If you’re a big family that’s worried about moving to a completely different place, we know exactly how you feel. We have just transferred from Seattle, Washington to Northwest Arkansas together with our whole family. And so far, it has been quite an experience!
Northwest Arkansas is the perfect location for families because it has a warm, welcoming, and family-oriented community, great weather, a much lower cost of living, and amazing scenery. There are also plenty of places for kids and adults alike to enjoy outdoor activities and sports.
If you want to know more about what our move has been like, how we came to the decision to move to Northwest Arkansas, and our impressions of the place, read on.
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Our Journey to Northwest Arkansas
We are Jason and Amber, and we just moved to Northwest Arkansas from Seattle, Washington. Every step that we took to get us here has been worth it, and we’re grateful to be here. We are loving Northwest Arkansas.
But it has been an incredibly difficult journey getting here, and it took us a while to finally settle on the decision that this was where we wanted to move.
Getting all of our children packed up and moved across the country was a huge challenge. But we had to consider and do other things as well, such as purging half of what we owned to get into a little pod because pods were quite expensive.
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How We Started Our Search for a New Place
We had been thinking of moving for a while, but it took us some time to actually do it because Washington had been our home for almost 40 years. But since we have a large family, we had been thinking of getting a new house.
At first, we started looking around the Washington area, as well as in neighboring locations. It didn’t take us long to realize that everything was so just too expensive around Washington.
So, we decided to look farther out. We looked at Utah, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Arkansas, and Missouri. During our search, we also noted that the Pacific Northwest is a really beautiful place.
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
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What We Were Looking For
We expanded our search in the hopes of finding a place that was not too expensive but that was also safe, had nice weather, and had access to certain places and activities for our family. At this point, we realized that we could pretty much be looking for the impossible–like hoping to see a unicorn. Still, we kept looking.
And we’re so glad that we did. Because when we took a closer look at Northwest Arkansas, we soon found out that it could be the place that we were looking for. It ticked off all the boxes for us, and soon enough, we decided that this was where we wanted to go.
What We Love About Northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas has exceeded our expectations in every way. It’s a wonderful place for families and couples who intend to start a family. Here are the things that made us fall in love with this place:
- Family-oriented community. We can’t tell you enough how amazing the people here are. They are completely lovely. We were just completely unprepared for the level of acceptance and how willing people are to talk and tell you about the area. So far, it’s been incredible.
- Neighbors are friendly and welcoming. If you’re thinking of moving here too, you’ll find that settling in will be a breeze. The neighbors are nice and helpful, and people are just so welcoming, which is something that’s tremendously important if you’re uprooting a family.
- Natural beauty. We were looking for a place that captured the beauty of trees and nature. And that is so hard to find. But we found it here in Northwest Arkansas. The atmosphere is relaxing, and the views are simply lovely, perfect for those who love spending time outdoors.
- Safety. What was really important to us was safety. If you have children, you’ll know that you can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have a safe community. There’s a great police presence here, which can set your mind at ease.
- Lower cost of living. The cost of living here is typically lower, as well as property taxes. Another nice thing is that you can actually see where your taxes are going.
- Lots of things to do. There are places and activities to keep the kids busy that are only about 5 to 20 minutes away.
- Job opportunities. We were also looking for job opportunities. I do have a job but who knows what the future will bring. It’s wonderful to know no matter what happens with my remote work, there are tons of opportunities here, not only for us but also for our children as they get older. They don’t have to move away and go somewhere else.
- Great school systems. Our children could go elsewhere if they choose to. But the fact is that there’s great education here.
- Unique towns. One thing we noticed when we drove around Northwest Arkansas was that each of the towns is so unique and has its own vibe. Some parts are busier than others. Some have more trees than others.
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Overall, Northwest Arkansas just seemed on every level to be a really solid place to transplant our family.
What We Recommend
Our biggest recommendation would be to come down and get a feel for it for yourself. We rented an Airbnb for a couple of months to get a feel for the area.
For us, we can’t stress enough how there is so much to do here if you’re a family. For one, there is a lot of free stuff, such as splash pads, low-cost stuff, and community pools.
If you move to Bella Vista, there are a few other things you could do at no cost, like swimming in public pools and lakes, playing golf, and going on trails.