Editorial
Front Page - Monday, July 20, 2009
Conway – a place to call home
Bill Tobias
What do you get when you combine a small town with a very progressive city government, three colleges, four interchanges with a major interstate and the largest community fair in the state?
The 55,000 people that live in Conway call this “Home.” The Houston based magazine Where to Retire has named Conway in their top five places to retire.
So what’s happening in Conway that makes this city so special? To start let’s look at the economics and demographics of the city.
The retail revenue doubled over the past 10 years going from $500k in 1996 to over $1.1 billion in 2006. In 2003 the Conway Commons opened highlighting fine merchants like Kohl’s, Belk’s, Target, Best Buy, Old Navy, Home Depot, Kirkland’s and TJ Max to name a few.
There is a diverse set of employment with high tech companies like Acxiom, manufacturing such as Snap-on, Kimberly Clark, Rock Ten, IC Corporation and Virco. Finance institutions include American Management Corporation and Home Bank service companies include Conway Corporation and Nabholz.
In the northern part of Faulkner County there is natural gas excavation that is projected to add 9,600 jobs and $5.5 million dollars to the economy.
The downtown area of Conway has always been quaint, clean and a great place to shop for jewelry and antiques – or just walking around and relaxing.
The recent renovated downtown area, with its 1920’s style street lights, is one example of the nostalgic atmosphere. We also have an amphitheater in the center of town that provides bands and other entertainment at no charge.
Fine dinning establishments and other types of merchants are moving back to the downtown area.
The Conway schools have some of the highest education district scores in the state. High school graduates don’t have to travel far, as Conway is called the ‘City of Colleges’ for three good reasons.
First, there’s the University of Central Arkansas, which just celebrated its 100th anniversary and is attended by 12,300 students. Hendrix College is a private liberal arts school with 1,100 students and Central Baptist College has 504 students.
Conway also offers fun for the kid in all of us. There are three country clubs, with golf courses, tennis, pools, parks and restaurants. There are two multi-screen movie theaters, museums, roller rinks, good restaurants, shoppin, and all sorts of sports and outdoor activities.
We are also only 35 miles north of Little Rock which has museums, minor league baseball teams, ice skating rinks, theaters and other cultural activities.
Take a short car or motorcycle ride out of town and see some of the most beautiful views of mountains, rivers or farm land.
We also have Toad Suck Daze, which is fun for the whole family. There are special events for kids, but all the events are family fun. What is Toad Suck? It is a three-day, family festival that brings nationally known entertainment, amusement rides, food, antique, and specialty - vendors for all.
The name Toad Suck, dates back to an old legend when steamboats traveled the Arkansas River, they could only travel when the water was at the right depth.
When it wasn’t, the captains and their crew had to wait on the river at what is currently the Toad Suck Lock and Dam. The sailors waited at the local tavern and “sucked on beer bottles ‘til they swelled up like toads.”
Couple all this with great property, utility and tax costs, then you will know why Conway and the surrounding communities of Greenbrier, Vilonia and Mayflower are special places to live and work.
(Sources: Conway Chamber of Commerce and the Log Cabin Democrat)
Bill Tobias is a Realtor with Crye-Leike in Conway. Visit him on the Internet at http://tobeyteam.crye-leike.com.
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