Craft cocktails, mountain bikes and art: Walmart's hometown is booming, and getting more expensive

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As Walmart gets into new businesses like advertising and tries to lure workers, its hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, and its corporate offices are changing.

Walmart's hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, is growing rapidly — with many amenities, and higher prices, that people might expect in a bigger city.

boasts many of the amenities that visitors might expect to see in startup hubs like Austin, Texas, or major cities like New York. But the biggest construction project is Walmart's new headquarters, which will sprawl across roughly 350 acres. The campus will include biking and walking trails, a food hall, and a range of other amenities. Its new fitness center and daycare opened this spring, and other parts of the campus will open in phases, starting next year.

a pricier place to live. As newcomers move from other states and cities, the demand for million-dollar homes has shot up, and affordable housing has become harder to find. Its income levels are much higher, too. Bentonville's median household income is approximately $99,000 annually. That compares with the $55,432 median household income in Arkansas and $74,755 nationally.

Walmart recently did a survey of new employees who relocated to northwest Arkansas. Walmart's chief people officer, Donna Morris, said the top selling point of moving to the region was the job. But, she added new employees tend to warm up to Bentonville. But once she arrived, she enjoyed the town's slower pace and its big-city amenities. Her dog, Stanley, also settled in quickly — sporting a bow tie as he chased squirrels and went on long walks in the sculpture garden outside of Crystal Bridges.One of Bentonville's upscale restaurants is Conifer. The gluten-free restaurant is shaped by seasonal ingredients and includes dishes that cost as much as $60.

"They were from places where those prices were already prevalent," he said."So it really hasn't been that much of a fight."The population of Bentonville has shot up from 36,000 in 2010 to 58,000 in 2022, and it's on track to grow to 200,000 people by 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.For Conifer's restaurant workers, though, living in town has become a challenge as rent and real estate costs climb.

 

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