That’s weird because for Fayetteville being so terrible we sure do have a good reputation nationally...
https://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2...-best-places-to-live-for-third-year-in-a-row/
Funny how it’s never Bentonville or Rogers making these lists.
It's not weird if you add just a little common sense to the equation.
What has been
NWA is a relatively new term for this corner of our state and not really a national monicker to those not from around here. It has only been in the last 20 years that it has evolved into what is called a metro area.
For most of the existence of Fayetteville, it has been the biggest town by far in NWA. The other 3 were just small towns. Because of the Razorbacks(think Big Shootout of 69 and Nixon), Fayetteville is the place people nationwide have heard of.
Have you ever heard of South Bend? Athens Ga.? Gainesville? Waco? Norman? Stillwater? Starkville? Manhatten KS? Chapel Hill? Why have you heard of these places? That is why national folks say Fayetteville when they actually mean NWA.
What is now
There was a time when traveling to NWA was a chore from anywhere. Now it is an easy 2 and a half hour drive from LR with a good radar detector. You can fly in and out of there to and from anywhere w/o going through Dallas on a puddle jumper.
When I moved up here 20+ years ago, if I needed to shop for a special occasion or go somewhere nice for dinner, it meant a trip to Fayetteville. Now, NWA Mall is all but closed and the Promenade in Rogers is the new shopping mecca.
There are more and better dining choices north of Fayetteville than within the city limits these days too.
Want to see your favorite band play? That used to happen in Fayetteville, now it happens at the AMP in Rogers.
Like minor league baseball? It's in Springdale, not Fville.
Have you seen the signs of the beginning of a metro skyline in NWA? You know, skyscrapers(not big city sized but not your small town 4 story hotel either)? Don't look for em in Fville, they are in Benton County and multiplying.
Look along I49. Where are most of the gaps getting filled in and where are they staying gaps?
It is easy for national folks to lump NWA in with Fayetteville b/c Fayetteville is a college town most folks have heard of. The truth is, when they say Fayetteville, they mean the NWA metro area. The truth is also that afa as growth in the area, Fville is lagging way behind.
Fayetteville may be listed as the 3rd best place to live in the country, but it is the NWA metro area they mean. Of the 4 towns, Fville is the least welcoming and the most moved out of. And their elitest and entitled city government is the driving force.