We did have some interesting criteria… I wanted to live in the mountains.

I may need to define my “definition” of what a mountain is… I’ll just start with I grew up in Louisiana. You will see the most amazing sunsets ever in south Louisiana because you can see for miles and miles. But this means that it is flat as a pancake. 

We landed in North West Arkansas! If you haven’t driven from Fort Smith to Fayetteville… You need to! It has the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life.

So this is going to be this Louisiana Girl’s 17 Reasons to Live in the Mountains:

Snow

Growing up as a kid in Louisiana… I dreamed of snow. I remember one winter night, snow was falling about 3 hours north of where we lived. We all piled into a tiny red truck and drove up just to play in the snow. It was SO rare to get snow even close in North Louisiana. Now after living in Virginia for 4 years, I just don’t want to give up that experience.

Waterfalls

There is something so magical about a waterfall.

I just can’t explain how calming yet invigorating it is to listen to the water cascading off of the ledge and crashing at the bottom. Here in North West Arkansas there are many waterfalls that we can explore. Here is a waterfall that is about 15 minutes from our new house 🙂

Hiking

I love being able to go on long walks as a family. My favorite walks are on the trails. Hiking is a way to get back to nature and just explore your local plants and listen to the birds chirping. It is great to go hiking with kids and letting them get some outdoor time. Plus, it is a great exercise experience! It just isn’t as fun to hike unless you are in a hilly/changing terrain area.

Biking

Along with hiking, we can’t forget bike rides. I love going on bike rides as a family – and although we can’t handle too extreme climbs, we do enjoy trails that give us a challenge. In North West Arkansas, there are many public biking trails for everyone to enjoy.

The View

Wow.

The Views.

Views that will take your breath away.

I just went on a walk in my neighborhood yesterday with my girls and looked out to where the sun was setting over the valley. It was amazing.

Leaves Changing

Growing up in Louisiana… fall just meant that everything turned brown and fell on the ground. We missed out on all the beautiful fall colors that we could see in Virginia. Golds, Oranges, Reds. Something that everyone should experience in the fall.

Road Trips

We love going on road trips. Just this weekend we drove up to Missouri twice. What I love about this area is that the changing topography gives so much more interest to your drive. Driving from Fort Smith to Fayetteville has the best views of the area!

Mountain Lakes

There is something so majestic to be canoeing in a mountain lake with cliffs on both sides and calm water resting between. We were just driving around and found this amazing view of one of the lakes in our area.

Higher Elevation

When you live in an area with higher elevation, you have less humidity, cooler air, and more breeze. Adam is so hot natured it was certainly on his list to live in a place that was cooler.

Caves

We went to a park about 15 minutes from our house and found a natural cave with an active spring. It was pretty amazing to be a part of nature. We loved showing the girls how powerful water is that it made this cave by running through it daily. It was also a nice break from the sun.

Less Traffic

We did move to a smaller community in Arkansas than we lived in Virginia. Just in general, less people means less traffic. I really didn’t realize it, but I had stopped wanting to leave my house because I knew I would end up in a crowded street. I have to be honest when I say that I’m an introvert… so it has been more comfortable to me being in a smaller town. Adam just doesn’t like traffic lol.

Fresh Air

Living in the mountains, I feel like the air is just fresher. Smells clean and easy to breathe. It may be more the humidity of the south, but I love the smell of fresh air.

Less Mosquitoes

Growing up in Louisiana… mosquitoes were like that crazy uncle that ruined all the parties and never would go away.

Adam and my oldest daughter are pretty allergic to their bite as well, so it was always stressful to be outside and worried about them. I love living in an area with less mosquitoes and living where we have seasons that help keep their population down.

No Hurricanes

After Adam and I were married, we moved to south Louisiana for 8 years. During that time, I had to evacuate from 4 hurricanes. That was enough for me to realize that I didn’t want to live in an area that was prone to getting hurricanes.

To avoid them, just move to an area that is more inland and not close to the coast.

Boot Season

Okay, I know this is silly, but growing up in Louisiana I had all these winter clothes that we could only wear for like 1 week. I loved living in an area where we actually had a winter season. When you live in higher elevation, you should have more seasons and be able to wear all your cute winter clothes much longer.

Farm to Table Culture

This is something that I have been passionate for about 10 years. Having a community that values their local farmers and celebrates their food. Here in North West Arkansas we have been so impressed with the local restaurants and farmers who work together to bring the best to this community. I would expect to see that in many areas, but that was aspect that impressed me here.

Not the Beach

I know many people would probably disagree with me… and that’s okay. I don’t mind visiting the beach. I just don’t want to live there.

Maybe you didn’t see my profile picture… I’m a fair skinned red head lol. It just was not meant to be for me to love the beach.

So what I love is that the mountains just feel like home to me… I feel like I belong here.

Do you live in the Mountains? What do you love about it?