The nation is seeing a decline in the housing market, but Arkansas is staying slightly ahead of this broader trend. And Northwest Arkansas’s competitive housing market is definitely a factor. 

• Gone up: The average sale price of a home in Fayetteville in July was the highest increase in the state, up 36.4% compared to last year. Bentonville home prices were up 19.8%, Springdale’s were up 23.2%, and Rogers’ were up 29.6%.
• Steady on: On average, NWA homes were selling in 5-6 days on the market in July compared to 43-44 days last year in the same month. NWA’s tight housing market has kept it somewhat insulated from the nationwide factors that led to a broader decline in home prices. 

For more data on your town’s housing market, click HERE. 

Fayetteville will soon have its first Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux! 

• Grand opening: The new restaurant will be on 1199 N. Shiloh Drive and will kick off its grand opening celebration on Tuesday, September 6. The first 100 guests in line will have a chance to win free Walk On’s for a year or a New Orleans Saints jersey signed by Drew Brees! Winners will be randomly selected and announced on opening day. 
• Place to be: Walk On’s in Fayetteville will have numerous TVs, a variety of local beers on tap, and “mouth-watering cuisine served in a game day atmosphere.” It's sure to be a great place to watch your favorite teams and experience good old sports camaraderie all year long. 

Read the KNWA story HERE. 

Forbes has put together a list of the best employers in Arkansas, and a few Northwest Arkansas companies made the list (of course they did)! 

• Methodology: Forbes partnered with Statista to create its fourth annual list of America’s Best Employers By State. Statista anonymously surveyed 70,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 employees, and the results rank 1,382 employers, 25 of which are in Arkansas. 
• NWA Rankings: In Arkansas, the Bentonville School District ranked #3, Simmons Food in Siloam Springs ranked #6, Washington Regional Medical Center ranked #8, Arvest Bank ranked #13, J.B Hunt ranked #14, Harps Food Stores Ranked #16, Springdale Public Schools ranked #17, University of Arkansas ranked #22, and Pace Industries in Fayetteville ranked #25. 

See the complete list HERE. 

Eureka Springs has newly published historic district design guidelines to preserve the city's residential and commercial dwellings. 

• Refresh: The historic district guidelines have been updated for the first time after nearly two decades since the originals were published. The new guidelines have a full section on Eureka Springs' History, a full section on different architectural types, and more. 
• Taking care: The documents are full of artistic sketches of actual buildings in Eureka Springs with character-defining features that tell the story of the city's history. The new guidelines are to "enhance the ongoing stewardship and conservation of the community's varied historic architectural resources." 

Learn more HERE. 

Traveling from Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) has been great over the last quarter, with passengers saving $17.8 million. With those savings, and with Labor Day approaching, traveler counts are expected to spike. 

• Dollars: These savings are calculated by comparing to the same trips in 2019. Based on the fares of people who departed from XNA in 2019, the daily savings in Q1 this year were $200,410. Low-cost carriers and pandemic travel recovery are both factors in the savings. 
• Vacay: As for Labor Day weekend coming up, expect a busy airport and some lines. XNA’s Public Affairs Manager says to stay up to date with your emails and utilize your airline’s mobile app to keep track of flight changes. 

Read more HERE.