This is living
Southern Living, that is
Lies, damn lies, and best-andworst lists. In these, you-knowwho lives in the details, and is sometimes causing all kinds of hell. Remember the “worst cities to send your kid to college”? Somebody once took crime stats from the FBI, interposed a map of American college cities, and came up with Hammond, La., as the worst place you could send your child for an education.
(A little undercover work—very little—showed that the Hammond police, with probably not much else to do, reported every single crime to the FBI that year, whereas major cities sometimes reported nothing. Those crime stats were all reported voluntarily, and weren’t close to being uniform.)
With an always skeptical eye towards these best-and-worst lists, congratulations anyway to Little Rock and Bentonville, Ark. Both made Southern Living’s 2024 list of Best Southern Cities. The capitol ranks No. 25, while Bentonville comes in at
No. 21. No doubt the PR types in both places will make the best use of the publicity. Who can blame them?
With all due respect to the publication, we might have ranked the
Arkansas cities a little closer to the top
10, especially considering some of the competition, but it makes more sense knowing the rankings were for those visiting. And Arkansas’ major cities can indeed be complimented for being attractive to visitors.
For instance, New Orleans ranks No. 4 in this particular ranking, a far cry from its No. 129 overall ranking in America by U.S. News & World Report. As Southern travel goes, we’d rank Nawlins No. 1. And if restaurants are included, higher than that.
We might add that Little Rock’s No. 25 ranking is also a far cry from where it was ranked by Forbes—No. 10 for young professionals—and further yet from its No. 102 overall ranking by U.S. News & World Report last year.
Unlike other lists that use strict criteria, the Southern Living ranking is a popularity contest judged through the eyes of readers, which means a city with a higher circulation of the magazine is more likely to be ranked higher.
How else would Birmingham (Southern Living’s hometown) be ranked No. 15?
Be that as it may, the magazine mentioned Little Rock’s outdoor activities: Big Dam Bridge, bicycling, the River Market, Ottenheimer Market, Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden and the Argenta District in North Little Rock as reasons to spend money here earned elsewhere. Apparently, it forgot about the Clinton Presidential Center, The Hall (arguably Little Rock’s best music venue) and Dickey-Stephens baseball park, which has converted many of us who moaned publicly when Ray Winder winded down.
For its part, Bentonville’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and The Momentary (a contemporary art space in a former cheesecake factory), as well as worldclass mountain biking, were listed as the main draws for the northwest part of the state. Let’s not forget the Arkansas Music Pavilion (AMP), which brings in acts like Dave Matthews, Sting and Widespread Panic during the spring, summer and fall, as well as breathtaking Christmas lights on display on the Bentonville and Fayetteville squares.
We understand how cities like Austin (ranked No. 8), Savannah (2) and Charleston (1) would be ahead of any city in Arkansas. After all, no ocean laps the Benton County line. And while The Hall is great, it’s not Austin City Limits.
But what has us confused is how cities like Memphis (24), Tulsa (22), previously mentioned Birmingham (15), or Greenville, S.C. (6), ranked ahead of us. Then again, we’re biased—and our view of Memphis may be tainted by the fillings-loosening potholes on the way from here to there.
If it’s any consolation, a visit to Southern Living’s website reveals the Top 25 in descending order, which means Little Rock is the first to be seen on the list, while Bentonville is fifth.
Take the wins where you can find them.