Outside Magazine (a magazine covering the outdoors) recently released an article ranking the best mountain towns in America. And although Bentonville was ranked the 15th, I believe it deserved to be the highest.
Northwest Arkansas has the best mountain towns in America because you can actually live in the mountains. Other towns can’t grant you this luxury of quickly reaching the trailhead in a quick run or bike. Moreover, homes here are affordable; good-paying jobs are all around, and it is easy to travel.
So, if you’re a fan of mountain life, continue reading this article to see more reasons to consider relocating here over the others Outside Magazine listed.
Video:
Why Northwest Arkansas Has the Best Mountain Towns
There’s a lot to consider when looking for the perfect mountain town to relocate to. And the fact that they are almost innumerable all around the country makes your selection process somewhat tricky.
But here are the reasons why those in Northwest Arkansas are the best you’ll find:
1. You Can Live in The Mountains
I can’t stress this point enough because of my personal experience.
Before moving here from Chicago, I was also looking to live in a mountain town. And when I went to Colorado in search of options, I quickly realized that living in Golden, Boulder, or other Colorado cities is actually an hour away from the mountains.
Why would I live in a town I can’t afford (I’ll discuss this better down the article) and is an hour away from the mountains?
My idyllic home would be at the base of a mountain, allowing me to go there easily and quickly anytime, any day. I’d really want to run out my door, go to a trail, and up a mountain effortlessly.
However, if you live in most towns on Outside‘s list, you must drive for a long time to get to the trailhead, which doesn’t make sense to me, being mountain towns. They’re not really in the mountains, OR you can’t afford homes in the mountains.
For example, in Sedona, Arizona, listed as one of the better towns than Bentonville in America, you must drive pretty far (at least a good 30 minutes) to the mountains. You’ll need to go through all the weaving traffic in different places to get to a mountain for any recreational activity.
On the other hand, in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Springville, or wherever in northwest Arkansas, just open the garage door, get on your bike, and you’ll arrive at the trailhead in like three minutes. It’s just one, two, three, or four blocks away.
I live in like Fayetteville, Farmington area, at the base of Mount Kessler. So, I literally run from my house to the trailhead and off the trailhead. I don’t have to drive anywhere because a simple, short bike ride or run gets me to the mountain.
So when people consider farther locations as mountain towns, it’s astonishing and depends on your version of a mountain town, but I’m glad I live in Northwest Arkansas.
If you’re here, you live in the mountains.
I had Dinner With The World’s Richest Family in Bentonville, Arkansas! Read to find out how amazing that was!
2. More Affordable
Northwest Arkansas, as a whole, is considered one of the most affordable areas in all of America.
For example, if you research Fayetteville, Arkansas, anywhere online, you’ll discover it is inexpensive to reside here based on:
- Salaries
- Income
- Housing prices, etc.
And so if you want to live in a mountain town and you’re considering Jackson Hole or Montana, it will cost you a pretty penny to get out there. And on top of that, you’ll live very far away from the mountains in the middle of nowhere.
So you really need to consider what it’s like to live there and if you want such a lifestyle.
But in Northwest Arkansas, you can get a cozy, cheap house inside the mountains and a great job (I’ll elaborate on this later).
And so when Outside talks about these mountain places, go for them if:
- You want to live in the middle of nowhere
- You don’t desire a well-paying job
- You want to pay an extraordinary amount of money for housing.
I don’t know if that’s for you, but that’s definitely not for me.
Breakfast date person? We have got you covered! Find out: Best Breakfast in Fayetteville, Arkansas
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
3. Jobs Availability
Nothing beats mountain living, but one disturbing drawback is getting good-paying jobs because these regions are far away. Will you get a career lasting for more than two to three years?
Honestly, there aren’t a lot of big companies that are moving into these small remote places.
However, when you come to Northwest Arkansas, you’ll discover three of the largest companies in the world here: Walmart, Tyson Foods, and J. B. Hunt.
Moreover, we have all sorts of new startups coming here and taking over the area because they see all the potential Northwest Arkansas has to offer, owing to our excellent transportation and great infrastructure.
We’re also a tech hub with more people and startup funding moving here. We have a great medical system and college with students that are coming here for their law degrees.
We have people moving here for residency at the hospitals, including a children’s hospital. There’s also an actual university that holds so many patents here.
And I can go on and on. But the fact is that Northwest Arkansas has jobs – unlimited jobs.
I’ve made a long video about how to get a job in Northwest Arkansas, and you can check it out here:
If you want that kind of community feel and still want to be able to do things, maybe Northwest Arkansas is a better place than others.
4. More Than Outdoors
Mountain towns focus so heavily on the outdoors, which is what the whole lifestyle is about.
However, you may not be most enthusiastic about the outdoors, trying to look for other things to do. And Outside’s recommended towns like Jackson Hole or Asheville may not be the best places. Because if you’re not into a hundred percent outdoors, then what do you do there?
But that’s where Northwest Arkansas meets that intersection of great indoors and outdoors. We have over 400 miles of paved and soft trail biking, hiking, and running systems.
And on top of that, we have great indoor activities in our arts, culture, and murals.
We also have all sorts of Broadway plays down here at the Walton arts center in Fayetteville. Different artists come here to perform, including big names like Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly, and other older, renowned bands.
So it’s cool to be in all the facilities and see bands just come through all the time.
In fact, when Garth Brooks came here, he filled out the whole stadium with 70,000 people.
Also, we have rock climbing, gaming, roller skating, movies, and all sorts of different things that a community would have. But unlike other mountain towns, we focus on the indoors, outdoors, and everything in between.
Keeping your whereabouts on the down low? Find out secret restaurants for you to chill in NWA
5. Year-Round Outdoors
Most mountain towns restrict you indoors, especially during winter between October and March. If you’re not into snow activities like skiing, there’s nothing to do outside because it will be cold, windy, and frigid.
However, you can enjoy Northwest Arkansas year-round. You can bike, run, or hike all year round if you’re an outdoor person.
It hardly ever snows in this region. Before I came here, there were like seven years of no snow.
I’ve highlighted everything about the Northwest Arkansas weather in my article here. So, check it out to see why it is the perfect winter getaway location.
So maybe you’ll find other things to do here outdoors in the wintertime that you can’t do in other places. Down here, there’s:
- A big kayaking community
- A vast fly fishing community
- A huge rock climbing community
And you can do those things every time without being stuck to just a specific part of the year. So why not?
6. Easy To Travel
One of the most significant factors when comparing these mountain towns versus Bentonville Northwest Arkansas, apart from those above, is the ease to travel around.
We have major highways that crisscross here despite being a mountain town.
So, if we want to get out of Northwest Arkansas, it’s so effortless. From here, you can quickly reach:
- Tulsa
- Oklahoma City
- Kansas City
- Hot Springs
- Little Rock
- Dallas
- Texas
- Houston
In the mountain towns in other places, getting there and out is kind of scary because you’re literally traveling through the mountains. Getting in and out is somewhat sketchy sometimes.
And so if you want to be on the road and maybe travel a lot, we also have XNA airport, which has a ton of one-stop flights to anywhere in America.
So it’s easy to get in and out of Northwest Arkansas compared to these other mountain towns.
Final Thoughts
Against Outside‘s belief, Northwest Arkansas actually has the best mountain towns in America.
You’ll get affordable homes here, with well-paying jobs at top companies. Moreover, there’s a lot to do year-round, whether you’re just an outdoor adventurer or a fun-seeking indoors person.
Leaving and entering the towns are also effortless because of the numerous major highways crisscrossing here.
So, the next time you think of mountain living, Northwest Arkansas should be the first on your mind.