Fine place to travel, better place to live. Review on Arkansas

Arkansas is a darn unique little corner of the world. I've lived here all of my life, and doubt that I'll ever leave. While I realize this is supposed to be a travel article, I'll focus in more on the folks living here and the culture.

Now, one thing you need to know about scenic Arkansas is that one needs to know about Arkansas is that it's typically warm around here. While we have parts of the year that could pass as seasons here in Northwest Arkansas, the rest of the state divides the year into two parts -- summer and a couple or three months that aren't quite summer. When I was growing up in Central Arkansas, snow was a rarity and the entire town shut down when around an inch of snow fell. In the Delta region of the state, snow is even more rare.

Also, Arkansas is pretty small in terms of population. According to the 2000 Census, 2.67 million people live here. When you're talking about a state that's roughly the size of England, that translates into a rather sparse population across the state. Of course, some areas such as Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, Fort Smith and Fayetteville boast high populations (in Arkansas terms, anyway), so those areas have lost quite a bit of their rural character.

A sparse population also means less development. So, if fishing, camping and other activities that involve running around outside are your thing, then a peaceful trip to Arkansas might be worth considering.

Another thing to mention is the absolute geographical diversity of the state. East Arkansas is fairly flat, while Northwest Arkansas is built on the Ozark Mountains. The low and flat parts of the state are full of swamps and mosquitos, and weird temperature changes are the norm in the state (as the old saying goes, if you don't like the weather in Arkansas, just wait a minute and it'll change). Generally, the air is humid and hot around these parts, and rain is common.

Now, the most fascinating thing about Arkansas has to do with the folks living here. When Arkansas was first settled, the Scotch-Irish flocked to it. Why? Back in those days, folks didn't care too much for poor Irish and Scottish folks, and no one didn't want to live in Arkansas. So, the two matched up perfectly -- a group of people that the snootier folks didn't want around went and settled an area that was on the ''frontier'' and a bit too forbidding for more civilized folks.

So, Arkansas hasn't been exactly looked on with favor in some parts of the nation. To make things worse, Arkansas joined the doomed Confederacy, and the stigma attached to the Dixie by the folks who won the War Between the States still lingers. Arkansas shares in the reputation of the former Confederate states. And, of course, teh governor of the state resisted federally-ordered integration of the public schools with the national guard 50 years ago. Surrounding Central High School in Little Rock with armed troops to prevent seven black kids from going there to get an education didn't exactly help the state's reputation.

So, Arkansas is poked fun of by some people in the U.S. who don't know any better (I haven't seen any evidence suggesting those folks are more brilliant -- they put our former governor, Bill Clinton, in office for eight years whereas we got him the hell out of our state -- I think we got the better end of that deal). I've also learned that reputation has spread internationally.

When I was in law school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, I lived next door to three fellows who were both Palestinian and engineering students. I would hang out over at their place often because they were fun folks and made damn good coffee. Anyway, Usama, the one I ran around with once and who was a groomsman at my wedding, told me that some stations showed American T.V. shows when he was growing up. One of those shows was The Beverly Hillbillies, a comedy about some yokels from the backwoods who struck it rich, moved to ''sophisticated'' California, and shocked the social elite with their down-home ways.

Usama said his mother was shocked and horrified when she learned he was coming to school in Arkansas because she feared everyone out here would be just like the rubes on The Beverly Hillbillies. Now, that's funny. She did visit her Son for about a month and was pleasantly-surprised by the natural beauty of the state and the friendly people who live here.

One thing about the negative reputation of the state is that a good number of us encourage it. Why? Very simple -- we like things fine just the way they are and would hate to see the state become crowded with folks who move in and gripe because we don't do things ''like they do in Pennsylvania'' or wherever.

A perfect example of this legacy of teasing is my great-grandfather, who was a railroad man. His job took him all over the nation, and he learned that people liked to make fun of his home state and his Southern drawl. The solution? He'd pull tricks on them and then come back home and talk about how stupid they were. One of his favorite tricks was to kind of squirm around and stomp his feet when surrounded by people in another state. When he was asked what was wrong, he'd say, ''Well, this is the first time I've worn shoes, and they make my feet hurt.'' Sadly, a lot of people fell for that blatant lie, and great-grandfather had another story to tell his family when he came back home.

So, Arkansas might surprise you. While it has a reputation of being a hotbed of white trash living in trailer parks, there's more to it than that. While I hate the fact that the state isn't large enough to support pro athletics or other amenities I enjoy when visiting Dallas, St. Louis or Kansas City, the friendly atmosphere and slow pace of the place makes that all okay. A lot of people travel here on business or pleasure, and they'll find enough in this little state to keep them busy.