Finding Home in Little Rock, Arkansas

A little stream of consciousness on Little Rock neighborhoods. Come take a dip.

-First of all, if you are a middle or low income local in Little Rock there are so many places in this city you can live that are affordable, convenient, and safe and that will also allow you to live within your means and offer the possibility of saving. You will not find them featured in magazines or city profile, it’s just gonna be people who live there going to work, raising their kids, and minding their business.

– If you are a working class person taking the advice that only [insert name brand neighborhood/area] is safe and good and there’s nowhere else to live, you’re setting yourself up for a losing game and an uphill struggle on housing costs by not doing your due diligence. Just like with name brand anything, some brands are a reflection of true quality but some are just the product of good marketing. People will gladly take your hard-earned money and tell you that you have “the best” regardless of if it’s true. Living in the worst of “the best” is still the worst no matter how much you spin it.

-Some of y’all use the term “crime” and ”the presence of poor/working class people” interchangeably in Little Rock when it comes to what neighborhoods you call good and I really don’t like it. Poor and working class folks are not inherently criminal. Check yourself and more importantly, check the actual crime stats of an area. Getting your car broken into and your porch packages stolen regularly is NOT a normal state of being. Some of y’all have normalized some truly wild stuff to keep you in these name-brand neighborhoods and I feel compelled to tell you. 2.5x rental rates and a persistent fear of burglary?? I hate that for y’all.

– It’s important to acknowledge that our education system is a huge driver of inequity in housing. Unfortunately, we live in a city that encourages our residents to house themselves in neighborhoods that are often just above their means by ransoming school quality for their kids. Magnet programs in this district help equalize this to an extent but there’s not enough room for everyone. I don’t have a solution for this that isn’t EQUITABLE SCHOOL FUNDING but I’m being honest and acknowledging that it sucks.

-Red-lined neighborhoods = red-lined schools because school funding is tied to property taxes. A rising tide lifts all boats and the more residents are willing to consider housing by the merits of reality and not just reputation, the increase of value would also benefit children in that area regardless of whether that resident has children in school. If you ARE in the market to buy, tap into realtors that will really show you the whole city. I had to go through three before I had one willing to show properties in working class neighborhoods. I LOVE my neighbors and know that I live among good people.

– People have an inflated sense of danger in Little Rock in my opinion. That’s not to say we’re without issues but some of y‘all are in comment sections and on Nextdoor acting like you live in Gotham City and it is chronically unserious. I feel sorry for people who live in such a chronic state of fear. I think about your cortisol levels and what not. Take a breath, I beg. A panhandler is not a boogeyman and no one is just out to get you for no reason. Random crime happens but not proportionally to the fear some of y’all walk around with every single day. Calm down.

– There is an old Southern proverb that will carry you in Little Rock: Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing. The majority of people in this city don’t wake up in the morning with the intent of hurting random people.

Anyway, that’s what’s on my mind about Little Rock neighborhoods on a Tuesday morning. Maybe it’s time to start the podcast. Leave your ward and live your life!