Great Areas of Central Arkansas Vol. 2: West Little Rock

If you prefer a more suburban setting with more room, or perhaps a quiet neighborhood to start a family, West Little Rock offers high-quality, comfortable living.

CHENAL

Chenal Homes

Chenal is a scenic community of impressive homes, luxury condos, championship golf courses, fine dining, shopping, outdoor recreation and so much more. Chenal is well known for having the most sought-after Central Arkansas homes. Whether you’re looking for a beautiful house in a specific neighborhood, a view overlooking the golf course, or lots to build your dream retreat, you’ll find it in this expansive subdivision. Chenal has seen enormous growth over the past ten years and offers a very wide range of living options in addition to upscale shopping and impressive dining options. The Promenade at Chenal —from beautiful large family homes to new upscale apartments for single residents or couples. Located near the Chenal Country Club, Chenal Valley is characterized by its eye-catchingly elegant houses and beautiful golf courses.

PLEASANT VALLEY

Pleasant Valley Country Club

West Little Rock’s prestigious Pleasant Valley is another beautiful neighborhood that offers comfortable suburban living in the midst of stunning natural scenery. Pleasant Valley is a large area that includes a variety of living options as well as excellent schools, churches, neighborhood pools, and golf courses. Pleasant Valley Country Club is the premier country club of Arkansas, featuring a 27-hole championship golf course of rolling hills and tree-lined fairways. In addition to stunningly beautiful homes of many different sizes and styles, Pleasant Valley is also home to Christ the King Catholic Church and School, Saint James United Methodist Church, and Temple B’nai Israel, and Pulaski Academy, just to name a few. In the rolling hills of Pleasant Valley, one will find the beautiful subdivisions of Pebble Beach, Marlowe Manor, Hillsborough, and Valley View, among many others. Impressive shopping and dining options are also found within this beautiful suburban area.

PLEASANT RIDGE AREA

Pleasant Ridge Town Center

The Pleasant Ridge Area is another beautiful suburb in West Little Rock, providing resort-style living at a prime location. Nestled in between prestigious Pleasant Ridge Town Center and Pinnacle Mountain, Pleasant Ridge offers the best of both worlds—near entertainment, shopping, and fine dining and also beautiful hiking trails by the Arkansas River. Pleasant Ridge Town Center is one of Little Rock's premier shopping centers and features all of the elements that appeal to the discriminating shopper. The Center is home to stores such as Belk and restaurants like Bar Louie and Bonefish Grill. In addition to beautiful homes that overlook the Arkansas River (Walton Heights), this part of West Little Rock offers an array of newly constructed condominiums and luxury apartments at reasonable prices.

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Great Areas of Central Arkansas Vol. 1: Little Rock - Hillcrest & The Heights

Central Arkansas is a great place to live and has many great neighborhoods to offer. Whether you are looking for the hustle-and-bustle of the vibrant downtown area, a quiet homestead in a beautiful suburban neighborhood, or something more quaint in between, Central Arkansas has the option for you at an affordable price. This series of blogs will describe the many great places to live in Central Arkansas:

Hillcrest

One of Hillcrest's many festivals

Hillcrest is one of Little Rock’s beautiful historic neighborhoods—it is often referred to as the Hillcrest Historic District by its residents. Hillcrest is the lower, southern section of the Pulaski Heights neighborhood and contains some of Little Rock's most historic construction in both commercial and residential areas. Often thought of as the "heart of Little Rock," it is located almost directly in the center of the city and was arguably the first fully established suburb in Little Rock, and among the first neighborhoods in Arkansas. Much of what makes Hillcrest an historic district and famous neighborhood are the highly sought-after houses of diverse architectural styles. Ranging from Prairie to Queen Anne styles, the houses were built from all different time periods to represent Hillcrest as a unique neighborhood. Hillcrest is also a great place to raise a family, with historic schools and churches nestled alongside the beautiful historic homes. Along Kavanaugh Boulevard, the central vein of Hillcrest and The Heights, you will also find excellent restaurants, coffee shops, and boutique stores. Bars and restaurants such as Ciao Baci, The Afterthought, The Fountain, and La Terraza also offer an eclectic mix of establishments that offer unique cuisine and live music to keep Hillcrest nights alive.

The Heights

The Heights' strip of restaurants and shops

Nestled along the North side of Hillcrest is The Heights, another beautiful Little Rock neighborhood. This district is located on the north side of Cantrell Road and University Avenue, and extends East toward downtown Little Rock, ending at the beautiful Country Club of Little Rock. The Heights is mostly newer than Hillcrest and contains many popular stores, restaurants, and bars that give the neighborhood a vibrant evening and night life. The Heights is also very family friendly, with many beautiful family homes, churches, and excellent schools. A leisurely stroll along the north half of Kavanaugh Boulevard and into the more historic part of the Heights offers plenty of options for dining and shopping, as well as pleasant views of a beautiful and comfortable neighborhood.

Clutter Removal Tips

Once you decide to start decluttering, taking it one room at a time makes tasks more manageable.  Choose one room to begin cleaning out and organizing – don’t start multiple projects at once.  You will likely be much more productive if you choose one task to tackle and complete before moving on to the next.  The most common places with a lot of clutter are closets, pantries, garages, and kitchen drawers.

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The first step in decluttering your closet is to sort through your clothes.  Get rid of, or donate, any clothes that you have not worn within the past year, any clothes that make you uncomfortable, or any clothes that do not fit.  Next, do the same with your shoes.  Get rid of any that are too worn out or are not comfortable to wear.  All of those clothing items you no longer need can be donated at a local second-hand store.

In the kitchen, begin by getting rid of food you think you will never likely use. Non-perishable food items can be donated to a local food bank or homeless shelter.  Clear out unnecessary items in kitchen drawers, and reorganize frequently used utensils and cookware.  Many people have junk drawers in the kitchen – this is also a good place to clear out clutter and reorganize commonly used items.

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In the garage, extra space can be used to store organized items to reduce clutter. You can start by sorting items—beginning with items that can be thrown away, items that can be donated, and items to be kept and organized. If you have room, organize the items you must keep into boxes or onto shelves, making more convenient to access particular items such as tools when needed. As you begin to sort through your garage, as with other rooms and closets in your house, you may find that you have accumulated things that you have forgotten about and no longer need. Throwing away or donating such items will help maximize the space in your home and will certainly make moving easier.

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Keeping your home decluttered will help if you are preparing to move. Many people find that the smaller items in their homes take the most time to gather and pack than larger items.  You can save time by keeping smaller items in organized spaces and getting rid of excess. This will also make it easier to avoid accumulating unnecessary items that cause clutter.

Watch Your Back!

In the process of moving, it is tempting for people to take on the lifting of heavy items themselves while neglecting the possible risk of back injury. This oversight can have painful, and sometimes permanent, consequences. Lifting heavy items improperly can cause damage in the muscles, joints, and spinal discs of the back. 

When lifting, be aware of your movements and know your limits

You can decrease the chance of back injury by using proper form when lifting. Take a look at these easy preventative steps to take to save your back:

Posture! The first and most important step should be to ensure that the back is kept straight. A common mistake that leads to injury is allowing the back to curve during lifting, which puts harmful strain on the muscles in the lower back. You can keep your back straight by keeping the chest pushed forward. Do this while bending at the hips and knees. This form will allow the back to remain in a straight orientation and will prevent curvature while lifting weight. Furthermore, using this form will allow the muscles of the legs and hips to do the work, saving your lower back from harmful strain.

Don’t do the twist! Lead with the hips while lifting to avoid any harmful twisting motion. It may be tempting to lead with the shoulders, which runs the risk of twisting out of a straight posture and putting strain on the wrong muscles. Such a motion combined with heavy weight can cause damage to the joints in the back, as well as to the pelvis. The shoulders should be kept aligned with the hips—nice and straight ahead.

Watch your center of gravity! The center of gravity is the point at which the entire weight of a body may be considered as concentrated so that if supported at this point the body would remain in equilibrium in any position. Be sure to keep the weight close to the body during the entire process of lifting. This may be a rather obvious point, but holding weight further away from the body (and thereby away from the center of gravity) will make lifting much more difficult and can put unnecessary and harmful strain on the lower back. Keeping the weight centered and close to the body ensures the most efficient lifting, requiring the least possible amount of effort to lift.

THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP: KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND NEVER HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP

Next time you are moving something—whether it’s a refrigerator, a piano, a big chunk of lead, heavy boxes for that friend who asked you last-minute to help him move, or even barbells at the gym—don’t forget to watch your back and keep these three tips in mind to avoid injury.

Posted by Brandon Moving & Storage, Central Arkansas' premiere movers