five for friday, part two (arkansas edition)

top five things i will miss about fayetteville, AR when i move are:
1. the many walking, hiking, and biking trails.
2. exceptionally delicious bbq joints: lucky lukes, the whole hog cafe, and penguin ed's AND delicous southern chicken joints: chick-fil-a, slim chickens, popeyes, mamma dean's.
3. small town/college town trappings: craftsman and historical houses, sidewalks, tree lined roads, enthusiasm for local history, walk-to farmers markets, excellent public library.
4. all four very beautiful (even if sometimes harsh) seasons.
5. a near perfect ratio of stuff i want/need located in an area that is unmatchable in cost-of-living and affordability.

top five things i will NOT miss about fayetteville, AR when i move are:
1. occasional unabashed or unrealized blatant racism.
2. the lack of racial (and to a lesser degree, cultural) diversity.
3. humidity.
4. lack of larger music scene.
5. absence of an h&m, urban outfitters, costco, and trader joes.

top five places i realistically fantasize about moving to from fayetteville, AR are:
1. seattle, WA
2. boulder/denver, CO
3. albuquerque, NM
4. austin, TX tied with nashville, TN
5. CALIFORNIA

top five images, in my mind, that represent AR are:
1. old main and the the many trees around the UA campus.
2. the 540, the only major freeway that brings you to and from fayetteville, AR.
3. wilson park.
4. dickson street and the view of the downtown area from mount sequoyah.
5. the clinton library.
(images in thanks to: mith242)

top five fun facts about AR are:
1. the diamond is the official state gem, designated as such in 1967 and AR is the only domestic source for diamond mining.
2. famous AR births: johnny cash, bill clinton, gen. wesley clark, john grisham, billy bob thorton.
3. state motto is the "natural state" and the state contains over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of streams and rivers.
4. sam walton founded his wal-mart stores in bentonville, where the company's headquarters remain today.
5. after the case of brown v. topeka board of education in 1954, the little rock nine brought AR to national attention when the federal government intervened to protect african-american students trying to integrate a little rock high school. governor faubus ordered the arkansas national guard to aid segregationists in preventing nine african-american students from enrolling at little rock's central high school. after attempting three times to contact faubus, president eisenhower sent 1000 paratroops to escort and protect the students as they entered school on september 25, 1957.