Growth In NWA

[-Painted Fan-]

A few short years ago, growth in NWA was #4 in the nation.  I had heard that it had subsided, but after a trip to Pea Ridge yesterday, I'm beginning to wonder.
I admit I don't get up there as much as I would like.  I grew up there.  And my parents, along with 1 brother still live there.
Used to be, there was about a 5 mile stretch between Fayetteville and Springdale.  And an even longer stretch from Springdale to Rogers.
Now, the only thing that seperates them is a sign that says Welcome To...  You can't really tell when one ends and the next begins.  There's always something being built, some new housing community, a new shopping center.  And, as of late, new schools.  Springdale already has one,  Rogers' opens this next fall, and Bentonville's is in the works.  There's even reports of Fayetteville wanting to build a "super school".
Pea Ridge is another example of growth.  Here you have a town with about 3,000 folks.  And I was amazed at the businessess they had there- McDonald's, Sonic, Pizza Hut, a movie theatre.  Incredible!
I was in the doctors office a few weeks ago, and saw an issue of Celebrate Arkansas magazine.  If you haven't seen this monthly publication, it's a fine read, and deals mainly with NWA.  Anyway, I saw an ad in it that caught my eye.  It was for new condos being built on Beaver Lake.  These "apartments" started at $350,000 and went up to 1 mill.  Amazing.  And there's some incredible homes up there (see the Walker place up in Prairie Grove!).
So, is NWA still the #4 fastest growing area in the U.S.?  Not sure.  But one thing's for sure.  It's growing at an unbelievable rate.
................................................................................
I'll end this with an amusing story.
My parents like to go to yard sales on the weekends.  My mother, who's 72, gets the paperand the city map of Fayetteville, and marks down where they're going.  Sometimes, one will be in a new housing addition, and the street will not be on her map.  When this happens, they usually stop at a police officer, or at a fire station to get directions.  On one such incident, there was one that wasn't on her map.  They stopped at a fire station, and asked a fireman that was there rolling up the hoses.  He gave her the directions, then asked if they were going to a yard sale there.  My mother said "yes, they were.  Why?"  He told here that the yard sale was at HIS house.  You can imagine the look on the ladies face at the yard sale when my mom walked up to her and said "your husband told me to tell you hi!".

[B&GT]

It's true.  Prairie Grove has gone from 2500 to 3500 pretty quickly.  I remember when there was a space between Fayetteville and Springdale.  It's gone.  The growth was mostly in Fayetteville and Springdale and that is what has slowed, but now Rogers and Bentonville are growing very quickly.  I feel like Fayetteville will no longer be the dominant town in the region and that it will soon be Rogers.

[bulldogs1159]

It's true.  Prairie Grove has gone from 2500 to 3500 pretty quickly.  I remember when there was a space between Fayetteville and Springdale.  It's gone.  The growth was mostly in Fayetteville and Springdale and that is what has slowed, but now Rogers and Bentonville are growing very quickly.  I feel like Fayetteville will no longer be the dominant town in the region and that it will soon be Rogers.

Rogers has room to grow. Faytown can't go much farther.

[SandLizard04]

While there is no doubt that NWA is growing quickly, don't all towns of 3000+ have a McDonalds, Sonic, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell?

The most remarkable example of growth in the area is Centerton:
1990 -    491
2000 - 2,146
2005 - 5,621
2006 - 6,743

It might not have as many people as the big 5 (Faysprogersville del Vista), but to grow almost 1400% in less than two decades is insane.

[Pete Carroll]

While there is no doubt that NWA is growing quickly, don't all towns of 3000+ have a McDonalds, Sonic, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell?

The most remarkable example of growth in the area is Centerton:
1990 -    491
2000 - 2,146
2005 - 5,621
2006 - 6,743

It might not have as many people as the big 5 (Faysprogersville del Vista), but to grow almost 1400% in less than two decades is insane.

Yes, and you can get a very nice house in Centerton at about half the price that same house would cost you in the big four cities.

[Pete Carroll]

It's true.  Prairie Grove has gone from 2500 to 3500 pretty quickly.  I remember when there was a space between Fayetteville and Springdale.  It's gone.  The growth was mostly in Fayetteville and Springdale and that is what has slowed, but now Rogers and Bentonville are growing very quickly.  I feel like Fayetteville will no longer be the dominant town in the region and that it will soon be Rogers.

Rogers has room to grow. Faytown can't go much farther.

Correct, but I think Fay has been trying to annex more and more of Farmington, and I see them very quickly trying to do the same w/ smaller towns such as Elkins, Goshen etc. I think Fay will always be the dominant town in the region mainly bc of the U of A. The only reason they have had a slight decline in business growth lately is bc of the strict regulations the city puts on businesses. But that is one reason the land is worth more.

[olddog79]

It's true.  Prairie Grove has gone from 2500 to 3500 pretty quickly.  I remember when there was a space between Fayetteville and Springdale.  It's gone.  The growth was mostly in Fayetteville and Springdale and that is what has slowed, but now Rogers and Bentonville are growing very quickly.  I feel like Fayetteville will no longer be the dominant town in the region and that it will soon be Rogers.

Rogers has room to grow. Faytown can't go much farther.

Correct, but I think Fay has been trying to annex more and more of Farmington, and I see them very quickly trying to do the same w/ smaller towns such as Elkins, Goshen etc. I think Fay will always be the dominant town in the region mainly bc of the U of A. The only reason they have had a slight decline in business growth lately is bc of the strict regulations the city puts on businesses. But that is one reason the land is worth more.

...and they restrict a lot of low income housing from developing

[30kfeet]

While there is no doubt that NWA is growing quickly, don't all towns of 3000+ have a McDonalds, Sonic, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell?

The most remarkable example of growth in the area is Centerton:
1990 -    491
2000 - 2,146
2005 - 5,621
2006 - 6,743

It might not have as many people as the big 5 (Faysprogersville del Vista), but to grow almost 1400% in less than two decades is insane.

Yes, and you can get a very nice house in Centerton at about half the price that same house would cost you in the big four cities.

Half is a little generous.  Because of heavy overbuilding in Centerton, huge inventory is keeping prices at reasonable levels but half is not accurate, especially new construction.  Bella Vista continues to have the best price per square foot values in the region.   

[B&GT]

It's true.  Prairie Grove has gone from 2500 to 3500 pretty quickly.  I remember when there was a space between Fayetteville and Springdale.  It's gone.  The growth was mostly in Fayetteville and Springdale and that is what has slowed, but now Rogers and Bentonville are growing very quickly.  I feel like Fayetteville will no longer be the dominant town in the region and that it will soon be Rogers.

Rogers has room to grow. Faytown can't go much farther.

Correct, but I think Fay has been trying to annex more and more of Farmington, and I see them very quickly trying to do the same w/ smaller towns such as Elkins, Goshen etc. I think Fay will always be the dominant town in the region mainly bc of the U of A. The only reason they have had a slight decline in business growth lately is bc of the strict regulations the city puts on businesses. But that is one reason the land is worth more.

I just dunno.  Almost everything new is getting built in Rogers,  and the Walton Arts Center is most likely moving to Rogers.

[Pete Carroll]

While there is no doubt that NWA is growing quickly, don't all towns of 3000+ have a McDonalds, Sonic, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell?

The most remarkable example of growth in the area is Centerton:
1990 -    491
2000 - 2,146
2005 - 5,621
2006 - 6,743

It might not have as many people as the big 5 (Faysprogersville del Vista), but to grow almost 1400% in less than two decades is insane.

Yes, and you can get a very nice house in Centerton at about half the price that same house would cost you in the big four cities.

Half is a little generous.  Because of heavy overbuilding in Centerton, huge inventory is keeping prices at reasonable levels but half is not accurate, especially new construction.  Bella Vista continues to have the best price per square foot values in the region.   

About half was a guess, a rough estimate if you will. I was trying to show the price difference of Centerton to Rogers/Bent. It would almost be the same for Farmington compared to Fay.

[Pete Carroll]

It's true.  Prairie Grove has gone from 2500 to 3500 pretty quickly.  I remember when there was a space between Fayetteville and Springdale.  It's gone.  The growth was mostly in Fayetteville and Springdale and that is what has slowed, but now Rogers and Bentonville are growing very quickly.  I feel like Fayetteville will no longer be the dominant town in the region and that it will soon be Rogers.

Rogers has room to grow. Faytown can't go much farther.

Correct, but I think Fay has been trying to annex more and more of Farmington, and I see them very quickly trying to do the same w/ smaller towns such as Elkins, Goshen etc. I think Fay will always be the dominant town in the region mainly bc of the U of A. The only reason they have had a slight decline in business growth lately is bc of the strict regulations the city puts on businesses. But that is one reason the land is worth more.

I just dunno.  Almost everything new is getting built in Rogers,  and the Walton Arts Center is most likely moving to Rogers.

I think as long as the U of A is in Fay, you will see Fay still at the center, and especially if they ease up some on the building restrictions, more and more business will jump back to Fay. But Rogers right now is a very active place to be.

[Wampus_Cat]

It's true.  Prairie Grove has gone from 2500 to 3500 pretty quickly.  I remember when there was a space between Fayetteville and Springdale.  It's gone.  The growth was mostly in Fayetteville and Springdale and that is what has slowed, but now Rogers and Bentonville are growing very quickly.  I feel like Fayetteville will no longer be the dominant town in the region and that it will soon be Rogers.

Rogers has room to grow. Faytown can't go much farther.

Correct, but I think Fay has been trying to annex more and more of Farmington, and I see them very quickly trying to do the same w/ smaller towns such as Elkins, Goshen etc. I think Fay will always be the dominant town in the region mainly bc of the U of A. The only reason they have had a slight decline in business growth lately is bc of the strict regulations the city puts on businesses. But that is one reason the land is worth more.

I just dunno.  Almost everything new is getting built in Rogers,  and the Walton Arts Center is most likely moving to Rogers.

That'd be okay, that takes up valuable bar/restaraunt space.

[-Painted Fan-]

Yes, but Benton County is DRY!  I don't see many bars opening up in a dry county.  I did hear that some restaurants are trying to get liquor permits, though.

[Wampus_Cat]

....the Walton Arts Center is in downtown Fayetteville am I correct?

Washington County isn't dry.

[bulldogs1159]

Yes, but Benton County is DRY!  I don't see many bars opening up in a dry county.  I did hear that some restaurants are trying to get liquor permits, though.

He was talking about the current space the WAC takes up. Also Benton County is the wettest dry county ever.

[SandLizard04]

Yes, but Benton County is DRY!  I don't see many bars opening up in a dry county.  I did hear that some restaurants are trying to get liquor permits, though.

He was talking about the current space the WAC takes up. Also Benton County is the wettest dry county ever.

It's definitely the wettest in Arkansas. I read the other day there are almost 120 liquor licenses in Benton County.

[AllSmiles]

Dry counties suck.

That is all.

[SandLizard04]

Dry counties suck.

That is all.

And yet every single fricking major college county in the state except Washington (Faulkner, Craighead, Pope) is dry.

[Quite Frankly]

Bible Belt Baby

[AllSmiles]

Bible Belt Baby

Freaking Bible thumpers. I shouldn't have to pay an extra five f'ing dollars just to eat somewhere and can eat at the SAME PLACE in Memphis and be seated without being hassled.

Or get this, not being able to eat there AT ALL, just because they serve liquor and I'm not 21. Eating at Chili's gets old QUICK!

[Quite Frankly]

In NWA, you can't buy beer at grocery stores or conv stores either.

[AllSmiles]

In NWA, you can't buy beer at grocery stores or conv stores either.

The Wal-Mart in WM has an aisle dedicated to liquor and beer. Walgreens has one side of the store set up like a liquor store.

Oh how I love Crittenden County.

[Quite Frankly]

Not a big deal to me.  It's not like there isn't plenty of liquor stores around.

Personally, I just as soon they didn't have beer in Wal-Mart.  They have enough without owning that marker too.

[AllSmiles]

Not a big deal to me.  It's not like there isn't plenty of liquor stores around.

Personally, I just as soon they didn't have beer in Wal-Mart.  They have enough without owning that marker too.

It's not that hard to get liquor on campus. Just wish a long drive wouldn't be necessary.

However, I wouldn't know anything about that.

[Wampus_Cat]

Dry counties suck.

That is all.

And yet every single fricking major college county in the state except Pulaski (Faulkner, Craighead, Pope) is dry.

As noted, Washington is wet.

It's an excellent place.

[SandLizard04]

Oops, I meant Washington, not Pulaski. Fixed.

[bulldogs1159]

Dry counties suck.

That is all.

And yet every single fricking major college county in the state except Pulaski (Faulkner, Craighead, Pope) is dry.

As noted, Washington is wet.

It's an excellent place.

Drink deals 7 nights a week. I have to go a half block. Its GREAT.

[Wampus_Cat]

Dry counties suck.

That is all.

And yet every single fricking major college county in the state except Pulaski (Faulkner, Craighead, Pope) is dry.

As noted, Washington is wet.

It's an excellent place.

Drink deals 7 nights a week. I have to go a half block. Its GREAT.

You lucky bastard in the Pike house...

We have DD's, thankfully. Oh, and we may be moving close to y'all soon, fyi.

[SandLizard04]

Yeah...well...at least at UCA we can drive just 30 minutes to the River Market.


Conway blows.

[bulldogs1159]

Dry counties suck.

That is all.

And yet every single fricking major college county in the state except Pulaski (Faulkner, Craighead, Pope) is dry.

As noted, Washington is wet.

It's an excellent place.

Drink deals 7 nights a week. I have to go a half block. Its GREAT.

You lucky bastard in the Pike house...

We have DD's, thankfully. Oh, and we may be moving close to y'all soon, fyi.

Which one are you in again? Going to take the old AOPi lot?

[Wampus_Cat]

edit

[bulldogs1159]

Thats weird cause were looking at moving into that house and building a brand new one where ours is now. One big happy family? lol

[Wampus_Cat]

Haha for sure... we'll see what goes on.

I personally like the house we're in.

[fastdrop]

don't worry NWA will continue to grow

[McKnz]

The growth used to be restricted to eastern Benton County and Washington County. Now, even towns like Gravette are growing. Gravette just built a new high school last year, new football stadium. Sonic has been there a few years, there is a housing addition just to the east of town that wasn't there three years ago, there's one to the west that was built probably 6-8 yrs ago. They just built a new Arvest branch next door to the old one. When I graduated from GHS in '98 I graduated with 71. Last year, the 8th grade class that I taught had over 130. The classes get bigger each year after. Of course, we get some of our students from the Highlands area of Bella Vista. But, if it keeps growing it and Gravette will be joined.