Kiplinger’s ranks Fayetteville #7
Damn, Fayetteville. Why you gots to be so badass? With all these high rankings, we can hardly even keep up.
Last week it was Sports Illustrated and now it’s the “timely, trusted personal finance advice & business forecasters” Kiplinger’s who has ranked us #7 among the Best Cities to Live, Work and Play for 2008. Not bad!
With our 90.4 Cost-of-Living Index and 31.4% Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class we have jumped into Kiplinger’s Top Ten through a process that is based on work done by Kevin Stolarick, of the Martin Prosperity Institute, “a think tank that studies economic prosperity.”
We don’t have the time (or patience) to try and figure all that nonsense out but we do have time to say this: Duh, we rule. Didn’t ya’ll already know? No? Well now you do.
Unique perks of Fayetteville living include free bus service for university students and residents. The weekly Farmer’s Market doubles as a no-fuss community social. Seniors over 65 may take university classes for free.
Aside from making us sound almost as awesome as we are, there’s a video slideshow all about the “Funky Green Valley.”
Discussion
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By Lankford on May 29th, 2008
That video just informed me that there is almost 2 more miles of Dickson Street that I’ve never seen before. I can’t wait to find it!
By Laura on May 29th, 2008
419,000 people live in Fayetteville? When did the other 340,000 get here?
By bryce on May 29th, 2008
Tulsa, OK just 30 miles away?
By Ryan on May 29th, 2008
I think 419,000 is the size of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers-Bentonville MSA.
Also, they said that Tulsa is 30 miles away???
By George on May 29th, 2008
Who are these people that keep perpetuating the “Keep Fayetteville Funky” slogan? Please stop. I hate it sooo much. We might as well go with “We’re A Bunch Of Lame Douche Bags Who Wanna Imitate Austin”. Granted it wouldn’t really fit on a bumper sticker, but you get the point.
By Strokitecture on May 30th, 2008
nice vid aside from the shameless plug for urban table (which pretty much sucks as a restaurant) and the quick real estate pitch for that brick mcmansion with all the ‘natural light’…
I’m with lankford, let’s set up a Flyer Quest to find the other 2 miles of dickson street!
By Alannah on May 30th, 2008
My friend Liz Knight, formerly of Penguin Ed’s, started “Keep Fayetteville Funky.” She did it for several reasons, not the least of which was to make sure that any revenue from the sale of the t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, etc would go to local arts organizations. You see, the phrase “Keep Austin Weird” was trademarked by a t-shirt company so all the money made from those sales went back to the company, which seems totally counterproductive.
So Liz trademarked Keep Fayetteville Funky, using her own money to pay a trademark lawyer for the process and to ensure that any revenue can go to organizations like the Fayetteville Arts Festival, the Jefferson Building committee (trying to get former Jefferson school building for community artist space), etc.
So yeah it’s really annoying to see those bumper stickers on Lexus SUVs and the t-shirts co-opted by the Rustin Heights folks, but you can at least feel reassured knowing the proceeds are being wisely used.
By George on May 30th, 2008
Alannah - I meant no offense. It’s just that, you see, I’m a dick. So as a side effect of that I tend to just ignorantly say whatever random shit pops into my head. That is really kewl that the cash goes back into the local arts community. Also, it’s interesting about the Austin slogan and not really surprising. The root of my contempt for the “Keep Fayetteville Funky” slogan was always that it seemed like we were copying Austin. Austin’s a neat place, but they seem to have perverted their image into this pretentious, profiteering, insincere “I’m so cool because I’m from Austin” kind of thing. Anyone who’s spent much time there (who isn’t from Austin) probably knows what I mean. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of emulating them.
Thanks for putting me in my place. I’m such a masochist.
By Alannah on May 30th, 2008
No offense taken…just letting y’all know what was behind Keep Fayetteville Funky (you know…the more I write that phrase the more I think I hate it too).
I think a lot of Fayetteville natives saw how Austin turned really gross really fast and are afraid of that happening here.
By Angel Lust on June 3rd, 2008
Its great to live in a top 10 city.
Does it matter that I wouldn’t want to live in any of the other nine listed? Des Moines, Iowa? Really?
By stacy on June 3rd, 2008
Yep it is great to live in a top 10 city! I have worried about the direction of fayetteville the last couple of years. It seems like their is an economic power shift towards benton county these days. No news there really. It does seem like local biz and even some corporate places are stuggling down here now. I think the cops have become less “user friendly” in the last couple of years too.
By scryberwitch on June 11th, 2008
Umm…I’ve lived here since I was born (in the ’70s) and hippies are the ones to thank for a lot of the great things that make Fayetteville cool: the arts, music scene, tree ordinances (such as they are), etc. Who did you think started these things? The business community? The hoards of out-of-state drunken college kids? Or, did the Waltons and the Tysons create everything that is good and beautiful in Fayetteville?
Just sayin’. Why all the hate for hippies?