Growth and it's results in Northwest Arkansas.

[Mith242]

I would not mind paying tolls...I say just build the roads before the lack of them cause our boom regions to deflate.

Yeah I know a lot of people in Arkansas don't like the idea of tollroads. Although I think they are more accepted here in NWA. Whether it is because we're close to Oklahoma and used to traveling on some of their tollroads or because we know that's the only way we're going to get some of our roads we need to keep up with the growth. I'd certainly rather we take that route then just putting off building the roads for decades till we can get the money. Especially since people here in the state seem to insist on paying as we go and not borrowing money for roads.

[mcheiss]

Those areas are growing in numbers, but not percentage...In the lists of the fastest growing cities...you will not see anything over 100%...I've only ever seen like 80%...and that's extremely rare. 151% in 5 years is absolutely unheard of! There will be a big deal made about this in national media...watch for it.

I'm not sure it will make National Media Attention, because they really only focus on larger cities. I know O'Fallon, MO has grown exponetially. It's population went up 40,000 or so in 5 years that virtually doubled it's population, and they really didn't get much attention.

[Mith242]

I'm not sure it will make National Media Attention, because they really only focus on larger cities. I know O'Fallon, MO has grown exponetially. It's population went up 40,000 or so in 5 years that virtually doubled it's population, and they really didn't get much attention.

What area of Missouri is that in?

[tim2462]

St. Louis Metro.

Population (year 2000): 46,169, Est. population in July 2004: 67,009 (+45.1% change)

People are leaving St. Louis and going to neighboring suburbs.

[Aporkalypse]

St. Louis Metro.

Population (year 2000): 46,169, Est. population in July 2004: 67,009 (+45.1% change)

People are leaving St. Louis and going to neighboring suburbs.

St Louis's city population has really been rapidly deteriorating impressively. Being jammed in against the River on one side it had nowhere to grow.

[tim2462]

St Louis's city population has really been rapidly deteriorating impressively. Being jammed in against the River on one side it had nowhere to grow.

It could grow West and swallow up some of those suburbs...there are too many burbs anyway.

[tim2462]

An article about growing pains in NWA

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/01/.../03legreact.txt

[tim2462]

An article about expensive projects

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/01/...pmentreview.txt

another article...

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/01/...3realestate.txt

[masons_dad1]

Only problem with the news about NWA these days is it isn't news. I've been reading the same articles for the past 3 years yet I haven't read any news articles about anything that's been done about all these growth problems. It's like the state is in shock and unable to react as they've never dealt with this kind of growth before.

I take that back... there was the news about how the counties aren't going to pay for roads but businesses that develop here have to pay for road improvements.

Some of the cities here have even brought in city planners from successful regions around the country to advise them on what they should do. Bentonville brought in advisors to help them with their SmartGrowth ideas, although some people visit Bentonville and are refreshed by the small town charm of it's downtown. But when they leave they say Bentonville's charm will soon be gone, replaced by just another urban downtown.

[Mith242]

Nice articles Tim. I liked the first one that mentions the fact it is hard to get people in other areas of the state that while this area is nice and growing it's not 'paved with gold' and we have needs. Although it's only fair to point out that there are other areas of the state growing too that also have needs also. But some areas get overshadowed because of the phenominal growth happening here in NWA. I've also wondered if any of this also happens because we're off in a corner of the state and most of the emphasis in the past has been on central Arkansas. But for a long time that was rightfully so, that's where everything was happening for decades. But let's face it Arkansas has been a poor state for over a century. You could argue it just simply never recovered from the Civil War. The state is ill equiped to handle the problems occuring in NWA because it's never had to worry about it. I'm not saying we're on our own but NWA is going to have to find a way to handle some of the problems itself. We can't assume the state is going to fix a lot of our problems. I'll save the argument about NWA not getting back everything it pays in taxes to the state back for another time.

[Mith242]

Oh yeah I also like the article talking about the development including Aspen Ridge Townhouses here in Fayetteville. We're obviously well know for out aspen trees here. It's so great that they'd decide on a name that really picks out some of Fayetteville nice qualities like all our wonderful aspen trees.

[mcheiss]

^Were well known for our Redwood trees up here

[Mith242]

^Were well known for our Redwood trees up here

Guess I didn't see that one. Granted I guess after so long trees like oak and maples get used quite a bit. But you'd think maybe they could find something else that is native to this area.

[mcheiss]

Guess I didn't see that one. Granted I guess after so long trees like oak and maples get used quite a bit. But you'd think maybe they could find something else that is native to this area.

I'm pretty sure there's a redwood subidivision in Bentonville or Rogers. Pine gets used up here a lot, along with Pleasant.

[Mith242]

I'm pretty sure there's a redwood subidivision in Bentonville or Rogers. Pine gets used up here a lot, along with Pleasant.

Pine isn't what most people think of when they think of the Ozarks but there is a shortleaf pine that is native to the Ozarks. It tends to grow on the drier southern slopes of the mountains and hills.

[mcheiss]

Pine isn't what most people think of when they think of the Ozarks but there is a shortleaf pine that is native to the Ozarks. It tends to grow on the drier southern slopes of the mountains and hills.

I know, I'm just saying what most developers name their subdivsion after, here in Rogers.

[tim2462]

There's a new interactive addition to the city of Fayetteville website that gives you the chance to have a say in what the city will look like in 20 years. The Web site is cityplan2025.accessfayetteville.org

[mcheiss]

There's a new interactive addition to the city of Fayetteville website that gives you the chance to have a say in what the city will look like in 20 years. The Web site is cityplan2025.accessfayetteville.org

I've seen that.

The Downtown looks very organized and urban.

[masons_dad1]

I've seen that.

The Downtown looks very organized and urban.

Are there renderings of what Fayetteville might look like? I can only find pictures of Fayetteville as it is right now.

[tim2462]

I don't know...I went to the site and it didn't seem very interactive to me...I think it may not be what it was made out to be. Maybe it's just a place for people to get info to attend those events in planning.

[mcheiss]

I don't know...I went to the site and it didn't seem very interactive to me...I think it may not be what it was made out to be. Maybe it's just a place for people to get info to attend those events in planning.

There's a Fayetteville Downtown Masterplan on Fayetteville's Website that shows some pictures of what the downtown will or supposed to look like in 20 years.

[Mith242]

There's a Fayetteville Downtown Masterplan on Fayetteville's Website that shows some pictures of what the downtown will or supposed to look like in 20 years.

I'm not sure if there's much on renderings but here's the website to the Downtown Master Plan.

http://www.accessfayetteville.org/pdfs/dow...=4390&revision=

Might take a while for the pdf file to load. Looks like I need to post a few pics over on that other area of the website.

[Mith242]

Here's an interesting article about one of our local companies.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10838942/

[DickSonstreetDFW]

I think that this growth will change the culture of Northwest Arkansas. Currently, I see hardly no culture in Northwest Arkansas, but if people from the west and the north continue to move into the area, look out to seeing more of a northern feel in the area.

I had to respond to this post.

I lived in and went to school in Fayetteville prior to the completion of I-540 and XNA, and prior to much of the growth thats happened in the past ten years. If anything, the growth is not bringing a distinct culture, but rather overrunning the culture that existed previously.

Fayetteville, sadly, is losing much of what made it a great place to live. There used to be so many great little local restaurants, many of which have not been able to hold on with the influx of chains and franchises.

That kills the local culture.

Many small shops that catered to a local culture, music stores with local bands works for sale, no longer exist.

Fayetteville and NWA used to be a mix of midwestern influences with southern. It also used to be almost completely homogenously Caucasian.

Springdale used to be a little farm town, probably 95% white, and the whole town was nuts about their rodeo.

Go to Dickson St. today and although there are chains moving in, turning it into every other place in America, you can still hear roots music, bluegrass influenced alt country, Ozark mountain traditional music. Thats the real local culture.

To say that NWA has "no culture" and that hopefully all of these newcomers will bring "some culture" is, in my opinion, the exact opposite of what is happening in NWA.

The newcomers bring a diversity of cultures, but NWA will end up like every other place in the US without a dominant culture. There's nothing unique at all about that.

[masons_dad1]

Here's an interesting article about one of our local companies.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10838942/

It's nice to see the media looking at the positive side of Wal-Mart. I'm tired of reading about how Wal-Mart is the Devil and all. Envy is a cardinal sin.