Many of you might wonder why I left Chicago and moved to Northwest Arkansas. You’re probably thinking about leaving a big city as well, so some of these reasons might feel familiar to you.
I left a big city (Chicago, Illinois) for Northwest Arkansas because of the affordable taxes, and I needed to get ahead financially. The area is safer here, the area is in a growth period, and I like the abundant nature instead of the concrete jungles.
If you want to leave a larger city, stick around. You’ll learn why I left and what made me choose this area.
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Affordable Taxes
I left a bigger city and came to Northwest Arkansas because I wanted affordable taxes. You might be struggling under the weight of high taxes, as some of the larger cities get a little crazy with how much they charge in taxes.
And unfortunately, you don’t get a lot of benefits or services for what you pay in those cities. I was paying way too much in taxes, and I didn’t see very many benefits for what I paid.
Chicago is one of the higher-taxed cities in America, and you get very little for what you pay. Property taxes were especially high, but they have very poor roads. And you’re stuck inside half of the year due to the weather. They don’t have many parks, and other areas aren’t kept up to the standard they should be.
I don’t want to complain too much, as this might describe where you’re from.
But the great thing about Northwest Arkansas is that the taxes are very affordable, and you get a lot more for your money. We get the following benefits for the taxes we pay:
- Trail systems
- Splash pads
- New roads
- New man-made rivers built for kayaking
- Maintenance and upgrading of the infrastructure
The Area Is Safer
I left Chicago to come to Northwest Arkansas because I wanted to be in a safer area. Chicago is a very unsafe area in several neighborhoods. It might have been safe many years ago, but it’s not now, and I needed to get out.
Now most major cities are unsafe, but it seems that in the last five years, it’s become worse in those areas. One of the perks of moving to Northwest Arkansas is that it’s statistically much safer than other areas, even those I considered moving to.
Here’s an example of the safety factor.
I sometimes go to Onyx Coffee in Bentonville to meet clients or hang out for a while. There are rows and rows of mountain bikes sitting outside the shop with no chains or other attachments. Now you need to remember that these are expensive bikes that range anywhere from $2,000 up to $6,000.
Their owners are inside, drinking coffee and socializing. No one walks off with the bikes. This should tell you how safe the area really is.
I Needed To Get Ahead
Another reason I moved to Northwest Arkansas is that I needed to get ahead and grow in my career. While it can be argued that you can do that in a larger city, your expenses meet or exceed your income, making it impossible to get ahead financially.
A lot of people in the Chicago area lived somewhat outside of the main city to get lower taxes or more affordable housing.
But then they needed to commute one to two or more hours each way per day to go to work.
Remote work is starting to change this, but you still have higher taxes, expensive housing, and other expenses that eat away at your income. This is why Northwest Arkansas is an ideal place to live, as you get more affordable housing, lower taxes, and higher-paying jobs.
One of the employment benefits of Northwest Arkansas is that there are more high-paying jobs, and you can afford to live close to your work. You could get a good trades job or work in an office and get ahead.
That was one of the annoying things about Chicago is that between the taxes, commute, and every other expense, it all adds up, and you can’t get ahead. I moved here, and of course, I’m in Real Estate, so I’m self-employed, more or less. But this is an example of how people who move here can get ahead.
NWA Is an Area Of Growth
NWA is in a constant state of growth. Now, Chicago, New York, Denver, and all the other major cities will still be around for a long time, but they are in a state of decline due to how many people are beginning to leave due to what I’ve been saying to you about why I moved. This is exactly why I wanted an area of growth.
I researched my options, as you may well know, and I looked at Huntsville, parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Pheonix. I looked at areas with trail systems and other items on my wish list.
But none of those areas had the growth factor I wanted.
Northwest Arkansas is on a very high growth pattern. We have so many businesses and people moving to the area for various reasons, so the area is growing very quickly.
You might have seen several stories of businesses leaving the big cities. You see a lot of companies closing down or moving. That’s not the case with Northwest Arkansas, which you might have seen discussed in several news articles in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times.
Nature vs. Concrete Jungles
This area is focused on nature and keeping green spaces within the cities, whereas Chicago and other larger cities are more like concrete jungles. For example, I was just in LA last year, and it shocked me how much has changed over the last couple of years.
Now LA was always a very lush area, but with the drought conditions and other issues, it’s become a concrete jungle, and it was disheartening to see.
The same thing happened in Chicago, which has gone downhill. They’ve focused less on green spaces and more on growth. Sacrificing their outdoor space for growth created a mess of problems that I didn’t want to deal with.
Northwest Arkansas doesn’t sacrifice nature or outdoor spaces for growth because once they lose the charm of the outdoors, what do they have? No, NWA has committed to reclaiming nature, outdoor spaces, and the trail system. Growing slowly and consistently over a longer time makes more sense.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, I moved here from Chicago in search of the following:
- Affordable taxes.
- A safe place to live.
- Getting financially ahead.
- I wanted to live in an area that’s growing.
- I prefer outdoor green spaces compared to concrete jungles.
If this is what you want as well, take a look at Northwest Arkansas. And if you’re ready to visit the area, let me know, and I’ll give you the $10 tour.