Today I would like to tell you about one of the greatest places in America to live, and that’s my home state of Arkansas.

          First, I want to make a disclaimer. If you happen to live in a state other than Arkansas, and you have family and roots there, in no way is this an attempt to get you to leave and move here, and I know that Chambers of Commerce would frown on that anyway. But the statistics say that about 8.4 percent of our population move each year — that’s more than 11 million people — and the average American moves about 11 times during their lifetime. So, if you know people, family or friends who are planning to move anyway, please tell them about another great place to live.

          So, with that out of the way, please allow me to tell you about Arkansas. Believe me, there are a plethora of reasons why people move here. First, our people are friendly, kind and helpful. Most Arkansans are the type of people you would want to have for a neighbor. Another great reason that is not often talked about is the great number of trees in Arkansas. Trees have a way of filtering the air and making it cleaner and safer to breathe. To do a test run, drive from Conway to Harrison on Highway 65, and for most of the journey you will see trees on both sides of the road as far as the eye can see. We have two mountain ranges in Arkansas — the Ozark and the Ouachita mountains.

          Arkansas is also a sportsmen’s paradise. We have a deer population of a little over a million, with hunters harvesting around 200,000 of these each year. We also have an elk herd of around 600 elk that are hunted with a limited number of permits being issued each year. Other species of small game are also plentiful. And you will not believe the number of great fishing spots we have here in Arkansas, especially those in the large lakes like Greers Ferry, Chicot, Maumelle, Dardanelle, Ouachita, Bull Shoals, DeGray, Greeson, Hamilton, and many others. Something I have personally enjoyed over the years is trout fishing on the beautiful White River. To get in a boat and catch your limit of rainbow trout is just plain fun.

          There is also great diversity here in our state: the Eastern part of the state is mostly agricultural where farmers raise rice, soybeans, cotton, corn, and other crops. The Southern part of the state has pine forests that are harvested for lumber.

          And I have saved the best for the last. Our state is centrally located, so we have a tornado that comes through once in a while. However, we don’t get the hurricanes like the Southeastern states and fires like they have in the West. Look at a national map, and you will see buffers all around us, including the states of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri and Oklahoma. It gets hot here in the summer and cold in the winter but not the extremes like other parts of the nation. Anyway, we are so grateful and there is still room for you. Come see us.

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. For a personalized copy of “Keep Your Fork” send $25, which includes postage and handling and tax, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)