Bentonville and Fayetteville are two of NWA’s biggest cities, and today, we’ll bring them into the ring to battle. I’ll discuss the pros of Fayetteville and Bentonville, and explain their similarities and differences to decide who wins.
Fayetteville has a younger population because it’s a college town. It’s responsible for the Downtown’s liveliness during weekends, which is fun to partake in. However, Bentonville is a more family-centric city with huge events and thrilling outdoor activities to enjoy year-round.
Continue reading this article to learn more about each town if you’re contemplating where to settle in Northwest Arkansas.
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Fayetteville Pros
I live in Fayetteville, and there are several benefits I’ve enjoyed throughout my stay here. It’s the second-largest city in Arkansas, primarily because of the University of Arkansas’ campus presence.
The town is colloquially called the “Track Capital of the World” due to the enviable success of the university’s track and field programs.
Below are some pros of living here:
Fayetteville Is a Younger City
Fayetteville is a younger city, and if you aren’t aware, it’s also a college town (as discussed in my previous article). The University of Arkansas attracts about 30,000 students who come to Fayetteville annually, so it generally leans younger.
However, when people move here from Texas and other states for college, they often settle here because it’s an excellent area to live, work, and play.
You’ll often see people in their thirties, fifties, sixties, and even seventies living here on Dixon Street, downtown, and in all the different restaurants.
Although Fayetteville is a relatively young town, it’s interesting to go to Dixon Street to enjoy its college vibe. You’ll see people dressed in suits going to restaurants, the TheaterSquared, and Walton Art Center for symphony or theater.
It has a blend of exciting people on Dixon Street every weekend in Fayetteville.
Fayetteville Is Lively on Weekends
Fayetteville is lively on the weekends from Thursday to Sunday. Whether you’re hanging out on the Razorback pathway, Dixon Street, or the downtown section, several restaurants, bars, and fantastic events will add liveliness every weekend.
If you’re looking for such vibrancy, you can find that in Fayetteville.
There’s a lot of fantastic nightlife in the town, especially if you’re used to nights out in New York, Chicago, and LA. Fayetteville doesn’t rival that scale, but it’s generally the center point for such things in NWA.
The college is responsible for this, but remember that people from 20 to 40 years old end up on Dixon Street and the downtown section, too.
Downtown Section
One of the benefits of Fayetteville is its fantastic downtown section.
There are many different downtown sections, but the main one is the square, some blocks away from Dixon Street.
It’s lively with many things in various places for all ages, whether shopping or nightlife.
Oldest Town in NWA
Fayetteville is one of the oldest towns in NWA because of the college, which has been around for a long time. It’s always been a hustling, bustling city with impressive housing.
One of the entertaining things I find in Fayetteville is the old brick homes that they’ve redone, not torn down, in Mount Sequoyah and the surrounding area. You’ll need to go through downtown Fayetteville to get there.
There are some charming homes, like those in the South or picturesque houses in magazines. It may sound unbelievable, but they’re here in Fayetteville.
Check out my Fayetteville tour article, where I’ve discussed this. I know that because I travel through many sections in Mount Sequoyah and some eastern parts.
It’s cool to have some of that older-style housing in Fayetteville.
Mountain Town
Fayetteville is truly a mountain town, with Mount Sequoyah, Mount Kessler, and Mount Centennial.
If you’re starting at the tail end of the Ozark or Ouachita mountains, you’ll see that Fayetteville sits right in the hub. If you continue farther south, you’ll drive through a mountain tunnel and travel through more peaks.
It’s fun to enter the town from that section and see such a picturesque ambiance.
It’s the Starting Hub of the Razorback Pathway
Fayetteville is the starting hub of the Razorback pathway. It’s a nearly 40-mile (64 km) course leading to Mount Kessler, Fayetteville, and further north to Bella Vista and, eventually, Missouri.
Remember that a major pathway through Northwest Arkansas starts from Mount Kessler, but other trails lead back to it.
The other cool thing about the town is that it has Lake Fayetteville, which has a five-mile (8 km) loop all around it, including the Razorback pathway.
There are all sorts of cool things to do in Fayetteville, and that’s one of the big pros of living here.
Take a virtual official tour of NWA from you home! – Read my article
Bentonville Pros
Bentonville is the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas. According to the US Census Bureau, it’s the state’s fastest-growing city after recording a growth rate of 53% between 2010 and 2020.
Let’s jump into the pros residents enjoy and what people anticipate when moving down here.
Bentonville Is Family-Centric
This isn’t necessarily to contrast and compare but to make people aware. Bentonville is more family-centric than Fayetteville because it has major businesses. These include Walmart, J.B. Hunt, Tyson Foods, and many big startups.
Those three core companies draw a lot of attention, so Bentonville is the central hub for family-centric activities in the area.
Also, I have a 3-day itinerary that can help you decide what activities to do if you’re overwhelmed by everything Northwest Arkansas has to offer.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a foodie, a sports person, a sightseer, or want to spend quality time with your kids; I have something for you. Check out the link below to learn more:
https://www.allthingsnwa.com/3-day-itinerary-northwest-arkansas
It Is Well-Known for Its Massive Trail System
Bentonville is well-known for its expansive trails around the area.
Hundreds of miles of trails exist in the town and go up into Bella Vista on its northern side. Bentonville is your destination if you’re looking for such trail systems for hiking, biking, or running.
It’s like the trifecta of all things concerning outdoor lifestyle, and that’s very intentional. Bentonville has grown exponentially over the last five years and has developed hundreds of miles of trails.
So, if you want that “live, work, and play” lifestyle in NWA, Bentonville is the central hub.
Bentonville’s Downtown Section Has Big Events
With the trail system right there and its family-centric nature, Bentonville’s downtown section hosts massive community events. Fayetteville also has those, but we’ll discuss these differences later.
Whether it’s first Fridays, Toyland, lighting ceremonies, biking events, or any random activity throughout the year, Bentonville has these for families in the downtown section.
Downtown Bentonville Is the Central Hub for Every Event
Like Fayetteville, downtown Bentonville is the hub for all activities in the town. In the future, Bentonville will redo the downtown section after finishing other plans to be more family-centric.
There will be fewer parking spots and more parking around the area. However, bigger events happen in this section, and that’s why it’s attracting all the attention.
Be aware of that if you come here next year or in the aftermath. The downtown section will change slightly to allow more people in the area because Bentonville has grown exponentially.
The plan is for it to remain the hub for all things.
Bentonville Has a High Growth Rate
Another pro to Bentonville is that it’s growing quickly, drawing several people, funds, venture capitalists, and startups because they’ve noticed the unfolding development in the last five to ten years.
That is a benefit because if you buy a house here, with all the influx of people and businesses, its price will rise in a few years.
If you come to the area often, many amenities and incredible things will happen because it’s experiencing high growth.
It’s cool to be in such a place because you see so many projects occurring quickly. For instance, if may announce they’re building a park, it will already be completed in three months.
The amenities have dramatically improved over the last couple of years and will continue to advance. It’s fun to be a part of such high growth.
Restaurant Startups Are Prominent
Another Bentonville pro is the incredible startup restaurant scene. Places like Conifer, Taco & Tamale, Pressroom, Onyx, and Louise at Thaden field are higher-end and more experimental projects.
Bentonville has many restaurants if you’re looking for a high-class, larger city experience.
You can’t miss my article on the 5 Must know things about Bentonville!
Similarities Between Bentonville and Fayetteville
Despite being different cities, Fayetteville and Bentonville have the most similarities in Northwest Arkansas:
There Are So Many Outdoor Activities
The first similarity is that there are so many things to do outside, such as hiking, biking, rock climbing, and swimming.
PS: All the areas are so close, and since they leverage most of the outside portion, there is an unfair advantage.
If you live in Bentonville, you can visit Lake Beaver Lake and Kayak Park in Siloam Springs. If you’re in Fayetteville, you can go to Lake Weddington and Lake Fayetteville. Many people go from Bentonville to Fayetteville, and they share a lot of resources.
Outside both cities, there are so many things to do, whether they’re activities in Mount Kesler, Mount Centennial, pathways, or parks.
Bopping Downtown Sections
Another similarity is that Fayetteville and Bentonville have bopping downtown sections. There’s always something going on there!
They may be doing different things for different reasons, but they’re always vibrant, so be aware of that.
They Both Attract Attention
Another similarity is that both areas draw a lot of attention for different reasons.
Fayetteville has affordable housing, college, the World Cup cyclocross, biking, and a thriving sports scene. Bentonville, on the other hand, has trails and might be more focused because of all the businesses there.
Many things are happening in Bentonville and Fayetteville, but for different reasons. They both have the national spotlight, like Northwest Arkansas in general.
If you end up in any city nearby, such as Springdale, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Farmington, Pea Ridge, you’ll still be close to the area.
Differences Between Fayetteville and Bentonville
Below are the main differences between Fayetteville and Bentonville: .
Bentonville Has More Community-Focused Events
Bentonville has countless community-centric events in the downtown section. That’s not to say Fayetteville doesn’t, but Bentonville is more intentional about focusing on them.
Although you can live in a different city and still enjoy all of Bentonville’s amenities, their downtown will have more community family-focused events than Fayetteville.
Bentonville Has More Diverse Trail Systems
Bentonville has a more diverse trail system with a better structure than Fayetteville, which is unarguable. They range from Slaughter Pen to All American, Kohler Mountain, and many others.
Fayetteville has Mount Kessler and Centennial Park, which hosted the World Cyclo-cross championships in January 2022 and other events. However, Bentonville draws more attention in terms of trail systems in NWA.
Fayetteville Has a Bigger Cultural Scene
Fayetteville probably has more culture than Bentonville.
For example, Fayetteville has the Walton Art Center, with many symphonies and Broadway plays. They host so many activities and they’re always booked, including performances from comedians, musicians, etc.
Around the corner is TheatreSquared. It’s more geared towards the theater, whether hosting Christmas plays or any other performance. It’s also really cool that there are many Broadway plays there.
Fayetteville has downtown music with a more cultural vibe than Bentonville. The latter may catch up in the future, but now, Fayetteville has a stronger hold on the cultural center of NWA.
Fayetteville Has More Sports Hype
There’s no better, stronger, and more intense hype around sports teams than in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It’s unparalleled and fascinating.
Over 60,000 people can pack into a stadium, all focused on the same thing, and it’s lovely to be in Fayetteville when we have home games with the Razorbacks. The basketball, baseball, and football atmosphere is also unbelievable.
I love the crazy fandom in Fayetteville and think it’s the best thing ever. When there’s a home game, especially football, you need to watch out for certain roads in Fayetteville because they’ll be packed.
We welcome 60,000 people from around Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and all across America that have come to watch the Razorbacks play. Seeing many people shoved into an area between the tailgating and all the events is quite a scene.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article has helped you a little bit to understand the differences between Bentonville and Fayetteville. They’re both great towns with qualities that generally improve residents’ lives.
However, which would you pick if there must be a winner?