Several cities among the best

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Looking for one of the best places in the country to find a job when there aren’t many around?

How about a city with a relatively low crime rate, lots to do and an excellent school system?

Look no farther than Arkansas, according to RelocateAmerica.com, which chose three locales in the Natural State among the nation’s best 100 places to call home.

Editors of the website picked Fayetteville, Hot Springs Village and Little Rock as top destinations for those seeking greener pastures in tough economic times.

These discerning folks are to be commended for their good taste in those things that make a community livable. The national unemployment rate is near 10 percent, but Fayetteville’s is closer to half that, while its cost of living is reported to be nearly 8 percent lower than the U.S. average.

The website’s editors also cited outdoor appeal in Arkansas, including hunting, fishing, camping, sporting events and an abundance of fairs and festivals. All of those and more ... are only some of the attractions in what we like to call God’s Country.

Gosh, between Bikes, Blues & Barbecue, the War Eagle Craft Fair, the jazz festival in Eureka Springs, Little Rock’s zoo, Hot Springs’ hot springs, various festivities elsewhere in the state and the nationally known Springdale rodeo, along with the developing 34-mile Greenway trails system, there’s plenty to see and do.