A calm livestock farming in the Ozark crashers in Arkansas starts to feel the weight of his own success and is now hardly recognizable for the locals who remember his dirt-road past.
What farm was in Bentonville, is only ten years ago a thriving real estate full of luxury apartments, luxury cocktail bars and a new baptized hub for technology and culture all thanks to the attraction of the world's largest retailer.
Walmart, with headquarters in the city since the 1970s, has transformed the city of Northwest Arkansas, with a population of around 60,000, into a magnet for newcomers, capital and culture.
With a glittering 350 hectare business campus that comes to the heart of the city and thousands of employees moving from Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto, Bentonville has become the epicenter of an unlikely tree that deserves the nickname of the 'Austin of the Ozarks'.
But now the forces that fed the rise of Bentonville thinly.
Fast development, spiral house prices, traffic congestion and a growing gap between wages and costs of living have caused new doubts about the long -term difference of the city.
For many old residents – and even a few newcomers – the shine can start to fade.
Earlier called the new 'Capital of Cool' and once associated with little more than rolling meadows and a modest headquarters with red bricks, Bentonville now has a flourishing population, chef-driven restaurants and a real estate market that has left local residents in astonishment.
Walmart, with headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas since the 1970s, has transformed the city of Northwest Arkansas into a magnet for newcomers, capital and culture
Part of the draw was the affordability of the place, the availability of jobs and the natural beauty of the area. Shown, Bentonville Square in the spring
The countryside and a slower way of life have been replaced by traditional cocktails, Bohemian coffee shops and an exclusive social club of $ 255 a month with a waiting list.
Part of the draw was the affordability, the availability of jobs and the natural beauty of the area, but the rapid growth of the city has led to their concern among old residents.
The 'bargains' mentality that people went to the city has now collided with a limited home inventory, causes a sharp rise in prices and the reforming of the housing landscape of the region.
According to Realtor.com, the Mediane Catalog Prize in Benton County rose to $ 447,313 – almost 50 percent of five years ago in February.
Since the beginning of 2020, the prices have risen by 68 percent on the basis of per square foot.
Traffic congestion, environmental pressure and a growing gap between housing costs and wages have radically changed the identity of the city.
Although the average American employee of Walmart earns around $ 27,640 a year, managers at the head office will probably have considerably more, while shop staff have to struggle with high costs of living on a lower wage.
A sit-down dinner in the center of Bentonville, noted a Walmart employee, costs as much as possible in Miami.
The average family income of the city is at $ 99,000, almost double the state's average, but that figure masks an increasing gap between newcomers of companies and local residents.
Anyway, developments continue with luxury apartment complexes that are rising, which overloaded a city that was once overlooked.
Arkansas became the number one destination for Interstate movers in 2024, according to data from Atlas van Lines and nowhere is the Golf more visible than in Bentonville, where people have moved from California, Texas, New York and even Austin.
Bentonville now has a flourishing population, chef-driven restaurants, exclusive social clubs and a real estate market that has left the local residents astonished
Downtown Bentonville, Arkansas with the Walmart Museum and the original Walton 5-10 store
“We had an intake of Austin,” said Stephanie Funk, a luxury real estate adviser at Engel & Völkers. 'People see this as Austin before it became too big … It reminds them of Austin in the 90s or 2000.
'It is not our indigenous Arkansans who buy $ 3 million houses; It is the people who move who really see it as almost as a bargain. The locals are like: “$ 3 million, are you joking?” ', Funk said to Realtor.com.
In 2013, only 14 houses in Bentonville sold for more than $ 1 million. In 2023 that number increased to 244, according to local broker Kristen Boozman, and it is the growing influence of Walmart that is central to the transformation
The retail giant has more than 15,000 business workers in Bentonville and reforms the city with its ultramodern head office.
The new facility includes wellness centers, paths, childcare and food halls – all designed to lure top talent and position the company for the next generation of retail.
Glansende glass and steel buildings have replaced the original bunker of the company with the company and symbolize the evolution of Bentonville from a sleepy southern city to a modern business and cultural hub.
More than 1,300 Walmart suppliers have also planted roots in the area, including Nestlé, Unilever and Pepsico, who entail well-paid jobs and waves of new residents.
Glansende glass and steel buildings have replaced Walmarts original bunker from the 70s, which symbolizes the evolution of Bentonville from a sleepy southern city to a modern business hub
The retail giant has more than 15,000 business workers in Bentonville and now reforms the city with its ultramodern head office campus
The gigantic grocer hit the existing buildings to replace them with 12 new office buildings, various facilities, parking rings and green space. (Shown: a displayed version of the future Walmart head office)
Bentonville, Arkansas, about three hours outside of Little Rock, has gone from a quiet city -filled city to a trendy hub filled with facilities in large cities such as New York and Austin
The old red and white Ford truck that belonged to Sam Walton is seen for the first Walmart store, which now serves as a business museum near the Arkansas head office
The economic wrinkle effect has also produced a lively startup scene and a small technical tree, especially in the innovation of retail trade.
“There are many suppliers to suppliers who create solutions in the retail trade,” Funk explains. “Some very smart people create important tools for store technology here.”
Bentonville has indeed been called a 'Jetson-like test market' by Axios for the experiments of Walmart with drones, truck-free trucks and futuristic logistics systems.
It means that Northwest-Parkansas is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, whereby the population has risen more than 25 percent since 2010. It is expected to hit almost 1 million inhabitants by 2045.
Apart from economic growth, there has also been a cultural shift.
Bentonville is now the home of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Walmart -fgename Alice Walton.
Court House in Bentonville, Arkansas, on the inner city square
The Bentonville Film Festival, founded by actress Geena Davis, celebrates diversity in film, with a slim new cinema to present the films
The Walton family, who founded Walmart, has invested millions in creating hundreds of kilometers of mountain biking that cross the region
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art that opened in 2011 has become an important tourist draw in Bentonville, Arkansas, with free access and a collection of $ 1.7 billion
The collection of $ 1.7 billion includes works by Norman Rockwell and Georgia O'Keeffe, and it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year with free access.
In the neighborhood, the Bentonville Film Festival, founded by actress Geena Davis, diversity in film, is celebrating with a slim new cinema to present the films.
Theater, nightlife and dining have shot carrot, from wood -fired pizza leaks to underground speakeasies.
Even outdoor recreation has been defined again. The Walton family, who still owns nearly 50 percent of the store giant, has cast back part of that fortune in the area, including the financing of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art that was opened in 2011.
The family has also invested millions in creating hundreds of kilometers of mountain bike routes that cross the region.
Seventy-five years earlier, Sam Walton opened a five-and-dime store in Bentonville.
The name of his family is now etched on museums, paths, campuses and cultural institutions that have turned Bentonville into a magnet for those who want to start again.
