Best Healthy Places to Retire: Bella Vista, Arkansas

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I spent a career in the Air Force traveling and living all over the world. I was raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas and would like to come back to AR. When I was stationed in Charleston, South Carolina a few years back, I used to see infomercials starring Eric Estrada advertising Bella Vista as a great place to live and retire. Which leads me to conclude from the commercial that it's predominantly a retirement community. But after talking to other folks in the north western part of the state, they tell me to stay away from Bella Vista due to it becoming an incorporated city and allowing "rednecks", meth-heads, convicted child rapists, and many other unsavory types to flood into their area. Not only that, according to some it's becoming increasingly more expensive to live there, water/electricity, POA dues, city taxes all go up, while the housing market and surrounding job markets stagnate or worse yet bottom out. I'd like to ask a few questions from current residents if I may, as I will not accept any information that I receive from advertisements as truth. 1st: What is Bella Vista's crime rate as opposed to their surrounding cities? Is it true what people tell me about it being a meth-head and/or a pedophile mecca? 2: What do the POA fees cover, is it worth the money? 3: How are the police/fire/EMS services? I've heard some very nasty stories about recent shootings involving a Bella Vista police officer. 4: Does Bella Vista allow for sustainable living? Such as allowing you to maintain a veggie/flower garden, a compost pile, and free grazing backyard hens? If not, I WILL NOT even consider moving to such a place. Any help/guidance would be much appreciated in helping me to decide if Bella Vista would be the right choice for me to make for my new home/community. Thank you for your time.

James of CA 9:10AM February 05, 2012

If your thinking about retiring in bella vista, make sure you contact me prior to your decision. I am a local financial planner in Bella Vista, and am familiar with the local economy and amenities. With a free retirement analysis, you can know exactly what you are getting into before making a decision

David Lee of AR 11:30PM January 17, 2012

What this report doesn't tell you is that even though home prices are low, the POA and/or Townhouse association eats up your money with different fees. The water is more expensive and it is believed that that is due to the POA still controlling the water instead of the City. Yep, the fees will kill you, especially in this economy. However, if you have money to throw away, then this beautiful place is the place to be.

Stella of AR 8:15PM September 13, 2011

I'd rather move to a place with several golf courses for me to chose from on whichever day I so choose. Because when I retire, that's what I'm really going to care about. http://eSouthCarolinaGOLF.com

Garfield of MA 10:35AM April 14, 2011

Since the area has been overbuilt home prices are low. This has made homes affordable to people that do have the same values as retires. The peace and quiet, home and yard upkeep, and friendliness that was once here is slipping fast.
I find my backwoods neighbors do whatever they want and codes are not enforced to help keep this a nice place to live. Yards trashed with cars, boats, trailers, bikes, and barking dogs everywhere. While the city does have ordinances that prohibit these things, enforcement is very light and the offenders know it. Might as well be living in an old trailer park down by the train tracks. We are paying for the good life, but not getting it.
Buying a house here is a gamble if you seek the peaceful retirement you were dreaming of.

Thomas of AR 1:19AM July 03, 2010

We have lived here in Bella Vista now for 4 years and we couldn't be happier. We moved here from Iowa and we are so very glad we did. The taxes are MUCH cheaper and there is so much more opportunity in NW Arkansas, also wonderful Schools!
Highly recommend if you are looking at this area...Beautiful!

steph of AR 1:29AM June 24, 2010

Move here? Heck, I am trying to get out. Water is way too expensive, a lot cheaper in neighboring Bentonville or Hiwasse. Anyway, here we go again, Bella Vista wants to kill the Vultures, you know the ones that clean up all the waste the people leave on their boats, like fish guts, dead fish, food. They also help clean up road kill. But leave it to Bella Vista to get rid of things like this. Oh, and did I mention that the City has amended their Firearms Ordinance which will now allow those who have a permit can kill our animals. If you recall, it was the Bella Vista POA who wanted to murder all our lovely Canada Geese, one big reason was that the golfers didn't like them. Sorry golfers. I am sure they don't like you either. So what will be next, kill the squirrels? dogs? cats? Oh, again for you golfers, other birds "poo" on the greens also, when will you be getting rid of them?
I might also add that the mayor and some of the council members were also with the POA before moving to the City. I find that really interesting. Maybe that is why they decided to have the POA maintain the roads - and pay them over 90,000.00, plus the City also pays the POA for billing of the trash service. Yep, sounds like good politics to me. Isn't this similar to what Judge Bisbee has done? hmmm think about it. All in the family!!!
Oh, and about the Townhouse association - well, they took away our anemities - pools and tennis courts which was the reason most of us bought here. Well, not only has the economy taken a toll on our homes, but now so has the Townhouse association. They did not even reduce our dues of $55.00 per month. They have even refused to inform all people of what is going on, indicating that it costs too much to mail information.
So, Bella Vista - hmmm. Well it is beautiful - but watch out, they will take you for a ride if you are not careful. Oops, almost forgot, the Arkansas game and fish commission, who we pay our taxes too, stock the lakes,but even though ALL of Arkansas pay taxes, they are not allowed to fish the lakes unless they know somebody who lives in Bella Vista. The AGFC also gets funding from the Federal government, so I guess you can say that the POA, a non-profit organization, is using OUR tax dollars to benefit them only!!
Please do extensive research before moving here, ask questions -many - talk to alot of people. Then make your decision.

rose of AR 5:26PM June 04, 2010

I had 4 hens in a little coop/hen yard, hidden behind my high privacy fence, but my next door neighbor turned me in, and the Bella Vista Architectural Control Committee (BV ACC) made me give them up. Hens do not crow, and cluck mostly when they lay eggs, which is once a day max. They are less noisy and dirty than most of the pet dogs around here. However, the BV ACC does have the power to cut off your water if you don't comply with their rules. (Although they say they have the power to fine you, and to come into your yard without your permission, they actually have no specific authority, and the City of Bella Vista has no specific rules on having hens, and neither does the Bella Vista POA. I suppose I could challenge the evil SOBs, but frankly buying organic eggs is cheaper than keeping hens.) Still, the BV ACC are a set of power hungry dog t*rds. I understand from other neighbors that they will make you tear down a privacy fence, shed, or deck if you don't go to them and say "Mother may I?" first.

Shirin de Silva of AR 10:37PM March 29, 2010

I'm probably biased, since I am the webmaster of a website built for those thinking of moving here (the kind of site I looked for and couldn't find when I was moving here 7 years ago) but I still think Bella Vista is a beautiful place to retire. 7 gold courses, 3 swimming pools, 5 country clubs (3 with resturaunts), 7 lakes for boating and fishing (and only 20 miles from the Corp of Engineers Beaver Lake, one of the largest lakes in Arkansas). The average age of residents is over 50 and there's more then enough to do in the Northwest ARkansas area for those who wish to maintain an active lifestyle. Hospitals are within easy driving distances and the VA Hospital is only 30 miles away.
Yep, a great place to retire...without a doubt! Visit www.beautfulbellavista.com to learn more.

Dustie Meads of AR 6:58PM November 11, 2009

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 3:44PM February 26, 2009