Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Retire in Conway, Arkansas?
Overview: Only 35 minutes from Little Rock in central Arkansas, suburban Conway is one of state's largest cities and has three colleges, including the University of Central Arkansas (15,000 students), within its boundaries.
The University hosts the nationally known Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and the Conway Symphony Orchestra plays in the university's Reynolds Performance Hall. Conway's downtown has a mid-20th century feeling with two-story brick buildings that house a mix of retailers, a farmers' market and an outdoor cinema. The city has an expo center that hosts the Arkansas Outdoors Expo with events such events as a steak cookoff and a duck calling contest. Residents enjoy a driving range as well as country clubs with golf courses. The city's most popular festival is Toad Suck Daze, three days of live music, arts, and toad races that benefit local scholarship funds.
Lake Conway, just south of the city, is a fishermen's dream with 6,700 acres of bass, bream, and bowfin. Boaters love the lake, too. Beaverfork Lake, one of Conway's many parks, has a lush shoreline and a fishing dock.
Whether in modest neighborhoods or in custom home areas, residences are mostly ranch ramblers, split levels and traditional styles made from brick.
Population: 65,000 (city proper)
Percentage of Population Age 45 or Better: 25%
Cost of Living: 15% below the national average
Median Home Price: $160,000
Climate: Conway has a humid subtropical climate. Summer temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, and winter temperatures are in the 30s, 40s and 50s. The area receives 50 inches of rain and a dusting of snow each year, on average.
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? Yes
At Least One Hospital Accredited by the Joint Commission? Yes
Public Transit: Yes
Crime Rate: Slightly above the national average
Public Library: Yes
Political Leanings: Very conservative
Is Arkansas Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Yes
Cons: The tornado risk is 285% above the national average. The poverty rate is slightly above the national average, but much of this is attributed to the relatively large student population.
Notes: The city is racially diverse and has grown by 14% within the last decade.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes
Arkansas:
On June 15, 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state to enter the Union. It was the 9th to secede from the Union and enter the Confederacy on May 6, 1861. Its name comes from a French misinterpretation of the Sioux word for "downstream place" - acansa.
Officially known the Natural State, Arkansas has an abundance of mineral, gas, and petroleum resources. After mining, agriculture ranks high in the state's economy. With the exception of citrus fruits, Arkansans grow a wide variety of crops. Broilers, rice, soybeans, cattle, and cotton are some of their best selling products.
Arkansas contains mountains, caves, lakes, and 9,700 miles of streams and rivers. The state is also home to six national parks, ten scenic byways, and 50 state parks. Although late summers can be hot and humid, Arkansas has mild climate with four distinct seasons.
Arkansan Hattie Caraway became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate in 1932. Other famous natives include Johnny Cash, Iris DeMent, and Billy Bob Thornton.
Stats:
Population - 2,988,248
Persons 65 years old and over - 14%
High school graduates, persons age 25+ - 84%
Bachelor's degree or higher, persons age 25+ - 21%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin - 7%
White persons, not Hispanic - 72%
Median household income - $41,330
Median home value - $111,400
Social Security taxed? No
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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