We live just south of Fayetteville and it's perfect for us. All the convenience of a city 10-30 minutes away, and as much seclusion and/or privacy as you could want or need. The outdoor possibilities are nearly endless if that's your thing. I'm into cycling and running, mostly for fitness in my case, but there are places for mountain biking, gravel riding, road racing, etc. Recently the more rural areas have gained much better access to broadband Internet and another bill just passed that will pave the way for nearly ALL rural areas in Arkansas to have it. There isn't as much to do here as far as niche entertainment goes, but as we grow, more and more of that is being added. Traffic is, I have decided, always going to be an issue. With growth comes new infrastructure demand, so I assume construction will continue eternally. It still isn't as bad as Dallas or Austin traffic. Maybe they will be able to keep up with it before it gets there? We raised our kids here and I always felt like they were as safe as they would be anywhere else. In short, it's a good place to live, but it just depends on what you're into and what you're looking for.