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Little Rock is a mixed bag. Unlike other cities, the traffic is quite tolerable, 10 minute traffic delays at worst. The city has a little bit of everything you would most likely want in a city. Large concert venue, a dinner theater, several movie theaters including one IMAX, a comedy club, wide range of local restaurants, some bars, and it's unique offerings with the river market. You have to do some digging to find the stuff, but it's out there.
The flip side is that the crime rate is ridiculous for a city this size and there is really no safe zone left in the city. I would never be caught downtown at night. Little Rock was actually the scene of a mass shooting in 2017. The police department is badly under staffed because they cant find officers who want to work here in Little Rock. Also, the city just feels stagnant and depressed. You go down university and you see building architecture from the 60s and 70s which just looks ugly. They even canceled the once a year music festival. Compared to other cities that have neat things to offer, LR sucks. I would only move here if I got a good job.
Job that pays! i mean better than $20 a hour for starts. but then you be offset by over price apts.
Little Rock is a mixed bag. Unlike other cities, the traffic is quite tolerable, 10 minute traffic delays at worst. The city has a little bit of everything you would most likely want in a city. Large concert venue, a dinner theater, several movie theaters including one IMAX, a comedy club, wide range of local restaurants, some bars, and it's unique offerings with the river market. You have to do some digging to find the stuff, but it's out there.
The flip side is that the crime rate is ridiculous for a city this size and there is really no safe zone left in the city. I would never be caught downtown at night. Little Rock was actually the scene of a mass shooting in 2017. The police department is badly under staffed because they cant find officers who want to work here in Little Rock. Also, the city just feels stagnant and depressed. You go down university and you see building architecture from the 60s and 70s which just looks ugly. They even canceled the once a year music festival. Compared to other cities that have neat things to offer, LR sucks. I would only move here if I got a good job.
To the OP, while I would agree Little Rock's biggest drawbacks are crime and a struggling school district (which are of course not unique to LR), I disagree with the post above. In most measures, especially for its size, it's extremely unique and interesting - in fact, lots of cities have come to LR to study how effective the downtown resurgence has been in reinvigorating our city.
Here are my quick list of positive attributes of Little Rock:
• it's a beautiful city and setting/outdoors (west LR and western Pulaski County are wooded, mountainous and picturesque)
• the only real "urban" metro in the state with a highly dense, rapidly reinvigorated downtown core/skyline
• a very active River Market entertainment district
• a resurgent Main Street/growing Tech Park
• nationally reputable local food scene
• significant concert market (both Verizon Arena, First Security Amphitheater, War Memorial Stadium)
• relatively new minor league baseball park in downtown NLR (near Verizon Arena)
• new $60M performing arts center - Robinson Center
• current planning on a ±$60M renovation of the Arkansas Arts Center
• Presidential Library
• phenomenal access to healthcare and multiple medical campuses (including renowned UAMS and AR Children's Hospitals)
• Historic neighborhoods
• Relatively strong retail options (traditional malls, outlet mall, neighborhood shopping)
• Exceptional park and River Trail network
• Airport/flight options are exceptional for a city this size
• Good road/freeway network with relatively low traffic
• If suburbia is your thing, as mentioned above, plenty of options for bedroom communities
My thoughts on this.. take the positive with the negative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BMW335i
To the OP, while I would agree Little Rock's biggest drawbacks are crime and a struggling school district (which are of course not unique to LR), I disagree with the post above. In most measures, especially for its size, it's extremely unique and interesting - in fact, lots of cities have come to LR to study how effective the downtown resurgence has been in reinvigorating our city.
Here are my quick list of positive attributes of Little Rock:
• it's a beautiful city and setting/outdoors (west LR and western Pulaski County are wooded, mountainous and picturesque) Peti Jean mountain.. for sure
• the only real "urban" metro in the state with a highly dense, rapidly reinvigorated downtown core/skyline What skyline? Only has 2 buildings that stands out. Beyond that, we dont have a sky line.
• a very active River Market entertainment district.. Typical drunks hang out friday night. unless your a party person
• a resurgent Main Street/growing Tech Park. what tech park? Arkansas doesnt have anything or any company that is in the Tech market. ( well known and produce 1k jobs)
• nationally reputable local food scene. Yes got some great places to eat for sure
• significant concert market (both Verizon Arena, First Security Amphitheater, War Memorial Stadium). Even some of the best well known bands still cant sell here. Thus why so many dont come any more.
• relatively new minor league baseball park in downtown NLR (near Verizon Arena) ? what league?
• new $60M performing arts center - Robinson Center. Just a motel add on and space.. not really anything special.
• current planning on a ±$60M renovation of the Arkansas Arts Center. same as above
• Presidential Library. Looks like a hollow out trailer park.
• phenomenal access to healthcare and multiple medical campuses (including renowned UAMS and AR Children's Hospitals). YES FOR SURE! Childrens is the best.
• Historic neighborhoods. Defind historic that it is or wants to be. Lot of run down holes that makes you wonder if its historic or just a dump
• Relatively strong retail options (traditional malls, outlet mall, neighborhood shopping) Malls are closing up, but out door malls are doing wonders. After decades of fight, got a bass pro shop!
• Exceptional park and River Trail network yes we go some great state parks and rivers!
• Airport/flight options are exceptional for a city this size. IT does, but charges get higher if you go hub to hub.
• Good road/freeway network with relatively low traffic For now.. lobbiest trying to change that.
• If suburbia is your thing, as mentioned above, plenty of options for bedroom communities
My thoughts on this.. take the positive with the negative.
Just no.. no no no..
You have a curious sense of what's positive and negative...and it doesn't seem you know how to disassociate your own opinions from object measurements about what most people find important to city/culture. For example, the Robinson Center is a world class music hall and conference center, and has opened to wide acclaim (it has nothing to do with a "motel add-on"), your own editorials about what you think about architecture has zero bearing on these attributes as a city (commenting about the Clinton Library for example), and some comments are just misinformed (about bands not selling out in Verizon, which objective data disproves), and lastly, whether or not you understand what a "historic neighborhood" is doesn't change the fact that Little Rock has at least 3-4 vibrant, mixed-use, historic neighborhoods that are an asset to the city.
And to accurately inform the OP about our skyline, attached is a photo.
You have a curious sense of what's positive and negative...and it doesn't seem you know how to disassociate your own opinions from object measurements about what most people find important to city/culture. For example, the Robinson Center is a world class music hall and conference center, and has opened to wide acclaim (it has nothing to do with a "motel add-on"), your own editorials about what you think about architecture has zero bearing on these attributes as a city (commenting about the Clinton Library for example), and some comments are just misinformed (about bands not selling out in Verizon, which objective data disproves), and lastly, whether or not you understand what a "historic neighborhood" is doesn't change the fact that Little Rock has at least 3-4 vibrant, mixed-use, historic neighborhoods that are an asset to the city.
And to accurately inform the OP about our skyline, attached is a photo.
This is what a skyline looks like.
Having 2-4 buildings is not a skyline.
Verizon hasnt sold out a concert in years. Tim Mcgraw is a example of that. The arena entertainment people cant bring in good talent that is worth the tickets, much less able to sell tickets. Reason why most artist cancel the shows is lack of ticket sales.
Clinton library is a double wide
Robinson center is fine, after all were are we suppose to watch the nutcracker every holiday season? Adding more hotel space doesnt do it justice.
For as historic, yes it does have it. And then you got areas that looks historic, but aren't. Just trashy areas.
^^^^ Thank God downtown Little Rock does NOT look like Manhattan. Good grief.
As for the Clinton Library, its architecture was inspired by the old railroad bridge - the historic railroad terminal is part of the library. Used to enter LR via that terminal back in my childhood Christmas days, traveling in from Memphis, where we'd transferred from Louisville. Good memories.
Can't comment on your other complaints. but Little Rock has done a considerable turn-around in recent years and has an active and thriving arts scene plus remarkable historic areas. You might want to read up on them and on Little Rock's long history. The Arkansas Room in the excellent public library's main location downtown would be a good place to start.
BTW, Petit Jean, lovely though it is, is not exactly close to Little Rock. Maybe you're thinking of Pinnacle?
Verizon hasnt sold out a concert in years. Tim Mcgraw is a example of that. The arena entertainment people cant bring in good talent that is worth the tickets, much less able to sell tickets. Reason why most artist cancel the shows is lack of ticket sales.
Clinton library is a double wide
Robinson center is fine, after all were are we suppose to watch the nutcracker every holiday season? Adding more hotel space doesnt do it justice.
For as historic, yes it does have it. And then you got areas that looks historic, but aren't. Just trashy areas.
So only New York has a skyline? That is your standard?
Verizon Arena is one of the more successful arenas in the industry, and a few years ago, was a TOP TEN attended venue nation-wide. I don't know how you could criticize an arena that has hosted: Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Janet Jackson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Garth Brooks, Dave Matthews, etc. Yeah, it's a real letdown. [eye-roll]
Regarding Clinton Library, if the first thing you think of is a double-wide, that's more clearly a commentary on your sheltered life than it is modern architecture.
Robinson Center was built as an orchestral house for the successful Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and for housing the successful Broadway Series (Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, etc). I don't know why you keep mentioning a hotel, which has nothing to do with the Robinson Center.
And Riverfest was a 40 year festival that ultimately lost momentum due to changing formats every year for the past 2-3 years. It was always well attended. No shame in its history...it had a good run.
Little Rock's skyline is impressive for a city and metro area of its size. It's absurd to use Manhattan as a reference when talking about a metro area of around 700,000 people. Little Rock is a small metro area. Comparing it to Memphis is a stretch let alone somewhere like Manhattan.
Little Rock's skyline is impressive for a city and metro area of its size. It's absurd to use Manhattan as a reference when talking about a metro area of around 700,000 people. Little Rock is a small metro area. Comparing it to Memphis is a stretch let alone somewhere like Manhattan.
I agree. Coincidentally, I would argue that Memphis' skyline is NOT impressive for a metro its size (about double Little Rock, or ±1,400,000). In fact, I wouldn't trade the two.
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