The COVID-19 pandemic broke the cultural barriers to remote work. Companies are increasingly allowing employees to work from home, whether in a hybrid or fully-remote structure. Recognizing that the migration to remote work is here to stay, real estate developers in areas like Northwest Arkansas (NWA) are building houses specifically for remote workers.
The new housing development in the Lowell area of Northwest Arkansas is designed for remote workers. It’ll have amenities like coffee shops and extremely fast wi-fi everywhere, allowing tenants to have zoom calls by the pool. The idea is to make it convenient to work from home.
Many remote workers have been moving to NWA, and such housing developments are making the region even more attractive. Read on to learn more about housing developments built for remote work in NWA and how the city makes it convenient for you to live, work, and play.
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Why NWA Is Suited for Remote Workers
NWA already accommodates a range of lifestyles, including some that are unconventional. For example, thanks to its extensive bike trail network, residents can comfortably ride to work. In fact, NWA’s biking culture is so advanced that it’s home to the world’s first bikeable building, The Ledger, where you can ride your bike to any floor.
The housing development in Lowell is an indication that NWA will soon be perfectly suited for the remote work lifestyle, and below are the reasons for this.
NWA Is Developing Buildings With Remote Workers in Mind
People have been moving to NWA for many reasons. Some are attracted by incentives like free bikes and bitcoin gifts. Soon, remote workers will be moving to NWA because the city has intentionally made it convenient to work from home.
NWA has a knack for adapting to trends. For example, in response to the growing concern to make transport more environmentally friendly, the city made it convenient to bike around.
Now, in response to the changing world of work, investors, architects, and other stakeholders are prioritizing apartment complexes designed for remote work. The main benefit of such buildings is that they provide everything you need to work comfortably from home, including coffee shops and high-speed internet.
NWA Has Numerous Easily-Accessible Outdoor Activities
One of the reasons people have been moving to NWA from places like Utah, California, Colorado, and Idaho is the need for better access to outdoor space. Increasingly, people are looking for areas where they can live, work, and play in a wholesome way, and NWA fits that bill.
A move to NWA means that you can work from home all morning and hop onto a bike and ride on a nearby trail all afternoon if you want to. You can also take advantage of the multiple running and hiking trails.
And if you want to meet friends outdoors, you don’t have to travel out of the city—outdoor spaces are intertwined with homes, making it easy to do stuff outdoors.
NWA eliminates the hassle of having to drive everywhere and having to drive for one to two hours to access your favorite outdoor activities.
The best time to visit NWA is in the spring when you can get the best outdoor experience surrounded by greenery and growth. If you need more convincing, read my article about visiting or moving to NWA during springtime.
NWA Presents a Unique Opportunity to Be Part of Interest-Based Communities
A unique thing about NWA is that most residents have been in the city for less than ten years. A huge portion of the NWA population is made up of newcomers who move from different parts of the country to be part of the awesome transformation that NWA is undergoing.
As a result, most people in NWA are so welcoming that it’s incredibly easy for newcomers to feel at home and be part of a new community, usually around a specific interest. NWA has pockets of interest-based communities built around interests like:
- Biking
- Hiking
- Running
- Kayaking
- Knitting
- Homeschooling
Not every area in North America is as welcoming, and some states aren’t hospitable to newcomers from other states. But as most people from NWA are newcomers, it’s one of the most friendly places to move to in the United States.
NWA Has Many Non-Remote Job Opportunities
One of the problems about some areas in North America is that they don’t give residents career flexibility. This means that if you change careers, you’ll likely have to move to a different place to get a job.
With NWA, it’s different. There are numerous non-remote job opportunities.
In fact, there’s a skill gap in some sectors, which is why the city has incentives like $10,000 in bitcoin for tech talent that moves to NWA.
Over the last few years, the number of people migrating to NWA has been increasing, causing significant growth in the city’s population. In addition to incentives, people are moving to NWA because of:
- Affordable housing. The NWA council has put plans in place to ensure housing continues to be affordable, including lower-interest loans for housing.
- A conducive environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. There are many established companies and startups setting up shop in NWA because of how easy it is to do business.
NWA is also home to many award winners in various industries, making it an excellent hub for creatives and entrepreneurs.
The new businesses being set up in NWA mean the demand for talent has increased. Additionally, as more people move to NWA, they’ll increase the demand for goods and services, which will create more jobs.
Even for remote workers, living in such a place is beneficial. If you’re laid off, there’s a higher chance that you’ll get a new job without having to disrupt the life you’ve built. Making such considerations is important given today’s constantly changing world of work, where technology-related disruption keeps making existing jobs redundant.
And more than giving you options in case you lose your job, NWA allows you to explore different careers, providing enhanced lateral mobility. There’ll be plenty of opportunity for you to shift to a career that better suits your skills, knowledge, and experience.
If you’re looking to move across the country to Northwest Arkansas, you can read my other post, where I list a few tips for the big move and a couple of reasons you’ll grow to enjoy your new community.
Final Thoughts
NWA is positioning itself as the place to be for remote workers. The latest indication of this is the construction of apartment complexes specifically designed for remote work with amenities like high-speed internet and coffee shops.
Other reasons NWA is suited for remote workers include the close proximity to outdoor activities.
But overall, NWA is a good place to move to. It’s welcoming to newcomers and provides advanced career mobility.