in many parts of Arkansas

One problem with living in Arkansas is that internet connection is pretty poor in many parts of Arkansas, especially in rural regions where people barely have internet access at all and this may make it hard for you to stay connected to the world and may also make it almost impossible to work remotely.

Distances are often pretty long in Arkansas

You should also know that public infrastructure is not great in many rural parts of Arkansas and distances are often pretty long so you may have a hard time getting from one region of Arkansas to the other within a reasonable amount of time.

Pretty poor public transport in Arkansas

You should also keep in mind that public transport is pretty poor in most parts of Arkansas and you may therefore not be able to get around by train or bus in an efficient manner and may have to rely on other means of transportation.

Hard to get around by bicycle in most parts of Arkansas

Since distances are often pretty long and due to a lack of bike lanes in many regions, Arkansas can also not be considered a bicycle-friendly city and if you love biking, you may be better off moving to Oakland or other regions where bicycling plays a much bigger role.

You may urgently need a car to get around in Arkansas

Due to rather poor public transport and insufficient biking infrastructure, many people urgently need a car to get around and in case you can no longer drive due to various possible reasons, you may just get stuck in this region and may not be able to get from A to B in a reliable manner anymore.

Hard to find good schools in Arkansas

Another downside to living in Arkansas is that overall quality of education is not great and you may have a hard time finding really good schools in your region, especially if you live in rather rural regions.

Limited number of really good colleges in Arkansas

You will also not find as many great universities as people in Boston or other more prestigious regions and if you want to provide your kids with the best education possible, moving to Arkansas may not be the best way to go for you.

It may take you quite a long time to send your kids to school

Since there are not many great schools in the rural parts of Arkansas, it may also take you quite a long time to bring and pick up your kids from school and you may therefore lose lots of precious time in this regard in the long run.

Managing your daily life in Arkansas can be quite time-consuming

In general, since you will often not live in a region with great public infrastructure, managing your daily life can be quite difficult and time-consuming compared to people living in more urban regions where it is much easier to organize various things of daily life.

Nightlife in Arkansas is not great in most regions

Another disadvantage of living in Arkansas is that you will also not find many great bars and clubs outside the big cities and if you are a party person, you may get really fed up with nightlife in Arkansas in the long run.

Limited entertainment options in Arkansas

In general, Arkansas is not the most exciting state and if you want to have entertainment and action 24/7, you may be far better off moving to Las Vegas or other more vibrant regions instead.

Not many great sports teams in Arkansas

You will also not find many great sports teams in the Arkansas region and if you are a sports fan and want to watch games of your favorite teams live on a regular basis, you may be better off moving to a different place where you will have a much broader variety of world-class sports teams.

You may miss cultural diversity in the rural parts of Arkansas

While you can find many interesting cultural influences in the big cities of Arkansas, you may still miss cultural diversity in the rural parts of Arkansas and may just not be able to hang out with as many interesting people as you might have hoped for.

You will not meet many tourists in Arkansas

Another disadvantage of moving to Arkansas is that you will also not meet as many tourists as in other states since it is just not the most popular region among international tourists and you may therefore not be able to have many interesting conversations with people from all over the world.

Arkansas doesn’t have many big cities

When we talk about big cities in Arkansas, you should also know that the largest cities in Arkansas are usually not as big as you might have expected and you will just not find cities with millions of inhabitants in this region and may therefore have rather limited options regarding how to spend your leisure compared to bigger and more vibrant cities.

You will just not get the feeling of big city life in Arkansas

Due to the rather small size of the biggest cities in Arkansas, you may also never get the feeling of big city life and you may just miss many skyscrapers and other things you may be used to from bigger metropolitan areas out there.

You may get bored with the Arkansas lifestyle in the long run

Since there is not much entertainment in most parts of Arkansas, you may also just get bored with this kind of lifestyle and may want to move to more vibrant places sooner or later.

Arkansas may not be a great state for students

Since there are not many great colleges in Arkansas and student life is rather limited, you may also rather want to study in L.A. or other bigger metropolitan regions where you may be able to enjoy student life much more and may also find better education options.

Many young people think about leaving Arkansas

Since nightlife in Arkansas is not great and entertainment options are rather limited in many parts of Arkansas, many young people also consider leaving this region and you may therefore just have to deal with many older people in the long run and may not be able to hang out with people of your age as often as you might have wished in case you are still young.

Crime rate in Arkansas is above national average

Another downside to moving to Arkansas is that crime rates are pretty high and way above average and if you are the type of person who worries in this regard quite a lot, you may be better off moving to Mesa or other safer places.

Unemployment may become a serious problem in Arkansas

You should also keep in mind that unemployment rate in Arkansas is pretty high and especially low-qualified people often have a pretty hard time finding and keeping a decent job in the long run.

Future outlook for Arkansas is rather questionable

Since public infrastructure is rather poor in most rural parts of Arkansas and it is also not the most popular region, overall future outlook is rather questionable and you may move to a region where many people may move away from sooner or later.

Natural disasters may destroy your home in Arkansas

You should also know that storms, wildfires or other natural disasters may destroy your home in the Arkansas region and if you are pretty unlucky, you may not even lose your home but even your life during those extreme events.

Cold winters may become annoying for many people in Arkansas

You should also know that winters in Arkansas can be pretty cold and if you are the type of person who wants to enjoy warm weather all year long, you may be better off moving to Dallas or other warmer regions instead.

Hard to find many great shopping opportunities in Arkansas

You should also not expect to find many fancy boutiques or other fancy shopping opportunities outside the big cities of Arkansas and if you are a shopping victim, you may just not get happy with the opportunities in this regard in the Arkansas region.

Income level in Arkansas is pretty low

Another disadvantage of moving to Arkansas is that overall income levels are pretty low and in case you want to become wealthy or even rich as quickly as possible, you may be better off moving to Honolulu or other regions where average incomes are much higher.

You may have a hard time saving enough money for retirement

Since you will often not be able to make great money in Arkansas, you may also not be able to save up enough money for retirement age and old-age poverty may become a serious problem due to that.

You may have to rely on yourself if you live in remote places of Arkansas

If you live in rather rural parts of Arkansas, you may also have to care for yourself since you may not have many options to get the support of others and should also have some natural talent for fixing things so you can stay as independent as possible.

Sending letters may take more time than in more urban regions

Since many regions in Arkansas are off from the bigger cities and distances are pretty long, sending letters or parcels may also take you much longer than you might be used to from other regions with better public infrastructure.

You may have serious problems finding solid medical treatment

If you live in rather rural regions, you may also have a hard time finding really good doctors and hospitals and in case you need urgent medical treatment, it may take you too long to reach the next hospital in case you are unlucky.

Some regions in Arkansas are still pretty conservative

You should also know that while many people in the bigger cities are pretty open and tolerant, people in rural regions of Arkansas are often rather conservative and you may therefore have to hide part of your personality to become a valued member of society.

You may have a hard time building a strong business network in Arkansas

Since the economy in Arkansas is rather weak compared to other bigger states, you may also have a hard time meeting many influential people and may have a hard time building a strong business network.

Starting a fancy career may be pretty hard in Arkansas in general

Since there are not many big corporations to work for, especially in the rural parts of Arkansas, you may also have a harder time starting a fancy career in the corporate world compared to people moving to Denver or other big metropolitan regions.

Not many international airports in Arkansas

You will also not find many big airports in Arkansas and this may be problematic in case you want to travel the world since you will often have to drive long hours to the next airport and may also have to deal with layovers quite a lot.

Arkansas may not attract as many ambitious people as other states

Since there are not many great universities and the economy is rather weak, you may also not be able to meet as many ambitious and talented people in Arkansas compared to other bigger metropolitan areas.

Top 10 Moving To Arkansas Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Arkansas A Good Place To Live?

While moving to Arkansas can make quite a lot of sense since living and housing costs are pretty low and you can spend lots of time in nature, you should also know that public transport, medical infrastructure and internet connections are not great and you may also miss great entertainment in this region.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Arkansas properly so you can make the best possible decision in this regard according to your individual preferences and circumstances.

Most Popular Cities To Live In Arkansas – Comparison

Alternative States To Live

If you no longer want to move to Arkansas, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in California

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Alabama

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Arizona

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AR

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.