17 Things You Need To Consider If You're Thinking About Leaving Arkansas
By J.B. VanDyke|Published August 23, 2016
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J.B. VanDyke
Author
J.B. Weisenfels has lived in rural Arkansas for three decades. She is a writer, a mom, and a graduate student. She is also an avid collector of tacky fish whatnots, slightly chipped teapots, and other old things. In her spare time she enjoys driving to the nearest creek to sit a while. If you were to visit her, she'd try to feed you cornbread.
Arkansas has a pretty good retention rate. Most people who grow up here stay here. But what happens if you decide to cross those state lines and set up house in a place that is decidedly not Arkansas? Well, we have a hunch you’d have a long list of things that you’d miss terribly, even if you mostly like your new home. We don’t just mean your friends and family, either. We mean the whole Arkansas experience. So before you decide to take the plunge and move to Texas or Toledo or Timbuktu, check out this list and ask yourself if they have white cheese dip in Timbuktu. This list is also a good cultural primer for those just visiting far and distant lands. No need to confuse the patroness of that B&B in Vermont about the difference between dinner and supper.
1. You may not be able to find chocolate gravy anywhere else.
We’re the state responsible for the invention of cheese dip, and most Arkansans who now live in different states complain frequently and loudly about their new homes’ lack of white cheese dip.
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3. The food scene in general might not be so impressive or full of down home atmosphere.
I mean, where else can you find Indian food, authentic Mexican cuisine, amazing Vietnamese fare, and real, down home soul food all within the same square mile, mostly run by local families?
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4. You’re really going to miss all our amazing state parks.
We have 52 state parks and 7 National Park Service sites, and they're some of the most amazing places in the world.
5. In fact, you’re going to miss a lot of the Natural State’s natural wonders.
Flickr/Julius Whittington
With over 18 million forested acres, nowhere is more natural than Arkansas.
6. You’re not going to find better scenery than this:
The saddest I’ve been this week is when my friend who recently moved to Maryland said the fast food restaurant she visited there didn’t have sweet tea.
15. The word “supper” may be confusing in your new land.
In other places, dinner means the evening meal. So if you’re having dinner around noon, like most Arkansans, you’re going to confuse some folks. Pictured above: you explaining the nuances of supper vs. dinner to your Yankee friend.
16. If you’re going to a health conscious place, you may want to pack your go-to deep fryer.
