Growth and it's results in Northwest Arkansas.

[mcheiss]

But I have heard people make comparisons between Santa Fe and Fayetteville. But I imagine most people are probably referring to building codes and such.

Although I have heard Fayetteville mentioned as a small Austin also. I believe you've commented to that somewhere on here also.

I was meaning on building codes and strictiness of them. Santa Fe and Fayetteville both have strict ones.

I have heard Fayetteville being referred to as a small Austin, will all of the music venues, bars, and condo craze. Yet on a very small scale. Austin is a beautful city, hopefully Fayetteville can model it's self like Austin in a way

[Mith242]

I was meaning on building codes and strictiness of them. Santa Fe and Fayetteville both have strict ones.

I have heard Fayetteville being referred to as a small Austin, will all of the music venues, bars, and condo craze. Yet on a very small scale. Austin is a beautful city, hopefully Fayetteville can model it's self like Austin in a way

I would like to see Fayetteville do some of the music venues and such that Austin tends to have. That is a city I have also heard Fayetteville compared to, if not on a smaller scale. I guess it has some 'southern' culture to it. Or more so than the other western cities mentioned earlier.

[mcheiss]

I would like to see Fayetteville do some of the music venues and such that Austin tends to have. That is a city I have also heard Fayetteville compared to, if not on a smaller scale. I guess it has some 'southern' culture to it. Or more so than the other western cities mentioned earlier.

Austin really does feel more southern than western. With the nice trees and lake's, it seems a lot southern, yet it still does have some Southwestern features. They've got a lot of buildings that I think Fayetteville could model itself after. I recently checked out the Fayetteville Downtown Master Plan. That is simply an amazing plan that your city has. Fayetteville really will have a true urban core in itself if that plan goes accordingly.

[Mith242]

Austin really does feel more southern than western. With the nice trees and lake's, it seems a lot southern, yet it still does have some Southwestern features. They've got a lot of buildings that I think Fayetteville could model itself after. I recently checked out the Fayetteville Downtown Master Plan. That is simply an amazing plan that your city has. Fayetteville really will have a true urban core in itself if that plan goes accordingly.

Hey where did you see this downtown master plan? I have heard parts of it and such but not sure if I've actually seen the whole master plan. Looks like you beat me in my area again.

[mcheiss]

I saw an excerpt of it from Dover Kohl & Partners Town planning website

Also, a friend of mine about a year ago had a plan of it at work. There were some nice pics of the city in the future. Sorry I couldn't get the whole thing.

www.doverkohl.com, then you have to go to fayetteville.

[Mith242]

I saw an excerpt of it from Dover Kohl & Partners Town planning website

Also, a friend of mine about a year ago had a plan of it at work. There were some nice pics of the city in the future. Sorry I couldn't get the whole thing.

www.doverkohl.com, then you have to go to fayetteville.

Thanks, I'm curious to see some more of it.

[Aporkalypse]

I was meaning on building codes and strictiness of them. Santa Fe and Fayetteville both have strict ones.

I have heard Fayetteville being referred to as a small Austin, will all of the music venues, bars, and condo craze. Yet on a very small scale. Austin is a beautful city, hopefully Fayetteville can model it's self like Austin in a way

Austin and Boulder are both good analogies, I like the latter even better.

[Mith242]

Austin and Boulder are both good analogies, I like the latter even better.

Ah, don't know if I've heard of the Boulder comparison. I have heard things about Boulder but can't say I know a whole lot about it. I was recently in Colorado, but it wasn't anywhere near Boulder though. Guess I'll have to do a little research.

[mcheiss]

Ah, don't know if I've heard of the Boulder comparison. I have heard things about Boulder but can't say I know a whole lot about it. I was recently in Colorado, but it wasn't anywhere near Boulder though. Guess I'll have to do a little research.

Isn't CU in Bouldar?

[Aporkalypse]

Isn't CU in Bouldar?

It's one of the coolest college towns in the country and the University dominates the town much more than UT does Austin, which is also the state capital and a techie city and HQs of Dell. Obviously, the mountains you can see from the stadium aren't the size of the ones around Boulder, but they are both picturesque, popular college towns that are growing.

[mcheiss]

It's one of the coolest college towns in the country and the University dominates the town much more than UT does Austin, which is also the state capital and a techie city and HQs of Dell. Obviously, the mountains you can see from the stadium aren't the size of the ones around Boulder, but they are both picturesque, popular college towns that are growing.

I never realized boulder had such a college urban feel. It kind of does remind me or Fayetteville.

[Mith242]

I never realized boulder had such a college urban feel. It kind of does remind me or Fayetteville.

Boulder isn't too far away from Denver is it? I've wondered if it gets some benefits from being around a rather large urban area.

[mcheiss]

Boulder's about 20 miles outside of Denver, and I'm sure that since it's a large college town and near the rocky mountains and such, it's get some urban overflow from Denver.

[mcheiss]

Looks like NW Arkansas was recognized again on another national list.

American City Business Journals announced that the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan statistical area ranked third among midsized markets with 100,000 to 250,000 jobs. Unemployment dropped from 4.2 percent in 2004 to 3.8 percent in 2005; and Nonfarm employment increased from 187,500 jobs in 2004 to 194,300 jobs in 2005, creating 6,800 new jobs.

In the small market size (Less than 50,000), Hot Springs ranked 5th, Jonesboro 25th, Pine Bluff 29th.

[Mith242]

Looks like NW Arkansas was recognized again on another national list.

American City Business Journals announced that the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan statistical area ranked third among midsized markets with 100,000 to 250,000 jobs. Unemployment dropped from 4.2 percent in 2004 to 3.8 percent in 2005; and Nonfarm employment increased from 187,500 jobs in 2004 to 194,300 jobs in 2005, creating 6,800 new jobs.

In the small market size (Less than 50,000), Hot Springs ranked 5th, Jonesboro 25th, Pine Bluff 29th.

What's sad is that if you take out the new areas of our metro, McDonald and Madison Counties, the unemployment rate drops even more. Washington County seems to average around 3.1 to 3.5% and Benton County often seems to hang around 2.8 to 3.3%. Also nice to see some of the other Arkansas cities represented. Certainly good job by Hot Springs, and Pine Bluff being at 29th even on the small market size isn't too bad.

[mcheiss]

Our unemployement rate keeps dropping, which could be a negative factor in future growth. But I'm confidant that more people will continue moving to the area, and that our MSA will grow and extend past McDonald County and Madison counties. I wonder if Carroll county has been added, but I'm sure it will cross the Oklahoma border and more people will work in NW Arkansas.

[Mith242]

Our unemployement rate keeps dropping, which could be a negative factor in future growth. But I'm confidant that more people will continue moving to the area, and that our MSA will grow and extend past McDonald County and Madison counties. I wonder if Carroll county has been added, but I'm sure it will cross the Oklahoma border and more people will work in NW Arkansas.

Carrol County hasn't been added yet. But I am curious to see what area our mtero is growing. It would seem another Missouri county like Barry. Newton County to the north of McDonald I would think would have to be considered more a part of Joplin. I think with more development along Beaver Lake our metro could eventually include Carrol County. I could also see some of the Oklahoma counties eventually becoming a part of out metro one day too. Not sure when any of this might happen though. But back to the unemployment figures, although it is nice having such low unemployment it has caused problems too. I does make it hard to fill jobs and it also keeps certain companies from developing more in northwest Arkansas because it might prove too hard to fill jobs.

[mcheiss]

Barry and Newton would be great to add.

Carroll will probably be added within the next 5 years by my estimates.

[Mith242]

Barry and Newton would be great to add.

Carroll will probably be added within the next 5 years by my estimates.

I'm assuming you're talking about Newton County in Arkansas. Newton County in Missouri is also not too far away, just north of McDonald County. I think Newton could be quite a while if ever. While I certainly like Newton County I'm wary of development going into it. I know I can't say certain areas aren't allowed to have development. I also know Newton County has high unemployment. I'd just hate to see much of Newton County like some other areas around the major national parks. I'd like to leave a lot of the area the way it is in case there's an option to make more of that area a national park. I guess in some ways I sound like a bit of a hypocrit. I do want development here in northwest Arkansas. But I do hate the idea of much of the rest of the Ozarks simply becoming the suburbs for northwest Arkansas or even the Springfield-Branson area. The Ozarks have been unique in that they are some of the least developed areas in the eastern half of the US. But for better or worse this seems to be changing. The Missouri Ozarks are already starting to get lots of development. It probably won't be long before the Arkansas Ozarks start succumbing. I just hope there is more effort to preserve some of our Ozarks.

[mcheiss]

I would love to see the Buffalo National River become a National Park, yet I do know what comes with development, which could ruin the whole area.

I don't want us to become another Springfield or so, I would rather people from other places come fill in jobs for us in Benton and Washington Counties. I would rather the development stay in the two counties, than spread out like the "Atlanta Effect".

[Mith242]

I would love to see the Buffalo National River become a National Park, yet I do know what comes with development, which could ruin the whole area.

I don't want us to become another Springfield or so, I would rather people from other places come fill in jobs for us in Benton and Washington Counties. I would rather the development stay in the two counties, than spread out like the "Atlanta Effect".

In some ways this is why I want to the to build up. I know there are some in the area who aren't too crazy about having out metro feel more like a big city. But I really don't want sprawl and suburbs spreading out through the rest of the Ozarks. I'd much rather build up and have a more compact city.

[mcheiss]

In some ways this is why I want to the to build up. I know there are some in the area who aren't too crazy about having out metro feel more like a big city. But I really don't want sprawl and suburbs spreading out through the rest of the Ozarks. I'd much rather build up and have a more compact city.

I'm sure we will become more centralized. I agree and I don't want another Springfield/Branson Area. Most people moving to the area are from large Metropolitan areas that would rather live in an area where they have the choice to go to the outdoors, live in either a condo or a single family home, and still have the convienance of a downtown like setting and suburbian shopping.

[Mith242]

I'm sure we will become more centralized. I agree and I don't want another Springfield/Branson Area. Most people moving to the area are from large Metropolitan areas that would rather live in an area where they have the choice to go to the outdoors, live in either a condo or a single family home, and still have the convienance of a downtown like setting and suburbian shopping.

We might have to change some people's thinking. I think the reason some people move here is because they want the feel of the suburbs without having a large city nearby. These people aren't they type who want a lot of big serious development or widening I-540 to 6 to 8 lanes and so on. That and some of the people who also have lived their whole live here who are having a hard time imagining the smalltime feel of their areas they grew up in is disappearing. Not to say they aren't people who do want development. But this area is going through a bit of a culture shock.

[mcheiss]

We might have to change some people's thinking. I think the reason some people move here is because they want the feel of the suburbs without having a large city nearby. These people aren't they type who want a lot of big serious development or widening I-540 to 6 to 8 lanes and so on. That and some of the people who also have lived their whole live here who are having a hard time imagining the smalltime feel of their areas they grew up in is disappearing. Not to say they aren't people who do want development. But this area is going through a bit of a culture shock.

Hopefully the culture shock here will turn into a culture spark.

[mcheiss]

Some great news for residents of Southwest Missouri.

Officials from Freeman Health System, a nonprofit organization with its principal offices in Joplin, Mo., recently confirmed the purchase of 30 acres in Jane, Mo., but declined to give specifics about their planned use for the land, which was the former site of Sugar Creek Motocross Park.

On Thursday, it was confirmed that the sale closed Oct. 3. The site is located less than a mile north of a Wal-Mart Supercenter and, like the Wal-Mart, is east of U.S. 71. The developers intend to construct a hospital and clinic with a helicopter pad, and future plans include building satellite locations for Crowder College and Freeman Southwest Family YMCA, both of Neosho, Mo.