Bella Vista

Bella Vista is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. First established in 1917 as a summer resort destination, Bella Vista has evolved and redesigned itself over the succeeding years. Bella Vista became a retirement community in 1965, and, after much contention and a 2006 vote of its property owners, became an incorporated city in 2007. The city has been experiencing a population and building boom in recent years, as indicated by a 60% growth in population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses. In 2000, there were 16,582 people, 7,818 households, and 6,004 families residing in the community, which at the time was recorded as a census-designated place (CDP). In the 2020 census, the city had a population of 30,104 people, 12,396 homes, and 8,792 families residing. The U.S. Census Bureau says the city has a total area of 45.9 square miles (118.9 km²), of which 44.2 square miles. (114.6 km²) is land and 1.6square miles (4.2km²) of water. In the city, the average household income is $25,406, and the median income for a family is $44,090. The average household size is 2.10, with the average family size being 2.38. The median age in the city is 61 years. For every 100 females, there are 90.9 males.

Geography

Bella Vista is located in northern Benton County. Its northern border is the Missouri state line. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.9 square miles (118.9 km²) of which 44.2square miles (114.6km²) is land. 1.6square miles of the city is water, consisting mainly of the several lakes within the city. The city is located on the Missouri-Arkansas state line, which is also the city's northern border. It has a population of 2,816. It is located at an elevation of 1,836.5 feet (457.2 meters) and has a land area of 44.9square miles. It was founded in the early 1900s by a group of German immigrants. The town was named after the town of Bella Vista, Missouri, which was once part of the German-American diocese of St. Louis. The name Bella Vista means "beautiful lake" or "lake" in German. It also means "little lake" in English and "vacation" in Spanish. In the early 20th century, the town was known as "Vacation Lake" because of the number of lakes in the area. It became known as the "Little Lake" in the mid-20th century. It now has a name of the same name, but with a different meaning. It means "lake of the mountains" and is now known for its many lakes.

Demographics

As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 16,582 people, 7,818 households, and 6,004 families residing in the community. The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.87% White, 0.18% Black or African American,0.69% Native American, and 0.27% Asian. The population was spread out, with 12.3% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 16.4% from 25 to 44, 26. 3% from 45 to 64, and 41.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household was $44,090, and the median price for a family was $48,233. About 1.5% of families and 2.5%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under the Age of 18 and 1.0%. The per capita income for the community was $25,406. The city is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the town. The Ohio River is a tributary of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is one of the few rivers in the state that flows through the city. It is the only river in the city that is not a major waterway. The river is a major source of drinking water for the city, which has a population of about 30,000. It also provides a water supply to the rest of the city and the surrounding area.

Government

Bella Vista's Declarations and Protective Covenants is the "rule book" that governs the POA. The POA is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors who serve three-year terms. The City of Bella Vista now has responsibility for police, fire, streets, library, community development, and other services. The residents voted in 2006 to incorporate as an official city effective January 1, 2007. The Property Owners Association still remains intact to service the recreational amenities and provide water, but the city is now responsible for many other services, including the library, parks, and public works. The city is also responsible for most of the city's infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and water pipes, as well as much of the community's infrastructure and services, like roads, water and sewer lines. It is the only city in the state that does not have its own city hall or city council. It also has its own police and fire departments, which are part of the City's jurisdiction. The town's mayor is the chief of police, and the city council has its chief of planning, which is responsible for much of its infrastructure, including roads, parks and other facilities. The mayor is also the mayor of the town's city hall, which also is part of its responsibility for many of its amenities, including parks, libraries, and community development. The council also has the power to appoint the city manager, who is the head of the property owners' association. The property owners association is made up of two classes, Class A and Class B.

Parks and recreation

Bella Vista has seven lakes. Lake Ann, Lake Windsor, and Lake Loch Lomond are the largest all-sports lakes in the town. Lake Avalon, Lake Norwood and Lake Rayburn are primarily fishing lakes with "no-wake" restrictions. No personal water crafts (AKA: Jet Skis) are allowed on any of the Bella Vista lakes, however, only 20 miles east of Bella Vista is Beaver Lake, a 31,700 acre US Army Corps of Engineers Lake. The trail Master Plan developed in 2015 shows 150 mi (240 km) over the next 10+ years. The next 40+ miles to be located within the central part of the city are in the planning stage. In October 2016 the City opened 40 mi (64 km) of hiking and mountain bike trails entitled 'The Back 40' which is located on the east side of theCity. The Tanyard Creek Nature Trail below the Lake Windsor dam. It has a footbridge and some waterfalls except during dry times. It also features a designated swimming area and a launching ramp that is accessible from Lakeside Drive. The City of Bentonville has a 1.8 mile walking/biking trail that goes around the lake that is now part of their Parks system. In the center of the town is the Tanyar Creek Nature trail below the lake. It is the only trail that is open to the public. The city has no plans to open any more trails in the near future.

Education

Bella Vista is part of the Bentonville School District. The city is also home to a private preschool, Bella Vista Montessori Academy. Northwest Arkansas Community College has its main branch in the community, near I-49 Exit 86. The school district is planning two new schools for Bella Vista students, one for K-4 and the other for 5-12. The community is zoned to the following schools: Cooper Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, and Sugar Creek Elementary School have separate sections. All of that portion of Bella Vista is zoning to Bent onville High School. The town also has sections for Washington Junior High and Lincoln Junior High School, as well as sections for Ardis Ann Middle School and Ruth Barker Middle School. There is also a section for Gravette School District on the west side of the city, but it is not part of that school district. There are no sections for the Pea Ridge School District, which is on the east side. The area has a population of about 2,000 people, about half of whom live in the Bella Vista portion of the town. The majority of the population is African-American, about 80% of which live in Bella Vista. The population is about 1,500 people, or 50% of the total population of the community. The average income is about $30,000, or about $50,000 for the city as a whole. The percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher is about 20%.

Infrastructure

Bella Vista has four fully staffed fire stations with 16 career firefighters on each shift. The fire department also provides Advanced Life Support paramedic service to the city with six ambulances. The final segment of Interstate 49 (I-49) was completed around Bella Vista on October 1, 2021. Almost all of the remaining street network in Bella Vista is laid out using a street hierarchy typical of large residential subdivisions. The POA provides water service to Bella Vista residents. The City of Bella Vista contracts with Republic Services for trash collection. A dump site had begun an underground fire in August 2018. In December 2018, health officials declared the air within a half-mile radius around the property was at unhealthy levels on one occasion. An emergency declaration was made by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The Bella Vista POA took over this project in early May 2019 and had the fire extinguished in less than 30 days. The city has four exits providing access to I-49: US 71, two exits with Highway 72, and Benton County Road 34 (CR 34, Rocky Dell Hollow Road) Two Arkansas state highways cross Bella Vista: Highway 279 (Forest Hills Boulevard) runs north-south from Gravette to Missouri, and Highway 340 (Lancashire Boulevard) from east to west from Highway 279 to Missouri. There are two semi-annual pick ups of large items. There also are two quarterly pick-up dates for large items such as furniture and household goods. The town has a large number of cul-de-sac streets.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bella Vista, Benton County, Arkansas = 83. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 76. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Bella Vista = 4.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 30,104 individuals with a median age of 58.7 age the population grows by 28.98% in Bella Vista, Benton County, Arkansas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 664.47 residents per square mile of area (256.55/km²). There are average 2.17 people per household in the 9,787 households with an average household income of $54,766 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 5.30% of the available work force and has dropped -1.53% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 31.64%. The number of physicians in Bella Vista per 100,000 population = 118.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bella Vista = 45.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 10 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 91. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 221. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 23.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 33, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Bella Vista, Benton County, Arkansas which are owned by the occupant = 76.17%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 16 years with median home cost = $125,730 and home appreciation of -6.77%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.85 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,599 per student. There are 13.9 students for each teacher in the school, 349 students for each Librarian and 394 students for each Counselor. 5.63% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 18.09% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.35% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).