Best Healthy Places to Retire: Bella Vista, Arkansas

No longer a retirement community

I agree with Loretta Ostenso's comments...our village is no longer a village and no longer a retirement community--there was quite a debate in the local newspapers about that because some people wanted an elementary school built here. We who wanted to keep it a retirement community were told there was nothing in the bylaws stating it was a retirement community (never mind that it had been marketed as a retirement community for the last 35 years) so they could build a school if they wanted to and now our little retirement village is a city of around 30,000 people.

My husband and I built our home here 12 years ago also and we like it here, generally. But we're greatly disappointed in the vote to become a city and other things that have gone on in the past 2 or 3 years.

Traffic is atrocious through our one highway (AR Hwy 71) running north and south to and from Bentonville to the Missouri line.

Ellen Dickinson of AR @ Feb 26, 2009 15:44:20 PM

Bella Vista costs

Or perhaps, they are realistic and realize that there is more to life than living "high on the hog" and having your "every whim" catered to. Or maybe they believe that people may be just too judgemental here and do not realize that "all men are created equal". Maybe it is because they believe that you can have alot more beauty, relaxation and enjoyment in life somewhere else at half the cost. Properties from coast to coast, well, good for you. You must come back to the real world however and realize that not all people have had such lucky breaks. Be open minded, you might learn something. Chickens? I doubt if Bella Vista has chickesn, heck their executing the Geese and vultures. It is obvious that you depend on the many things money CAN buy. But the truth is the most cherished aspect of life is the things you can not buy with money - inner beauty, true friendship, honesty, an acceptance of the human race and wildlife regardless of who or what they are or where they come from. When you have these things, you are a very rich person. I feel very sorry for you.

D. Rose of AR @ Feb 25, 2009 18:37:00 PM

Where did you come from?

Ok,To much whining going on.Some people sound like they fell out of a "Whinny"tree and hit every branch on the way down!

You say,"To expensive","I'd move if I could" or"Better,cheaper places".We are listening?Where are they?It is NOT expensive to live here.The problem arises from to many people wanting something for nothing.Welcome to the"give it to me" mentality.I have property and investments from coast to coast and without a doubt,Bella Vista is the most affordable place to live.It's an even better place to ride out a recession/depression or even the climate change.Water,trees,chickens,fish,golf and Wal-Mart.Ha!...what more could you want?Someone to bathe and powder your butt?You know,they really should include that in the 55 bucks they charge for TH fees.Most people spend that much on vices(cigarettes,alcohol,etc)each week Heck,they pay 350 a month in FL and that's just take out the trash and water the lawn!

Enough already!

You know,,,,perhaps they don't even live here,that they are part of an outside marketing strategy,singing the Tokyo Rose to drive people towards another area?

Maybe they do live here and they are just trying to discourage others from invading?

Honestly,if 24,55 or the minimum water charge has the ability to throw you into a panic,and can actually affect your frame of mind,you need to move in with your relatives,anywhere,but stay the he** away from here because most of us have enough issues without having them to move in next door!

Perhaps they invested poorly,listened to the experts on TV OR didn't invest at all?If they wouldn't spend so much time and energy complaining and bellyaching about the whole world,maybe,just maybe they would have the mental wherewithal to figure out how to move and do us all a HUGE favor!In the meantime,for those of us who have learned to enjoy the finer things in life....like waking up in the morning,please stop your whining.

Ray of AR @ Feb 10, 2009 10:47:28 AM

Bella Vista Costs

My guess is that the last writer has it nailed--play the game, or don't come to the south. No problem, I won't.

Steilacoom of OR @ Feb 07, 2009 21:01:00 PM

Bella Vista costs

To Meg Goodwin of AL - costs? Hmm. More expensive than other places. You may find a home cheaper, although most of our homes have recently been assessed high even due to the economy. It will cost you at leaste $24.00 a month for property owners dues, and they are thining about raising these fees. If you live in a Townhouse, in addition to the property owners fees, you will also be charged a Townhouse fee of $55.00 per month they say for maintainace, but they do not do very much for the 55.00 - definately not worth it. They charge you a flat fee for use of water whether you use it or not and this is increasing this month (January 2009). More expensive then other areas. They are very discriminatory here and if you don't "play the game" you will be an outcast and you will not matter. Although housing "may" be a little cheaper, the costs associated with living here is VERY expensive. If it were not for the economy, I and many others, would move - if we could sell. I won't deny it is a beautiful place, but the price you have to pay is not worth it. There are many other place to live that are gorgeous and without the costs.

NLogan of AR @ Jan 23, 2009 06:49:01 AM

Actual Cost to live in Bella Vista

Can anyone supply me with the actual costs of living in Bella Vista? POA dues, avg cost of a house, living costs, club membership dues, golf fees, etc.

meg goodwin of AL @ Dec 09, 2008 12:32:06 PM

Book Clubs

Greetings,

I was surfing today and stumbled upon your posting regarding book clubs. I'm one of the founding partners of Booksprouts.com

We are an online book club site that is free to join, and allows members to create a club, invite friends, create meetings, and to choose and read books together online. The service is still fairly new, and we are interest in getting feedback on it, as well as getting the word out to people that may be interested in the service. We welcome you to trying out the service free of charge, and welcome to you blog or write about it - good or bad - we appreciate all feedback that helps us improve the service for our members.

Thank you, and we hope you enjoy Booksprouts.com!

Please contact me directly with any questions or assistance.

Regards,

Jason Pfeifer

Community Manager

Booksprouts.com

jason@booksprouts.com

Jason @ Nov 04, 2008 04:59:18 AM

Walking in Bella Vista

The Ozark region is great for city walks, nature walks, and good hiking workouts. The 4 seasons can be enjoyed by all types of outdoor activities. Interesting places to visit for day trips(or overnight) like Eureka Springs, Branson, Fayetteville, and numerous places in between. A survey of residents here indicated that walking was the #1 activity.The article describing Bella Vista and the many activities here mentioned the (O)zark (H)ill (H)ikers. The OHH is a walking club that is associated with the (A)merican (V)olkssport (A)ssociaton. My wife and I have been "volkssporting" for about 18 years now and when we moved to Bella Vista 4 years ago from Texas, we knew this place was a mecca for walkers. We started the OHH and have been organizing walks all over the area.

Doug and Sandra Evett of @ Oct 09, 2008 10:21:17 AM