Fayetteville named in Money magazine’s 10 Best Places to Live in the South

Money magazine named Fayetteville as one of the top 10 places to live in the South.

“Nestled in Northwest Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains, Fayetteville is a combination of thriving business community, college town and outdoors haven,” according to the Money website. “Town culture and the local economy are deeply entwined with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville’s top employer. Other job opportunities at Walmart’s Optical Lab, a Tyson Foods plant, and transportation logistics company J.B. Hunt [Transport Services] help keep unemployment at an ultralow 2.7%.”

The magazine also pointed to Fayetteville’s farmers market, which runs three days per week, seven months out of the year on the downtown square, while “nearby Dickson Street runs directly to the university campus and is lined with shops, bars and restaurants,” and the 1,200-seat Walton Arts Center.

The NWA area has 50 miles of trails, three lakes and 35 parks, with fishing, hiking and biking.

The Best Places to Live in the South ranking looked for “an ideal mix of home affordability, strong economic growth, good schools and generally balmy weather,” according to the magazine. “Climate is one of many factors in our annual Best Places to Live analysis … but after we published our original picks this year, we heard from many readers wanting a list that focused more specifically on warmer Southern climates.”

The magazine limited its choices for Best Places to Live in the South to one per state.

Fayetteville ranked No. 43 in the overall list. Rogers ranked 45, Springdale made 58^th and Siloam Springs came in at No. 68.

On the Southern list, Allen, Texas, came in first, followed by Franklin, Tenn., Olive Branch, Miss., Reston, Va., Concord, N.C., and Rockville, Md.

Fayetteville was ranked seventh, followed by St. Augustine, Fla., Vinings, Ga., and Mustang, Okla.