Today’s blog piece is slightly different: it looks at Tyson’s move from Chicago to the north of Kansas. Tyson, a multinational food company, is moving all its employees from two sites in Chicago and one in South Dakota to Arkansas.
Tyson is moving thousands from Chicago to Northwest Arkansas to place its employees under one roof to improve productivity and collaboration. Northwest Arkansas, an entrepreneurship and innovation hub, is an attractive destination for big businesses like Tyson.
This piece will explain Tyson’s move to northwest Arkansas, detail why I moved to the area, tell you what to expect in northwest Arkansas, and explain why it’s the best place to live in the USA.
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Why Is Tyson Moving?
I’m no business guru, so I can’t tell you the business reasons behind Tyson’s move to northwest Arkansas. Surely, money is a crucial motivator, but I’m not quite sure.
However, from a business perspective, bringing everyone under one roof enhances productivity, collaboration, and development. I have two different offices, so I can imagine that’s one of the reasons.
Here’s my selfish take on it: If I had to live between Chicago (which I’m familiar with) and north of Arkansas, I would choose north of Arkansas all day long. And, obviously, there is a big draw to Northwest Arkansas.
Furthermore, from a business perspective, there’s so much innovation. A lot of entrepreneurship happens here, too. Big businesses are being developed here that we don’t even know about because they aren’t large-scale yet. Northwest Arkansas is absolutely gorgeous and growing fast.
Tyson is doubling the size of its campus: it’s going to be wild to see the campus grow even larger because Tyson is one of the biggest companies in the world. We also have J.B. Hunter– which has doubled its campus– and we have Walmart finishing up its campus in the next two to three years. It’s going to be wild in northwest Arkansas.
Generally speaking, I think Tyson is moving here for business reasons, and on top of that, it’s a great area. It’s a lovely area compared to Chicago and parts of South Dakota. Therefore, there’s a big draw for Tyson employees to come here versus Chicago.
Why I Left Chicago and Moved To Northwest Arkansas
I’m not going to bash Chicago –we know everyone in Chicago knows why Chicago is the way Chicago is. I could have chosen anywhere I wanted to move to in America.
I thought of Colorado due to the mountains and four seasons. I wanted better housing and taxes in a growing area, but Colorado is unaffordable. I wasn’t willing to pay half a million dollars for a house in Boulder, Colorado. That’s way too expensive, so it’s silly to go there.
California? No. Phoenix, Arizona? Way too hot. I thought the Appalachian Mountains would be interesting, but it’s not growing out there; it’s just existing. Asheville is very touristy. Huntsville, Alabama, is growing, but not really. It’s just in between.
Then I discovered northwest Arkansas. I read Bentonville’s Connecting Bentonville plan and Fayetteville’s 2040 plan. All the areas around have established programs for many years. These are really well-saved planners scheming to get ahead of the curve.
They understand that growth is coming; the infrastructure has been built and is being built. Therefore, we are just at the starting line of northwest Arkansas growing exponentially and having a huge growth pattern –business, entrepreneurship, people, population, nature, more trails, the whole thing.
What To Expect When You Move To Northwest Arkansas
Expect the following after moving to northwest Arkansas.
Outdoor Activities
Northwest Arkansas is a huge outdoor and agricultural community. Tyson, J.B. Hunt, and Walmart are all agricultural.
We have hundreds and hundreds of miles of trail systems built for mountain bikers, hikers, runners, and anyone who wants to be on the trail system in northern Arkansas. Furthermore, we do many things on the rivers, including kayaking and fly fishing. We also do rock climbing.
If there’s something outdoorsy that you want to do, it’s being done in northwest Arkansas. We even have paragliding, as there are mountains just south of Fayetteville where people jump and sail off.
For more information, check out my article discussing outdoor tourism in NWA.
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
Education
We are big on education. I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but we have the University of Arkansas, which has about 30,000 students from all across America.
One of the biggest draws is the Sam Walton School of Business. All sorts of business things happen there because of J.B. Hunt and Tyson. It’s a massive business school down there.
We have some of the top schools in America. One of the most exciting schools is Haas Hall, ranked 13th in America. The other really cool thing that might be different from Chicago is we have public school systems, charter schools, and private institutions.
The difference is we can apply and shift from one public charter school system to another. You can’t shimmy around different schools in the Chicago area.
Big Business
We have three of the biggest businesses in America: Walmart, J.B. Hunt, and Tyson. We also have a lot of notable startups here that are growing incredibly fast, including AcreTrader, which just got massive new Series A funding.
Furthermore, we have huge incubators that are bringing up new startup companies. There are all sorts of new funding being developed in northwest Arkansas because there’s plenty of potential.
A Welcoming Community
The community here is fantastic. It’s amazing because there are a lot of transplants; many people have moved from different areas of America to northwest Arkansas. So, you are unlikely to meet an old-timer on the street.
There are so many communities getting together. Don’t be discouraged if you decide to move here because there’s a community for you in northwest Arkansas.
Northwest Arkansas is a place where you can live, work, and play.
Why Northwest Arkansas Is the Premier Place To Live
The important things to me were better housing, better taxes, growth, mountains, and four seasons. And northwest Arkansas fit the bill perfectly. I looked at many places, and they were all missing certain things that Northwest Arkansas has.
We hold many events involving prominent comedians and musicians. Northwest Arkansas is becoming a bigger place on the map. Not to mention all the fantastic restaurants there are here. There is so much to do here that you’ll never get bored.
I really do think that northwest Arkansas is by far the best place to live in America. If you decide to move here, refer to this article to learn more about the area’s odd homes.
Conclusion
Tyson’s move to northwest Arkansas shows it’s an area brimming with potential. Moving here would place you in a prime position to benefit from northwest Arkansas’ expected growth.
The community in Arkansas will welcome you with open arms.