FAYETTEVILLE -- Living near friends and family drew more people to Northwest Arkansas within the past five years than economic reasons, according to the Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey Report released Thursday.
The Walton Family Foundation commissioned the report, the latest of three: one each done in 2012 and 2015 and the one released today, done in 2018. All were done by the Survey Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University.
The university polled 966 residents in Benton and Washington counties last year, asking 109 survey questions.
In 2015, job opportunities (36%) and friends and family (23%) primarily motivated respondents who moved to either Benton or Washington counties, the survey report said.
"This ranking order is now reversed: Friends and family motivated 30% of those who moved to Northwest Arkansas in the last five years, while only 16% responded that career and job opportunities was the primary factor," the report said.
Steve Clark, president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, called that finding "some of the best news I've ever heard."
"That means that people who have moved here before from all over the world have become ambassadors, telling their friends and family this is a good place with opportunity and a welcoming attitude," Clark said. "It also means this region is developing a sense of place."
The region is getting a name for being a good place to live in addition to being a place to launch a career, he said.
"Diversity and a sense of place; that is the direction we need to be moving in," he said. "There is more to do, but we are making progress."
Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas, said he would like to know more about the demographics of those who move to the region for friends and family.
"Are they younger people or retirees?" he said. "Knowing the composition of that sample would tell a lot of what is driving that answer. Also, certainly that's not the only factor."
There are a lot of places in the United States with job opportunities and amenities. Friends and family might be a deciding factor in choosing a place among various options, he said.
Diversity and inclusion are other factors measured by the survey.
"Although all races reported high levels of acceptance (at least 72% for all groups), there was a statistically significant difference by race: 26% of African-American respondents reported low levels of acceptance compared to whites (5%) and Latinx (3%)," according to the report.
"In 2018, nearly two out of three respondents (64%) said that different lifestyles and cultures make Northwest Arkansas a better place to live," the report went on. "This figure is significantly higher when compared to 60% in 2015 and 59% in 2012."
The increased belief diversity is a good thing is "a step in the right direction," said D'Andre Jones, chairman of Fayetteville's African-American Advisory Council.
The survey pointed out, though, there's a need to do more to welcome African-Americans who are more likely to feel apart from the rest of the community.
"That is up to the majority," Jones said, because only the majority can welcome a different group. There needs to be more candid discussion of race, he said.
On all-around outlook in the region, two out of every three residents rated their overall quality of life as either excellent or very good. That 67%, however, is a 5% decline from the same figure in 2015. Still, 22% report their quality of live as good, a 2% increase from 2015.
Also, 95% report being "very happy" or "fairly happy."
How to get there
Jebaraj said another notable finding is how mass transit is highest on the list of services needing improvement.
"Northwest Arkansas is feeling the squeeze," he said. "Each city has a different amenity mix," he said.
It's hard to participate in the region's amenities if someone has to drive two or three cities away each time, Jebaraj said.
"This is something this region lacks that it doesn't have a developed plan to address," he said.
The demand for more mass transit was cited by 12% of survey respondents, compared to 11% who said they wanted professional sports.
As for cultural attractions, the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers showed an 11% increase in the number of respondents who said they had attended compared to 2015. The Jones Center in Springdale and the Amazeum children's museum in Bentonville showed even larger increases, with both increasing by 17%. The increase in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art visitation was 8%.
The Jones Center has been making an effort to increase attendance, said Ed Clifford, the facility's chief executive officer. Its goal is at least 75% of Northwest Arkansans have visited the center, he said.
More than 10,000 people visit the center monthly just to use Runway Bike Park, Clifford said. The park opened in October 2018, he said, and includes the largest asphalt track in North America, a skills course and a bicycle playground.
"The bike park pulls from as far away as Wisconsin, and the fitness center pulls from all over Northwest Arkansas," he said. "The proximity we have being in the middle of Northwest Arkansas makes a huge difference," he said.
Beth Bobbitt, public relations director for Crystal Bridges, said the survey reflected satisfaction.
"We've increased our focus on diversity with expanded school outreach, new acquisitions, more multicultural festivals and programs that explore issues of identity, race, class, gender and environment," Bobbitt said.
The report showed 36% of residents visited a city's downtown in the previous year. Dining, shopping and going to farmers markets were all attractions.
Andrew Heath, executive director of Downtown Bentonville Inc., said he wasn't surprised. The downtown area is packed with people for events such as First Friday and on weekends, he said. The goal is to find ways to bring more people and events to downtown on so-called off days, he said.
Shey Bland, executive director of Downtown Rogers Inc., and Heath noted the drawing power of their farmers' markets.
"It gives people something to do with their Saturday mornings," Shey said. "It's a gathering place. It supports local agriculture."
Education and Health
The perception of a quality education showed improvement across the board except for a slight decrease in the rating for day care. Ratings of good or very good for elementary schools went up from 69% in 2015 to 74%. Junior high schools, middle schools, high schools and higher education all scored at least 68% good or very good.
Robert Maranto, 21st Century Chair in Leadership in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas and a Fayetteville School Board member, said the region's schools are well above the national average in terms of quality.
"I think we could be better," Maranto said. "Given the strengths of these communities, we could be among the best in the country. We're not quite there yet."
New charter and private schools, along with various programs developed by the traditional public schools, have brought residents numerous educational options that didn't exist less than a decade ago, he said. He specifically mentioned the Fayetteville Virtual Academy and Rogers' New Technology High School as two outstanding examples of choices students have.
Regarding health care, 72% in the survey reported having good or very good access to a provider. Another 83% report good or very good health care for their children. In mental health care, 56% report having good or very good access.
"Health care has been trying to keep up like any essential service," said Eric Pianalto, president of Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas. Mercy has added 100 providers within the past five years to keep up with a growing population, he said.
Trail use ranked high on the list of amenities people use, ranking third behind parks and the Crystal Bridges museum. Trail use in Bentonville and Fayetteville was already high. Use in Rogers and Springdale was catching up.
Crime and pollution didn't concern survey respondents. Ninety-nine percent reported feeling safe at home. Another 90% said water pollution isn't a problem, and 88% said the same about air pollution.
In civic life, a voting rate of 60% was up from 47% in 2015 and higher than the national average of 47%. Confidence in local government decision-making grew from 52% in 2015 to 59%.
NW News on 09/13/2019