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Retirement Living In Little Rock - Arkansas


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Area Description

Being the capital city of Arkansas, Little Rock also serves as the trade center. The region has modern malls, specialty gift and sport shops, exclusive men's and women's boutiques, day spas, antique stores, art galleries, design centers and a collection of national and unique one-of-a-kind retailers. In 2013, the region located a new Bass Pro Shops store and in 2015, added an outlet shopping center to accompany the location. Little Rock has a multitude of dining options, from home-style Southern cooking, prime aged steak, fresh seafood, fusion cuisine, or more of a heart-healthy fare. Little Rock has the chain restaurants customers from all across the country rely on, as well as the independent restaurants they would love to try.

Little Rock has 52 parks with more than 5,000 acres, while North Little Rock boasts 12, including the 1,575-acre Burns Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the nation. There are also many state and national parks within a 60-mile radius of Little Rock that provide recreation and camping facilities, including Petit Jean State Park, DeGray Lake Resort State Park, Lake Ouachita State Park, the Ouachita National Forest and Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Little Rock boasts more high quality performing arts groups than just about any city of its size in the country. Little Rock is home to several museums that brighten the cultural offerings for the region’s citizens.

Four public school districts (Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pulaski County, and Jacksonville) operate in Pulaski County with a combined enrollment of 48,139 students. The City of Jacksonville has recently voted in favor of creating its own school district, the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District, and has split from the Pulaski County Special School District beginning with the 2016-2017 school-year, creating a fourth district..

In addition to public schools, Metro Little Rock area has 20 institutions of higher education with an average annual enrollment of over 70,000 students.

The Little Rock MSA is 13% below the national average for cost of living. The average utility cost in the Little Rock MSA is 13% below the national average (Source: Cost of Living Index Annual Average 2015; Reproduced Courtesy of Council for Community & Economic Research).

The winters in Little Rock are short and cool with an average snow occurring once a year. Spring and fall season are cool with the summers being warm and humid.

Includes Cities/Towns: Adona, Arkansas) Profile - Homes, Austin, Avilla, Bauxite, Benton, Bigelow, Bryant, Cabot, Carlisle, Casa, Conway, Coy, East End, England, Enola, Greenbrier, Guy, Houston, Humnoke, Jacksonville, Keo, Leola, Little Rock, Lonoke, Maumelle, Mayflower, Mount Vernon, North Little Rock, Perry, Perryville, Poyen, Prattsville, Roland, Traskwood, Vilonia, Ward.

Region Characteristics





Area Amenities

Things to Do, Recreation & Fitness
   The Little Rock region has an abundance of parks – over 125 parks covering more than 5,000 acres just in Pulaski County, including the 1,700-acre Burns Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the nation. There are also many state and national parks within a 60-mile radius of Little Rock that provide recreation and camping facilities, including Petit Jean State Park, DeGray Lake Resort State Park, Lake Ouachita State Park, the Ouachita National Forest and Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

The Arkansas River, navigable from just east of Tulsa to the Mississippi River, flows through the middle of or downtown area. The Arkansas River Trail includes a fourteen-mile bike loop surrounds the Arkansas River, running along the north and south shores and connected by the Big Dam Bridge to the west and the Clinton Pedestrian Bridge to the east. There are also pedestrian bridge crossings at the Junction Bridge and the Broadway Bridge. The River Trail also extends westward to Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

Several lakes in the Little Rock area provide excellent fishing, sailing and other water activities, including Lake Maumelle, Lake Winona, Lake Conway, Greers Ferry Lake, Lake Ouachita, Lake Hamilton, Lake Catherine and DeGray Lake.

Little Rock is home to incredible public and private golf courses. Public courses include: Burns Park Golf Course, Hindman Park, Rebsamen Park, The First Tee, and War Memorial Park. Private courses include: Country Club of Arkansas, Eagle Hill Golf and Athletic Club, Pleasant Valley Country Club, Southern Oaks Country Club, Chenal Valley Country Club, Alotian Golf Club, among others.

Cultural Activities
Little Rock has a thriving arts and culture scene. Experience the beauty of the Arkansas Arts Center, the sounds of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the very best of Broadway, the grace of Ballet Arkansas and much more.

Arkansas Arts Center

Arkansas Repertory Theater

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

Ballet Arkansas

Celebrity Attractions

Clinton Presidential Center

Ron Robinson Theater

Robinson Center

Public transportation
Halfway between Canada and Mexico, the Little Rock region offers access to 100 million people within a 550-mile radius. Air, rail, water, and interstates give the region an ideal intermodal network near the geographic and population centers of the United States.

Interstates
I-40 (North Carolina to California), the third longest major east-west Interstate Highway, and I-30 (Little Rock to Texas and Mexico) converge in the region. In addition, Little Rock is connected and served by I-430, I-440, I-530, I-630 and five U.S. and 22 state highways.

Amtrak services the Little Rock area with passenger rail service. Little Rock Union Station, which opened in 1921, is the train station that services Amtrak.


Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport
Serving 2.2 million passengers annually with eight airlines, the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport has 57 daily departures to 15 different cities (see list below). From there, you can reach major cities across the globe. The airport is home to manufacturer Dassault Falcon Jet, their largest operations in the world. In addition, two FBO's are located at the airport: TacAir and Lynx. The airport is designated as a U.S. Customs Point of Entry.

Atlanta
Austin
Chicago
Charlotte
Dallas Love Field
Dallas/Ft. Worth International
Denver
Detroit
Houston
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Orlando
Phoenix
St. Louis
Washington D.C.

Major rental car comapniies are located across the region in addition to taxis.

Rock Region Metropolitan Transit Authority is the largest transit agency in Arkansas. Rock Region Metro provides public transportation services within Pulaski County, Arkansas, seven days a week. The 21 fixed routes and four express commuter routes provide transportation service to 10,000 riders every weekday. A demand response ADA paratransit service, known as LINKS, operates alongside the fixed route hours and coverage area. A heritage streetcar system, known as the Metro Streetcar, operates 3.4 miles of track throughout the downtown areas of Little Rock and North Little Rock.

DAV operates a fleet of vehicles around the country to provide free transportation to VA medical facilities for injured and ill veterans. DAV stepped in to help veterans get the care they need when the federal government terminated its program that helped many of them pay for transportation to and from medical facilities. The vans are driven by volunteers, and the rides coordinated by more than 160 Hospital Service Coordinators around the country.

Medical Facilities


The Little Rock region is the center of the healthcare industry in Arkansas with more than ten medical hospitals and numerous other psychiatric and drug rehabilitation facilities. The University of Arkansas for Medical Science (UAMS), Baptist Health Medical Center (Little Rock and North Little Rock), CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, and Arkansas Children’s are leaders in research and development activities.

Over 34,000 are employed in the healthcare and medical field in Pulaski County and over 20 hospitals are in the county. The only medical school in Arkansas is located in Little Rock: the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). UAMS Bioventures fosters commercial investment in the development of inventions, discoveries, and other work products flowing from the research at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s, and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.

Just 30 minutes from Little Rock, The National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) is the only FDA Center located outside the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The 1-million-square-foot facility plays a critical role in the missions of FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to promote and protect public health. It trains students from UAMS, UALR, UAPB, and UAF, as well as training private scientists.


What Will The Climate And Weather Be Like If I Retire In Little Rock, Arkansas?

Climate in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas gets 51 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 39 inches of rain per year.

Little Rock averages 4 inches of snow per year. The US average is 26 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 217 sunny days per year in Little Rock. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Summer High: the July high is around 92 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 31

Monthly Temperature Ranges

 Month  Low  Avg  High
 Jan  30 F°  40 F°  50 F°
 Feb  33 F°  44 F°  55 F°
 Mar  41 F°  53 F°  64 F°
 Apr  49 F°  61 F°  73 F°
 May  59 F°  70 F°  81 F°
 Jun  67 F°  78 F°  88 F°
 Jul  71 F°  81 F°  92 F°
 Aug  70 F°  81 F°  92 F°
 Sep  62 F°  74 F°  85 F°
 Oct  50 F°  62 F°  74 F°
 Nov  41 F°  52 F°  63 F°
 Dec  32 F°  42 F°  52 F°

Monthly Average # of Hot and Cold Days

 Month  Days Greater Than 90 F°  Days Less Than 32 F°  Days Less Than 0 F°
 Jan  0  19  0
 Feb  0  14  0
 Mar  0  6  0
 Apr  0  1  0
 May  1  0  0
 Jun  11  0  0
 Jul  21  0  0
 Aug  20  0  0
 Sep  8  0  0
 Oct  0  1  0
 Nov  0  6  0
 Dec  0  16  0

Rain & Humidity

 Month  Rainfall  Rainy Days  Humidity
 Jan  4 "  8  31 %
 Feb  4 "  8  34 %
 Mar  5 "  9  41 %
 Apr  5 "  9  49 %
 May  5 "  10  60 %
 Jun  4 "  8  67 %
 Jul  4 "  8  71 %
 Aug  3 "  6  70 %
 Sep  3 "  7  63 %
 Oct  5 "  8  52 %
 Nov  5 "  8  43 %
 Dec  5 "  9  34 %

Snow

 Month  Snowfall  Snow On Ground Days  Snowy Days
 Jan  2 "  1  1
 Feb  1 "  1  1
 Mar  0 "  0  0
 Apr  0 "  0  0
 May  0 "  0  0
 Jun  0 "  0  0
 Jul  0 "  0  0
 Aug  0 "  0  0
 Sep  0 "  0  0
 Oct  0 "  0  0
 Nov  0 "  0  0
 Dec  0 "  0  0


Natural Disaster Areas

Cost of Living for Little Rock, AR

Little Rock, Arkansas cost of living for Housing, Healthcare, Transportation, Taxes, Utilities, etc.:

 Cost of Living

Demographics

Race

Religion

Political Party

Age

Senior Housing Options





 From contemporary, urban loft space to cozy, suburban farmhouses, the Little Rock region offers a range of styles and options - all at an affordable price.

The region accommodates a variety of tastes. Neighborhoods range from luxurious, well-appointed loft apartments in midtown and downtown Little Rock, to the suburban and family-oriented dwellings of Chenal Valley, Hillcrest and The Heights.

Little Rock has a lower cost of living than the national average, so your money will go a long way. The area features new multi-unit and single-family dwellings in development and under construction every day. The median sale price of a home is $143,217, noticeably lower than the national median of $222,408. Residents generally pay less for things like food, utilities and health care than the average American.

Little Rock offers a better value than similarly-sized metro areas when you compare housing costs to median household income.

While Little Rock's eight neighborhoods make up the region’s anchor and the largest city in population, it’s one of nine cities that combine to create the metro. The other eight—Benton, Bryant, Conway, Jacksonville, Maumelle, Sherwood, Cabot and North Little Rock—are all unique with their own special lures.

Senior Assistance in Little Rock, AR

Little Rock, Arkansas offers the following assistance for seniors:
The mission of the Division of Aging and Adult Services is to promote the health, safety, and independence of older Arkansans and adults with physical disabilities. The Divison is located in Little Rock.

Visiting Angels in Little Rock is a local elder care services agency providing in-home care to seniors and the disabled throughout the Little Rock area. When you choose the agency, your loved one will be tended to by a caregiver who is committed to providing compassionate, respectful and dignified care. With our elder care services, your loved one can remain safely in their own home, while enjoying genuine, quality companionship from one of our friendly caregivers.


CareLink has been committed to Central Arkansas’ older population and their families for nearly four decades. Providing vital services – such as Meals on Wheels, care for homebound older people, and our many resources for caregivers – CareLink's programs are made possible through the support of our volunteers and donors.

What Job or Volunteer Opportunities Does Little Rock Offer For Retirees?

Little Rock is home to world-renowned social organizations working to solve the toughest human challenges on the planet: hunger, food insecurity, sustainability, renewable energy, aging, childhood obesity and life-threatening diseases.These include Heifer International, UAMS, Winrock, Winthrop Rockeller Foundation

Additional Information

Visitor Information

Relocation Information


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