jekler

I know this is more about travel,but I've seen a few others talking about moving,so bear with me.I live in north Louisiana now,my husband has family in Van Buren/Fort Smith,Arkansas.We are wanting to move somewhere close around there(looking particularly at Fort Smith).Can anybody tell me which nearby cities they think are best.Education is very important as my son is about to start school.I'm also terrified of tornadoes,so I want to be somewhere that doesn't have too many.I've heard Paragould is nice,but small.Thanks all

GoTravel

jekler, it would be nice to be able to pinpoint natural disasters ahead of time but unfortunately, it isn't a possibility.

I would pinpoint your other criteria and concentrate on those things.

If I'm not mistaken, Arkansas experienced some very heavy rains and flooding from one of the hurricanes that hit Florida this year.

jenstu13

North Louisiana doesn't get tornadoes??? I live in central Mississippi and from what I've noticed, tornadoes can hit anywhere around the south or anywhere they wish to hit for that matter.
Wouldn't your relatives know about the school situations in the area they live in. If not, most states have a department of education web site which lists vital school statistics such as test scores, poverty, race, etc....
I've driven through Arkansas several times and stayed in the state twice. Most areas seem nice enough.
Hope your move is successful.

jekler

Hi,thanks for the replies.Yes,I'm aware you can't actually pin point natural disasters,but that doesn't mean we can't tell where they most commonly occur.,Yes Louisiana has some tornadoes,but Fort Smith is only about 177 miles away from Oklahoma City(which has the most tornadoes in the U.S.)According to sperlings best places to live,on a scale of 0-10,10 being the worst for having tornadoes,Fort Smith gets a 6.0,while Van Buren gets a 3.0 even though they're only a bridge apart.Yes my in-laws know a little about the schools,and I have been doing lots of research on many,many schools' criteria to see which ones are the best in which cities.I was just wondering what peoples personal preferences are about the best places to live there.I want to live close to Fort Smith,as I have never been to many of the surrounding cities such as Paragould and Siloam Springs I just wanted to know what other people thought.Thanks again.

GoTravel

jekler, pointing out where natural disasters occur most often doesn't mean squat.

Look at Floridians.

If you asked them one year ago if hurricanes are a threat to Florida, I'd bet money, in fact I can find you old threads, where people stated hurricanes were not a problem in Florida.

Ask them today.

Your theory is seriously flawed. You cannot predict where a natural disaster is most likely to occur.

You can look at past tornados to see where they have occured but it does not mean that they are any more or any less likely to occur in that location.

jeffwill4you

My Mother has lived in Bella Vista/ Bentonville Arkansas for 12 years now
and there has never been a tornado where she lives. Fort smith is about 80 miles west from her. North west Arkansas is very Beautiful.

jekler

HELLO-tornado alley is called that because that's where they most commonly occur!Yes you can predict where a natural disaster is likely to occur by looking at past occurances!I am well aware that a tornado can happen anywhere,but it is a fact that Oklahoma city has more than any other city in the U.S.So,by knowing that you could reasonably say there will probably be more. And if somebody in Florida says hurricanes are not a problem I think they would be seriously flawed in the head,does anybody remember Andrew,ohh I guess that wasn't a problem?!!I could care less what old threads say,I've known hurricanes hit Florida since I was a little girl.It's called common knowledge.This is a rediculous conversation.Thanks to jeffwill4you for actually tring to be helpfull.

jeffwill4you

Oops! 80 miles EAST of her

Brookside

Respectfully to all:

GoTravel, jekler's theory is not "seriously flawed." The city of Ft. Smith sustained quite serious damage from a tornado in the mid-1990's, and funnel clouds are a regular occurrence in the spring and fall. (I live 90 miles west of the area). The threat, while maybe not continuous, is real enough that an outsider would feel some trepidation.

While I personally wouldn't let that deter me from making a move that would otherwise be beneficial, I certainly wouldn't question another person's right to be concerned.

Jekler -- The weather around here can certainly be lively, but one adapts after awhile. The weathermen are *very* careful about tracking storms and sounding alarms, etc. (sometimes too careful!)so we feel very safe. How old is your son? Sounds like this will be a big change, but I'm sure it will be fine. Good luck!

jlm_mi

Actually, Brookside, jekler's theory that is "seriously flawed" is one you didn't mention in your post. The theory that moving to a place that in the past has had lower tornado activity means it will be safer in the future. The entire area is tornado-zone, and there's no way to know next year or 100 years from now which cities will be the hardest hit.

That, I believe, is what GoTravel is referring to. Pick someplace that you want to live and move there, despite the tornadoes. If you're in tornado country you can't feel safe because your particular town or area of town has had lower incidences of tornadoes in the past.

KE1TH

Northern Louisiana is more apt to experience "Tornado" weather in March and April, just like here in Alabama. Tornado Alley tornadoes occur more in April and May. But tornadoes can occur at any time of the year in any state. California had tornadoes just a few days ago. Granted they're not the monsters of Oklahoma/Texas/Kansas.... One of the most destructive tornadoes in US history hit Ohio back in 1974 on that fateful day where almost the entire eastern half of the US had severe weather. Kentucky and Alabama were also hit hard on that day. In 1998, Birmingham had a F5 (and some say possibly the first F6) hit west of town. Oklahoma City (especially Moore) had the most monitored (and most destructive) tornado in years hit in 1999. Shreveport has had a major hit recently. Basically, you're really no more likely to experience "more" tornadoes in Arkansas than what you already experience in Northern Louisiana. Just monitor the weather and have a safe place to go.

jekler

First I'd like to say I appreciate everybodys responses,I am 22,my son just turned 4,I know everybody with kids thinks this,but mine is the best in world!=) Say there are two cities beside each other,past history shows that one gets signifantly hit by more tornadoes,I think I'll take the other.There is no telling what tomorrow may bring,and I 'm not gonna let that stop me from moving,yeah I will be somewhat fearfull, I have already told my husband that where ever we go I want a storm shelter.Believe me,I over analize everything!!Ever since we decided to move there I keep having nightmares(seriously about 15 so far) that we're in our new house and get hit by tornadoes.It's just something that scares me.I was never really scared of anything till my son came along,now I worry endlessly. And I don't believe I ever had a theory,as everybody keeps saying jeklers theory,I know anything can happen at any time,what is true for today may not be true for tomorrow.But what's the saying about those who ignore the past are destin to repeat it.One last thing,we're kinda poor,really,we're saving every dime we get to make this move,I can't just move somewhere then decide I don't like it and move again.I just want to make the right decision,that's why I wanted to hear from other people who live around there.

Brookside

Excuse me -- but in reading everyone's posts, there really does seem to be an implication -- intentional or otherwise --that jekler is wrong to be concerned. Sure such things may not matter to a lot of you, but it obviously matters to jekler a lot.

I'm sure there was no intention to be unkind, but it definitely comes accross that way. Jekler was looking for a little reassurance and instead she was all but flamed.

gail

If one were to believe news reports we get in the northeast, it appears that tornadoes only hit trailer parks - so steer clear of them!

Patrick

And don't worry too much about the tornadoes. After all it all worked out for Dorothy in the end.

michelleNYC

Jekler -- Your posts are very hard to read. Remember to add returns between paragraphs and spaces after periods and commas.

tcreath

I live in Illinois, about 20 miles from St. Louis, and we too live in "tornado alley". However, it honestly sounds worse than it is. There have been tornados that have touched down, and a few have done extensive damage, but most are small and do little damage other than blowing some trees down and a few shingles off roofs. We do get tornado warnings in spring/summer but they rarely amount to anything more than heavy winds. The tornado warnings are issued in advance and usually leave plenty of time to get to safety in the rare event that something does happen. I would much rather live in a tornado zone than a hurricane zone!

Its almost impossible to live somewhere where at least some form of natural disaster does not happen. I definitely wouldn't let it be the deciding factor when choosing where to live.

Scarlett

Tell me about it!
I lived in nice calm weathered NYC for years! We could depend on snow in winter, maybe ice. We knew it would be hot in the summer with maybe a black out.
Then my husband decided to change our lives..we moved to Florida.
I asked, what about Hurricanes.
The Answer:
They don't ever get Hurricanes in Jacksonville.
We were here for 8 months before the first of 5 hurricanes hit us
My advice, don't worry about the weather..there is nothing you can do about it. It does not matter where you live, they always have weather
Good luck on your move.
I was a very young mother too, had my second when I was 22. You have some lovely fun years ahead of you, enjoy!

Jocelyn_P

jekler,

I completely understand your fears. I moved to Tulsa from San Diego less than a year ago. Our second night in town, a tornado touched down a couple of blocks away, and WE SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. So scary. You know, I lived in Kansas while in high school and kind of enjoyed the excitement that comes along with severe weather, but my perspective has completely changed now that I have young kids and I'm in the protector role. The best advice I can give is get a house with a safe room/storm shelter, a weatherband radio that will wake you up in the middle of the night if there's a tornado warning, and talk with you little boy about tornadoes in a relaxed, controlled way, before you have to rush him to the shelter in a panic.

Good for you for moving closer to family (that's what brought us here, too). It's so important for the kids. The best of luck to you!

GoTravel

Thank you jlm for writing what I was obviously unable to convey.

Of course hurricanes are more likely to happen in hurricane alley than anywhere else but that doesn't mean they won't happen.

Move wherever you want jekler and make the best like you can for your children.

Maybe you could talk to a professional to help with your nightmares.

One summer a couple of years ago when we were in Pawleys Island, Myrtle Beach got hit with a tornado. I think it was their first one ever in recorded history.