North Central Arkansas Regional Economic Development

Protection

Mountain Home Police Department has a Community Oriented Policing Services division (COPS) which conducts daily automated telephone calls to citizens living alone with special needs.

Mountain Home Fire Department, working with the Arkansas Dept. of Health, has a Fire and Fall Prevention Program designed to save lives by preventing home accidents and fires in the older population. Education of citizens to hazards that lead to falls and installation of safety devices such as bathroom grab bars and non-slip floor coverings can prevent tragedies. Mountain Home Fire Department pursues many efforts to get smoke detectors into homes and to change batteries for those who can't do it for themselves and even provides smoke detectors for those who can't afford them. The Arkansas Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Association recently recognized the Mountain Home Fire Department for its fire prevention efforts.

Government
Towns and cities of the North Central Arkansas Region's seven counties have the mayor-council form of government. County government's chief executive is the County Judge and each county's law-making body is the Quorum Court, with members elected by districts throughout the county and including the cities. Many counties and cities have a local sales tax (approved by voters) as a source of revenue in addition to their property tax base and fees for services.

County seat towns are as follows: Mountain Home (Baxter); Salem (Fulton); Melbourne (Izard); Yellville (Marion); Marshall (Searcy); Mountain View (Stone); and Clinton (Van Buren). Detailed information about the towns and counties is available online at www.1-800-arkansas.com.

Lakes
Since huge, manmade lakes tamed flooding in the White River basin in the 1950s, northern Arkansas has been a recreation mecca, with water sports at its center. But, the rolling, wooded Ozark Mountain landscapes furnish recreational opportunities off the water, too. Lake Norfork has roughly 500 miles of shoreline. Bull Shoals Lake is double that size with 1,000 miles of shoreline." Greers Ferry Lake, formed in 1964 by the damming of the Little Red River, has more than 340 miles of shoreline. A day on the lake is worth a month in town" is a well-advertised slogan here.

Wildlife abounds and the fishing is beyond compare. (See chart) On the lakes, the bass sometimes elude the even well-appointed weekend and visiting sportsmen, but many have landed record-sized specimens.

The lakes feature marinas, public parks and access points. The Army Corps of Engineers - which oversaw the building of the dams - still manages the lakeside parks and provides campsites, picnic areas, pavilions, restrooms, playgrounds, nature trails and educational programs, as does the Arkansas State Parks Department at Bull Shoals-White River State Park.

Rivers
Fly fishing enthusiasts share White River and its North Fork section as well as the Little Red River with traditional rod and reel fishermen. A special event in any visitor or resident's life is a day-long johnboat trip with shore lunches cooked on a sandbar. Internationally famous, the White River meanders through the Arkansas-Missouri Ozarks. The tailwaters of Bull Shoals Lake and Greers Ferry Lake are crystal clear and cold - a good habitat for rainbow, brook, and cutthroat trout.

The nation's first official National Scenic River - the Buffalo River - is here - flowing across Searcy County and Marion County. Canoeists and campers, sight-seers and hikers enjoy the river scape and the towering bluffs nearly year-round. The Buffalo River is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states offering both swift-running and placid stretches. Tyler Bend Visitor Center is 11 miles north of Marshall. The Buffalo Point Ranger Station is 17 miles south of Yellville.

Climate
North Central Arkansas has a temperate climate with mild winters, experiencing little snowfall. May normally brings the highest precipitation, at 5.1 inches.

Clubs and Organizations
In Baxter County, over 150 clubs and organizations meet regularly and represent interests from veterans and fraternal organizations to bird watching and gardening. There are clubs devoted to playing bridge, using computers, music, art, poetry, and retirement issues. There is a large network of health-based support groups and social support groups. Senior Citizen Centers operate in nearly all towns providing meals and activities in: Mountain Home, Big Flat, Norfork, Marshall, Melbourne, Flippin, Clinton, Shirley, Fairfield Bay and Damascus.

Volunteer opportunities are numerous - from hospital auxiliaries to animal welfare to food pantries and church-related projects. Organizations and agencies which help meet human needs can be found on an online directory for Baxter and Marion Counties at www.twinlakescommunity.org. It links area, state, and federal resources.

Youth soccer is growing in popularity, prompting Mountain Home civic leaders to meet the demand for fields by developing a soccer complex.

Families and the physically fit of all ages enjoy sports league including softball, basketball, bowling, and volleyball. Youth soccer is growing in popularity, prompting Mountain Home civic leaders to meet the demand for fields by developing a soccer complex with over ten fields. There are youth soccer leagues operating in Baxter and Marion Counties.

Fitness clubs offer various amenities, such as swimming pools, racquetball courts, tennis, weights and aerobic classes.

Outdoor life is important to most Arkansans, and the city parks are the hub of many summer activities, including in some locations, tennis, basketball, playground equipment, swimming pools, baseball and soccer fields, horseshoe courts. The walking trails in the parks get a lot of foot traffic. At Cooper Park in Mountain Home, walkers will pass by historic pioneer era structures from the Rapp's Barren settlement, which was on the site of modern-day Mountain Home. Greers Ferry Lake offers a developed nature trail winding up Sugar Loaf Mountain, now an island in the lake.

Golfers may sample many scenic and challenging golf courses in North Central Arkansas. One of the newest courses in the area - Big Creek Golf & Country Club - is one of only 24 courses in the USA to receive a five-star rating from Golf Digest's Places to Play in 2008-2009, defined as "Superb. Golf at its absolute best. Pay any price at least once in your life." Big Creek, which opened in 2000, was awarded the biennial five-star rating for the third consecutive time. The course was also awarded five stars for the 2004-2005, and 2006-2007 rating periods. Big Creek is also: Rated #1 in USA - Top Courses Averaging 20,000 Rounds/Year or Fewer; Rated #1 Public Course in Arkansas for fifth time (Arkansas Business, March 2008 Readers Survey).

Baxter County
Big Creek Golf & Country Club (18) - Mountain Home
* Five-star ranking (Golf Digest's Best Places to Play - 2004-2009)
(870) 425-8815
Twin Lakes Golf Club (18) - Mountain Home
(870) 425-2028

Searcy County
Searcy County Golf Club - Ironhead Course (9) - Marshall
(870) 448-4722
Last Mine Golf Course (9) - Marshall
(870) 448-3478

Van Buren County
Indian Hills Country Club (18) - Fairfield Bay
(501) 884-3852
Mountain Ranch (18) - Fairfield Bay
(501) 884-3400
Red River Golf Club (9) - Clinton
(501) 745-8774

Retirement
For more than 30 years, retirement-age citizens from throughout the United States have moved to northern Arkansas for the lifestyle they want - a climate with four seasons, a safe environment, fishing and outdoor recreational opportunities, good medical community, and an active lifestyle with those who share similar interests. Popular relocation reference books have named the northern Arkansas area one of the best retirement spots in the United States.