When it comes to living affordability, not all cities are equal. In the past few decades at least, house and apartment prices have been climbing while wages seem to have stagnated.
Traveling across the state, one is amazed by the beauty of the Natural State and what it has to offer. Larger, well-developed metropolitan areas such as Fayetteville, Jonesboro and the Little Rock area interspersed with smaller towns and rich farmlands serve to remind us that we are far removed from the backward hillbilly image by which we have frequently been portrayed. That image, perhaps fomented by some of our earliest historians, has survived to the present time.
In 1832, Sylvanus Blackburn left his wife Catherine and their home in Tennessee looking for their future. What he found was a lush valley along the War Eagle River in Northwest Arkansas. He selected a 160-acre tract in a curve of War Eagle Creek, spent his first winter at War Eagle clearing the land and chopping wood for their home, then returned to Tennessee to get his wife. After hearing about the wonderful land in Arkansas, his parents and three brothers and three sisters chose to return with them. They camped out in tents until 1833, until they completed a two-story log house, which still stands today. The house was repeatedly added on to as the family grew. Today it is one of the oldest houses in this area, having been built three years before Arkansas became a state. Mr. Blackburn was a man of God and would hold services for his family in his home. He had a large family, including nine children of their own and eight more adopted.
When I lived on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, one of my favorite annual events was the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. I would visit with people from the featured parts of the country, try food from those areas and listen to music. It was a good way to spend a Saturday.
It's hard to believe that some Arkansans could be waking up to frost this weekend. After all, the leaves are out and we've already seen many days with temperatures in 80s!
Spring is in the air and if you want to get out and enjoy the beautiful green trees and blooming wildflowers then get ready to hop onboard the Arkansas-Missouri Railroad for a stunning scenic train ride in Arkansas. They have new train ride schedules throughout the month of April.
Spring is in the air and if you want to get out and enjoy the beautiful green trees and blooming wildflowers then get ready to hop onboard the Arkansas-Missouri Railroad for a stunning scenic train ride in Arkansas. They have new train ride schedules throughout the month of April.
Spring is in the air and if you want to get out and enjoy the beautiful green trees and blooming wildflowers then get ready to hop onboard the Arkansas-Missouri Railroad for a stunning scenic train ride in Arkansas. They have new train ride schedules throughout the month of April.