How one Arkansas group is trying to lure people looking for a ‘small town feel’

As more people flee major cities, Northwest Arkansas Council CEO Nelson Peacock is hoping to attract some of these people as potential residents. 

"We found that there are a lot of communities like ours that are kind of off the beaten path, not in the major city centers, but where you could have a really good job and combine that with the more easy lifestyle, outdoor activity focused," Peacock told Fox News Digital. 

The Northwest Arkansas Council announced on Monday that it partnered with multiple other communities throughout the country to help promote lesser-known cities and assist in "thoughtful growth." The program, known as the "Coalition of Hip Hideaways," is dedicated to expanding while still maintaining the atmosphere people admire.

"We're trying to make sure that as we grow, we can absorb those people and preserve the small-town feel that we have, but also continue to diversify our economy, grow the job opportunities that people have here and make sure that there's a strong, diverse, robust economy going forward," Peacock said.

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Several smaller communities have become a kind of safe haven for former city dwellers looking for safer and more affordable living. Although, Peacock noted, there are many admirable things about cities, there are a growing number of things that people "would rather do without."

"A lot of that is just the hassle factor of living life, commute times, can you get to your children's school on time, all of those different things. The cities where people have left, they really have to focus on that: their affordability, their housing, their infrastructure, crime in many cases, educational opportunities, everything that kind of rounds you out as you have a family and or raising a family. And I think cities that focus on those things will do well, and cities that aren't able to do that will struggle going forward," Peacock said.

He added, "You're seeing that a little bit in the exodus from some of the larger communities. It’s just people are realizing they don't have to pay millions of dollars for a not very big house, or they don't have to drive two hours each way to get to work." 

Northwest Arkansas has been a growing region, Peacock said, with the population expected to reach near one million within the next 20 years, nearly double its current population of about 546,000. 

To that, he credits the region’s atmosphere. 

"I think it's really been a story around the quality of life that you can have here, which is not very long commutes. You can have a low cost of living. And the pandemic, I do believe, really focused the country, that you can have these types of things. And then with the rise of remote work, you can do it from anywhere. Places that have a strong quality of life like this have really done well. I expect that's what will continue in the future as we go forward. But I think it's been that combination of good jobs, good place to live," Peacock said.

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"I think as people find places like ours, places like Missoula, Chattanooga and Colorado Springs, which are part of our coalition, they'll really look strongly at those," he commented.

The U.S. Census Bureau found that both the South and the West experienced population growth in 2023. Across all generations, four reasons came out on top for why Americans chose to move in 2023: To have more affordable housing or lower cost of living, move to a safer area, relocate for a new job, be closer to friends and family, and live in an area more aligned with their beliefs.

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Fox News' Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.