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Hey y'all there's some pretty awesome family friendly places to live in Arkansas! And, lucky for you, we have them listed right here. Where are the most family friendly places in the The Natural State? You're going to have to take a look below at HomeSnacks list of the best places to raise your family in Arkansas for 2020 to find out.
But first, we need to tell you how we determined the most family friendly places in Arkansas. We consulted the US Census on places in The Bear State with more than 10,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 32 family friendly Arkansas places that any family would be lucky to call home.
Why'd we do it? For many reasons. One, we wouldn't want any family to miss out on Fort Smith's family friendly Riverfront Blues Festival each year. Two, the state has 31 Blue Ribbon schools and some of them can be found in Arkansas' most family friendly places. And three, we wouldn't want your family to get stuck in one of Arkansas' most dangerous places-that would be 'no bueno'! Speaking of family friendly entertainment, we think the best family day in this southern paradise would go something like this: first, a trip to the Crossett's Crossland Zoo; then, a visit to the Altitude Trampoline Park in Little Rock.
So, want to see a list of Arkansas' best places to raise a family? Read on.
These are the best cities to raise a family in Arkansas for 2020:
- Bentonville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Siloam Springs (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Magnolia (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Arkadelphia (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Blytheville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Batesville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Van Buren (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Rogers (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Russellville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Harrison (Photos | Homes For Sale)
There might be some surprises on this list, but when you look at the unbiased data, it's hard to argue against the numbers. We've had more than ten million people read our published articles and we've been featured in hundreds of media outlets for our best of the best rankings, including this Alabama Democrat Gazette feature. So, yes, we know what we're talking about.
What city is the best place to raise a family in Arkansas? Well according to the US Census Bentonville is the best of the best if you care about a good education, low crime, and a high quality of life. And we're pretty sure that you do.
To see how your favorite places in Arkansas compared, take a look at the list below; and if you don't see it there, head to the bottom.
Check out some more reading about Arkansas and the best places for families in the country:
- Best Places To Live In Arkansas
- Cheapest Places To Live In Arkansas
- Best Cities To Raise A Family In America
- Best States To Raise A Family In America
The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Arkansas For 2020
/10
Population: 46,857
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 59
Closest Major City: Tulsa
Households with kids: 43.0%
More on Bentonville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Bentonville is the ninth-largest city in Arkansas and the county seat of Benton County. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers adjacent to the east. The city is the headquarters of Walmart, which is the world's largest retailer. Originally named Osage after the Osage Indians who hunted in the area when white settlers first moved to the area in 1837, the community was renamed to Bentonville in 1906 in honor of New York inventor Linn Boyd Benton, after being first incorporated on April 3, 1873. It is one of the four main cities in the four-county Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ranked 109th in terms of population in the United States with 463,204 in 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau. The city itself had a population of 35,301 at the 2010 Census, with an estimated population of 47,093 in 2016.
/10
Population: 16,567
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 39
Closest Major City: Tulsa
Households with kids: 41.5%
More on Siloam Springs: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city shares a border on the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line with the city of West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, which is within the Cherokee Nation territory. The town was founded in 1882 and was characterized by the purported healing powers of the spring water feeding Sager Creek and trading with nearby Native American tribes. John Brown University was founded in 1919 as a private, interdenominational, Christian liberal arts college in the city. Today, Siloam Springs is known for its efforts to preserve and revitalize the city's historic downtown and as a promoter of the arts via Sager Creek Arts Center and the JBU art gallery. The community is located on the western edge of the growing Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area and has had a population increase of 47% to 15,039 between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.
/10
Population: 11,573
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 59
Closest Major City: Garland
Households with kids: 33.1%
More on Magnolia: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 11,577. The city is the county seat of Columbia County.
/10
Population: 10,611
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 38
Closest Major City: Memphis
Households with kids: 27.4%
More on Arkadelphia: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University, are located there. Arkadelphia was incorporated in 1857.
/10
Population: 14,298
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 53
Closest Major City: Memphis
Households with kids: 34.6%
More on Blytheville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Blytheville is the largest city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Blytheville is approximately 60 miles north of West Memphis. The population was 18,272 at the 2000 census.
Im from Blytheville Arkansas and it is an okay town. It can be dangerous every blue moon.
/10
Population: 10,642
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 42
Closest Major City: Memphis
Households with kids: 36.6%
More on Batesville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 10,248. The city serves as a regional manufacturing and distribution hub for the Ozark Mountain region and northeast Arkansas.
/10
Population: 23,296
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 48
Closest Major City: Tulsa
Households with kids: 33.8%
More on Van Buren: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40-Interstate 540 junction. The city was incorporated in 1845 and as of the 2010 census had a population of 22,791, ranking it as the state's 22nd largest city, behind Searcy.
/10
Population: 64,947
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 59
Closest Major City: Tulsa
Households with kids: 40.9%
More on Rogers: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Rogers is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964 making it the state's-eighth largest city. Rogers is located in the northwest portion of the state in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, which is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation and is ranked 109th in terms of population in the United States with 465,776 in 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau.
/10
Population: 29,244
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 54
Closest Major City: Tulsa
Households with kids: 30.2%
More on Russellville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Russellville is the county seat and largest city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 27,920, according to the 2010 Census. It is home to Arkansas Tech University and Arkansas Nuclear One, Arkansas' only nuclear power plant. Russellville borders Lake Dardanelle and the Arkansas River.
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Population: 13,069
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 54
Closest Major City: Tulsa
Households with kids: 30.1%
More on Harrison: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Harrison is a city in Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is the county seat. It named after General Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor that laid out the city along Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. According to 2012 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,163, up from 12,943 at the 2010 census.
How do you determine which place is best for families in Arkansas anyways?
To give you the places in Arkansas which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.
So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.
How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Natural State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Arkansas, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)
We then gave each city a Family Score.
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For Arkansas, that meant a total of 32 cities. You can download the data here.
There You Have It - The Best Places To Raise A Family In Arkansas
If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in Arkansas ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
Here's a look at the best cities for singles Arkansas according to the data:
- El Dorado
- Jacksonville
- Helena-West Helena
For more arkansas reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places For Families In Arkansas?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bentonville, AR | 46,857 |
| 2 | Siloam Springs, AR | 16,567 |
| 3 | Magnolia, AR | 11,573 |
| 4 | Arkadelphia, AR | 10,611 |
| 5 | Blytheville, AR | 14,298 |
| 6 | Batesville, AR | 10,642 |
| 7 | Van Buren, AR | 23,296 |
| 8 | Rogers, AR | 64,947 |
| 9 | Russellville, AR | 29,244 |
| 10 | Harrison, AR | 13,069 |
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