Little Rock

[updated september 2024]

SO, roomiematch.com's Little Rock roommate rundown:

Little Rock is proud of its place on our nation's civil rights trails (plural, various).

From Jazz in the Park to Juneteenth (they've been celebrating theirs for decades now!), Little Rock has been celebrating Little Rockers' proud place in our nation's Civil Rights history. They're also a part of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, connecting more than 100 sites across 14 states, directing historical appreciators to those landmarks that define Arkansas and America's civil rights history.

Including Rockers' pride in celebrating aspects of the 20th-century American woman - decade by decade, through her handbag and the contents within. Because this is who she is in our American public sphere.

In addition to Bill, they love their Hillary too (especially at the airport), along with their rightful and important place in civil rights history.

Along with purses and handbags. And cheese dip.

So Jazz, Juneteenth, purses and handbags, Bill and Hillary, and cheese dip. Are these interacting with each other? Obviously. Exactly which or what and with who? You and your roommates can decide.

Sure, we know, exactly who doesn't love good cheese dip? But did you know they take theirs so seriously, a nice-sized wedge of Little Rocker Octobers are dedicated to hosting the World Cheese Dip Championship?

FYI: Yes, there are musicians and it's a nice place to kick back but you can't bring your dog to eat dip. It's not allowed. Little Rock is generally dog-friendly but they need you to understand how destructive a dog could be to a dip event. You shudder to think. You'd shudder even more to clean the dog.

At most events and Little Rock in general, they also tend to offer barbeque, baking, and burgers . . . much of which you could enjoy outdoors on a nice day. Along with a whole lot of the rest of Little Rock, with their truly excellent nature galore with trails practically demanding your presence over spectacular bridges and highways, along with their usually easygoing climate.

There are a number of fine loops for pedestrians, some connecting downtown, and the Big Dam Bridge, linking the Murray Lock and Dam with Cooks Landing Park. That's the longest bridge in the world for pedestrians and bicyclists only, part of the Arkansas River Trail at the juncture where it's 90 feet over the river.

There's really no lack of lower key but still relatively macho hiking and biking situations you could enjoy almost any time of the year. The only thing Little Rock might be said to lack would be the public transport that might make more of them more available for the less hardy? Unfortunately, the infrastructure for commuting by bicycle isn't great in most areas.

Even though for recreational biking Little Rock is superb, more than that would be financially challenging for a city this size. So with the money you may be saving via Little Rock's low cost of living otherwise . . . you should probably make do with your car, which you'd want anyway. Even if you're hell on wheels on a bike, there will be some days you wouldn't rather, possibly weather?

Along with celebrating all the above a lot, Little Rockers also strongly encourage their visually creative to mural. There's an official Little Rock Mural Tour (LRMT)! So far they've got dancing produce to Arkansas musicians to celebrations of local harvests. (You and your roommates could make some art to join the tour too. Definitely maybe! Check with the LRMT!)

The rest of the Little Rock roommate lowdown:

• capital of Arkansas, largest city in Arkansas - about 200,000 in the city, metro residents are about 700,000
• Where the Ozarks Mountains, the Ouachita Mountains and the Mississippi Delta converge. Little Rock features flat land and their own version of a hill country, in the center of the state along the Arkansas River.
• Many enjoy their extra colorful fall foliage.
• hot, humid summers, mild winters with very little snow, can freeze in December or January but rarely stays that cold for long
• North Little Rock is technically another city, but most regard both as part of one large metro area.
• East Little Rock is mostly flat. West Little Rock gets more than a little hilly in places.
• Parking is generally easy and free. There's a cute trolley (River Rail Trolleys) that will take you around downtown attractions for cheap. There's also a city bus (Rock Region Metro), but problem with the bus?
• home to several colleges and universities, including University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the UAMS Medical Center, University of Arkansas Law School, Philander Smith College, and the Clinton School for Public Service
• home to the Clinton Presidential Library and the Little Rock Zoo

After you're settled down, you and your roommates should experience Little Rock's:

• Central Arkansas Library Main Library: Former warehouse of the Fones Brothers Hardware Company, now the largest public library in Arkansas, since 1997.
• Arkansas Arts Center: Home to many major works, a Museum School, and a Children's Theatre
• William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Park: Over the Arkansas River, the largest in the system, dedicated to his two terms, and includes a replica of the Oval Office
• Clinton Presidential Park Bridge: Now pedestrian and bike only too
• River Market District: Would you and your roommates like a relatively nice but still affordable area full of restaurants, bars, museums, clubs, galleries, etc., all within walking distance along the Arkansas River? Have I got a district for you!
• Little Rock Zoo: Would you like to meet Kevin? He's a rhinoceros. He just turned 2. There's also a newer serval habitat, plus more than 200 other species.
• Mosaic Templars Cultural Center: Showcasing Arkansas's unique contribution to African American achievement from 1865 to 1950. The original mostly burned down in 2005, but they rebuilt and reopened an even larger and more modern facility. Also hosts Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.
• Murry's Dinner Playhouse: Serving buffet meals with a side of theatrical presentation. Since 1967!
• Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts: It's a combination of botanical garden and live theater!
• Riverfest: Little Rock's largest arts festival, held every Memorial Day weekend in Riverfront Park, and ends with fireworks over the Arkansas River
• Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden: More than 90 works of art, locals and from across the country - gardens with "a sense of whimsey and a Little Rock-focused sense of place"
• Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site: Famous for integrating 9 students in 1957, now enshrines their memory as brave desegregationists by functioning as a National Park Service. Interactive exhibits and an actual functioning high school within it.
• Little Rock Mural Tour: "No one gallery can contain Little Rock's thriving arts scene, so it's only natural that it spread onto walls and doors throughout the city."
• Arkansas River Trail: 17-mile loop, you and your roommates could run, walk, or bike, or camp at various locations on trails branching off, including down to the Delta or into . . .
  
  . . . Pinnacle Mountain State Park: Locals say no climbing experience is necessary for this one, but if you don't have any, definitely take the west trail, as the east is steeper. Good birdwatching and wildflower appreciating, and if you're really advanced, the Ouachita National Recreation Trail starts here and goes all the way to Oklahoma.
• ESSE Purse Museum: "Tells the evolution of 20th-century American woman through the bags she carried and their contents." It's a whole fashion museum revolving around handbags, their history and design. Also the stuff within. Hundreds of handbags curated by decade. Is this museum just about handbags, or about the entire history of the modern American woman, but told through her handbags? You decide.

Here's the city of Little Rocks's official .gov for new residents, covering a wide variety of local tidbits for you and your roommates.

Notes

1.   The non-traditional roommate rent average for this city we've experienced over the last 3 years. We can't predict future rental availability, because we're neither in control of any rental market nor psychic, sorry!

But in most cities most of the time, the recent and relatively recent past are the best predictors.


2.   This idea came from smartasset.com's ranking of what a roommate saves you in 50 cities. They ranked where roommates will save you the most money, based on the average cost of a 1BR as opposed to a 2BR ÷ 2. Unsurprisingly, the more expensive the city, the more you can save, but the savings are significant in all larger metros. So we got the data for the rest of our cities from Zumper too.

This is really the minimum you could save, as you could live with more than one roommate, split more services, share food or other supplies, etc. More sharing tends to lead to more savings too, as per our roommate roadmap.

As per the rest of the description at the top of this page, we're calling this "traditional" roommate rent.


3.   From zumper.com.


4.   Directly quoted from the Trust for Public Land's parkland rating system.

"The ParkScore index awards each city up to 100 points for acreage based on the average of two equally weighted measures: median park size and parkland as a percentage of city area. Factoring park acreage into each city’s ParkScore rating helps account for the importance of larger “destination parks” that serve many users who live farther than ten minutes’ walking distance."

While each city's rundown already includes their individual ParkScore, nature lovers might like to see all roommate cities ranked for parkland.


5.   Directly quoted from Walk Score's Cities and Neighborhoods Ranking. They've ranked "more than 2,800 cities and over 10,000 neighborhoods so you can find a walkable home or apartment."

While each city's rundown already includes their individual Walk Score, dedicated pedestrians might like to see all roommate cities ranked for walkability.


6.   From various lists here on our own best roommate cities.


7.   From hoodmaps.com: a collaborative map where residents use tags describing social situations you're likely to find. Other users can thumb up or down, so the largest tags have been thumbed up the most.