A sleepy southern town has been transformed into a boomtown thanks to a huge local corporation, but not everyone is excited about the drastic change.
Bentonville, Arkansas, about three hours from Little Rock, has grown from a sleepy, cattle-filled metropolis to a modern city filled with amenities often found in major destinations like New York and Austin.
The small city, with a population of about 60,000, has evolved rapidly with the help of Walmart, one of the country’s largest corporations, after the company established its headquarters in the 34.25-square-mile city decades ago. .
Resident influx is expected to skyrocket after Walmart announced that a massive new corporate campus with a pickleball court and daycare is on the way.
The multinational retailer, which was first incorporated in October 1969 under the Delaware General Corporation Law, moved to the southern city in 1971 and opened its first headquarters and distribution center there.
Bentonville has since been dubbed the new “capital of cool,” as farmland and a slower way of life have been replaced by craft cocktails, chef-driven restaurants, bohemian coffee shops, and an exclusive $255 social club. per month with waiting list. .
Bentonville, Arkansas, about three hours from Little Rock, has grown from a sleepy, cattle-filled town to a modern hub filled with amenities often found in major cities like New York and Austin.
The city has evolved rapidly with the help of Walmart, which set up its headquarters in the 34.25-square-mile city decades ago, with a new one on the way. (pictured: The Walmart Museum)
Gil Curren, 88, who has lived in the city since 1971 with his wife Sue, said they have been trying to accept the change, but fear the hype could cause too many people to move there.
‘We still have a really fantastic lifestyle here. And I would recommend it to anyone. But don’t tell them: I don’t want anyone else to move here,” Gil said. CNBC.
Gil and his family moved from their home in Kansas City to a farm in Bentonville.
The retiree recalled moments when he used to see rural moments encroaching on his city, even when cows were released after a nearby river overflowed.
Now, more than five decades later, he said those experiences have become distant memories when he looks out his window and sees a bustling, lively city, full of cyclists and riddled with unrecognizable buildings.
“In the last 10 or 15 years, it’s just skyrocketed,” Gil said. “Every time I go to the city, there is new construction.”
Many of the people who have moved to the city are Walmart employees, as the corporation helped reshape the area to attract talent to fill its many positions.
With the arrival of more residents, the cost of living has increased, worrying locals like Gil and Sue.
In addition to Walmart, other well-known businesses based in the area have attracted more people, such as Tyson Foods and JB Hunt transportation service.
Recently, the city has been undergoing a massive project: Walmart’s new headquarters that is expected to be located on a 350-acre campus.
Other companies, including Hershey, Mattel, PepsiCo and Duracell, have set up offices in or around Bentonville to be closer to Walmart’s headquarters.
In 2010, Bentonville’s population was 36,000, and in 2022, it has skyrocketed to 58,000. By 2050, the city’s population is expected to reach 200,000, US Census Bureau reported.
Recently, the city has been undergoing a massive project: Walmart’s new headquarters that will occupy a 350-acre campus.
Inside the massive new headquarters, employees can enjoy a food hall, walking and biking trails, a fitness center, and a daycare center.
The gym and nursery have already opened their doors and other parts of the huge center will open in phases over the next year.
The campus will be located between Central Avenue and 14th Street, near Highway 102 in downtown Bentonville, where the company’s former warehouses and office buildings once stood.
The giant grocer tore down existing buildings to replace them with 12 new office buildings, several service buildings, parking lots and lush green spaces.
In addition to the new headquarters, the company is also renovating the Walmart Museum that its founder, Sam Walton, opened in 1990.
The new version will be modernized and technology-driven, with a massive hologram of Walton to help answer visitors’ questions.
Inside the massive building, the company will offer employees a food hall, walking and biking trails, a gym and a daycare center.
In the meantime, a temporary location has been established at the Walmart Museum Heritage Lab at 240 S. Main St.
Walton’s family made sure to keep his business legacy alive after his death in 1992, and his grandsons, Tom and Steuart, built luxury apartments and high-end restaurants in the city.
Walton’s daughter Alice also made her mark on the evolving community, founding the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She plans to open a medical school in the area.
Kristen Boozman, a local real estate agent, told CNBC News she has seen how popular Bentonville has become.
‘Ten years ago, we had 14 houses that sold for over a million dollars. Last year, 2023, we had 244,” Boozman revealed.
Along with expensive homes, the city’s median income has skyrocketed to $99,000 a year, more than the statewide median household income of $55,432.
Not only are locals struggling to keep up with rising prices, but prospective Walmart employees looking to move to Bentonville have done so as well.
According to the corporation’s most recent proxy statement, an average Walmart employee earns just over $27,640 a year.
Walmart has already begun moving its corporate employees to the city, and the company announced last month that workers from Atlanta, Toronto and Dallas will be transferred to Bentonville or other corporate areas.
An employee who previously lived in the Big Apple, Washington DC and Miami, changed her life and moved to Arkansas to work at Walmart.
The giant grocer tore down the existing buildings to replace them with 12 new office buildings, several service buildings, parking lots and green spaces. (pictured: a rendered version of Walmart’s future headquarters)
Tracy Robinson, a team leader who coordinates with manufacturers who create baby products for the supermarket’s private brands, said that before her move, she had never even been to Bentonville.
After adjusting to his new life, Robinson said he settled in pretty well, but was surprised to see that the price of dining in the city was almost identical to restaurants in Miami.
Despite the culture shock in the city, Curren said the change has advantages and disadvantages.
“We can go to the Walmart store and not meet anyone we know there,” he said, adding that traffic has been very congested.
On the other hand, he enjoys seeing his city full of families and experiencing all the new adventures that have come along the way.