What's it like living in Tontitown/Springdale

[Nic]

Are there Duggar accountability pairs all over town for people to witness? They volunteer for fire department, JD is a constable (that's elected right?) but it's not like they attend the schools so you don't have the Duggar in every grade thing. They have their own church sessions right? I was under the impression that although they may have a wedding at Cross Church, they use one of their rentals for services (tax break) Are the Duggars just this weird family that lives on the outskirts that no actual Tontitonians know except when they have to wait outside Famous Footwear because the Duggars have it shut down for filming? JBs "best friend" lives in TN and for a friend for Michelle they had to troll her high school yearbook. Where do all their church friends live? Do they have any local neighborhood friends? How often are the Duggar girls the worse ever bday clowns showing up at slumber parties to preach no kissy kissy (remember that episode? How much does it cost to have them do that?) Do any of the kids have after homeschool jobs?

[Seven Severn]

Good questions. Also, do people in their area like/respect them, secretly (or openly) hate them, or do they just not give a shit about them? Does Boob throw his fame around to get what he wants?

[slp]

The 'tax break' thing b/c they use their properties as a church at different times has been proven over and over to be an internet rumor. You can look up their property taxes on line and see that they pay them on all their properties and none of them are exempt b/c they are considered a 'church'.

Sorry but that is something I've heard people try to claim over and over and it's just not true. There's plenty to snark on that is.

[eh02]

It's probably a Twin Peaks-esque rural hellworld. Give it 20 years and there will probably be enough Duggars there to run everyone else out of town. Ah, Jim Bob's master plan...

[SassyPants]

It's probably a Twin Peaks-esque rural hellworld. Give it 20 years and there will probably be enough Duggars there to run everyone else out of town. Ah, Jim Bob's master plan...

He can be the next Gothard- Gothard, south.

[MatthewDuggar]

I think some people are confusing accountability partners with chaperones.

Chaparones are used when a couple is courting or when non-married members of the opposite sex go out and do something and need to be looked over so no hanky-pankty occurs.

Accountability partners are like a peer or older persons that you can confide in. They don't follow you around or go with you to places. You are able to meet with them or call them whenever you need to to discuss things that are going on that are leading to sinful thoughts or actions. They are there to pray with you and for you.

[Rachel333]

I'm sure other people from the area will chime in, but there are a lot of people who really dislike the Duggars. We've had to put up with them longer than the rest of the country! There are plenty of Duggar fans too, but most people I know seem to view them as an embarrassment to the area.

I think people probably recognize them, but when I've seen them out and about they were never being mobbed with fans or anything. They do have good friends who aren't as strict as they are. It's been years since I've interacted with them much at all, but when they would show up to stuff they were disruptive just because of their numbers (I remember getting a bunch of young Duggars and Holts asking me some questions once and feeling like I was being mobbed), but I don't remember them ever being preachy. The older girls just seemed really shy and didn't talk about much other than their siblings. (I'm sure this has changed now that they actually have lives to talk about.)

An interesting fact about Springdale itself: it has the largest Marshallese population outside the Marshall Islands. Apparently Cross Church has a Marshallese Bible study group. Because of Tyson there are also a lot of Latino immigrants in Springdale, which has kind of become known for having a large Spanish speaking population. The city doesn't have a great reputation compared to relatively wealthier surrounding cities like Fayetteville, Rogers, and Bentonville.

Tontitown is barely even a town. I've passed by it many times but all I really know about it is their Grape Festival. The whole NWA area is growing fast and merging into one big metro area, though. I think it's a great place to live, it's just a shame the most famous people from the area are the Duggars.

[snarkykitty]

My in-laws purchased a car from JB back in the day. They know JB as well as anyone knows someone else who's lived in the area their entire lives - usually just a "hi how are you" type thing because you've see them around town for decades (the area has grown exponentially, though, lots of new people).

Most long-term locals don't pay much attention to them, unless they're doing some big in-your-face type thing like when JB ran for office. They're more of a "known oddity" than anything.

[Pinkpearl885]

Living in Northwest Arkansas is a lot more diverse than you may think it is. NWA is a melting pot of different cultures due to many cooperations having their headquarters there. Where the duggars live in Tonitown is only about 5 miles from downtown Springdale. The Tyson headquarters is in Springdale, where they employ a lot of Hispanics to work in their factories. Not to mention the immigrant workers working on local chicken farms. A few minutes south is the town of Fayettevile which is a huge college town. It's full of college students and has a reputation of being a hippie town. Lots of unique independant restaurants, stores, and bars etc.

North of springdale is Bentonville. Which is the where to home office of Walmart is. There are Walmart and Sams Club offices ALL over Bentonville/Rogers. That being said, in order to run big cooperatios, you have to have workers. Walmart Relies on recruiting people to move to arkansas to work for Walmart. Which is what happened to me. Walmart employs people from all over the world and relocate them to Arkansas. There is a huge population of Indian people who work majorly in the information systems division at Walmart and about any other race/religion you can't think of. Now, it hasn't always been like this. NWA has changed drastically in the past 10 years. It used to be all farm lands and rednecks. But they realized if they wanted to have been willing to move to NWA they had to change. Now it is highly developed and populated.

In order to sell products at Walmart, your business has to have an office in NWA. So there are offices for about any brand/product you can think of spread all over NWA.

They say when you move down here is that you work for Walmart, are a vendor for Walmart, work at Tyson, or JB Hunt.

Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents in, since I'm a local.

[jinseng]

Just down the street from the duggars is a huge rubbish tip. I would imagine that is why JB was able to purchase that huge amount of land so cheaply.

[doggie]

Just down the street from the duggars is a huge rubbish tip. I would imagine that is why JB was able to purchase that huge amount of land so cheaply.

maybe that explains the Duggars not wanting to garden and how nuts they are all the toxins from the dump

[CorruptionInc.]

maybe that explains the Duggars not wanting to garden and how nuts they are all the toxins from the dump

The smell must be horrible!

[calimojo]

I was really hoping we would see more action on this thread as I assumed we probably had several posters on here that lived in that area.

But I guess for the kid's sake, it probably is good that the Duggars can be out and about in their own home town without always having the spotlight on them.

Still, I must confess, I was hoping for some juicy observations from people who live near them.

[RabbitKM]

I have to say, I have cruised the area on Google maps. I noticed a lot of little tiny areas of water. Are they small ponds everywhere? Also, there's not a whole lot going on, just a few restaurants in Tontitown, no bars, etc.

[MoonFace]

I think some people are confusing accountability partners with chaperones.

Chaparones are used when a couple is courting or when non-married members of the opposite sex go out and do something and need to be looked over so no hanky-pankty occurs.

Accountability partners are like a peer or older persons that you can confide in. They don't follow you around or go with you to places. You are able to meet with them or call them whenever you need to to discuss things that are going on that are leading to sinful thoughts or actions. They are there to pray with you and for you.

So, are the kids allowed to drive in to town on their own?

[catlady]

I have to say, I have cruised the area on Google maps. I noticed a lot of little tiny areas of water. Are they small ponds everywhere? Also, there's not a whole lot going on, just a few restaurants in Tontitown, no bars, etc.

I've done this, too (I like geography and I've been playing with Street View since 2007). they have a neighbor to the northeast that lives in a full-blown mansion; if you zoom in, you can see the grounds pretty well. so it appears to be a rather diverse area.

[SassyPants]

So, are the kids allowed to drive in to town on their own?

Maybe JD-

The girls, I'd say no.

[ozarkmama]

Springdale native here. The comment that NWA is like one big town is on point. Springdale, Fayetteville, Rogers and Bentonville are so close together that it is becoming more and more one area. Tontitown is like just another part of it on the west but it is not as densely populated. The Duggar family comes across so much more rigid on tv in my opinion than they have ever seemed to me in the few times I have been at the same places or functions they were. We also home school. I have seen the older girls out and about just them on different occasions.

When they are at restaurants or Walmart or whatever not a lot of people bug them but sometimes there is someone who will go say hi. Michelle seems like such a robot on tv but having met her in person and my family having met her she is so much more personable and real acting in person. She is also much younger looking and shorter than you would think in my opinion. There are those who are haters in this area but most are simply indifferent I would say. Although there is a very large number of conservative home schooling families in this area.

There home is just down the street from the dump and every time I have driven by there have been kids playing and a whole lot of cars there. I think they entertain other families and kids a lot. I came out of lurking to say this. Back to lurking :)

[calimojo]

I have an acquaintance who is very good friends with a well known pro-lifer from IL who knows the Duggars fairly well and she echoes what you said about M being much more animated and personable in real life compared to on TV.

Of course my friend and her friend are big Duggar fans, So I would never hear them say anything negative about them, so I take that with a grain of salt.

I have to say though, that if we were to hear that in real life they are much more laid back, the kids go about on their own without accountability partners or chaperones when dating, they wear track pants and jeans, etc, I would be glad for the kids to know they have a bit more freedom than expected, but I would be even more annoyed and angry with the parents for perpetrating all the lies about their lifestyle and for including their kids in on the lying.

[Letgo]

I have an acquaintance who is very good friends with a well known pro-lifer from IL who knows the Duggars fairly well and she echoes what you said about M being much more animated and personable in real life compared to on TV.

Of course my friend and her friend are big Duggar fans, So I would never hear them say anything negative about them, so I take that with a grain of salt.

I have to say though, that if we were to hear that in real life they are much more laid back, the kids go about on their own without accountability partners or chaperones when dating, they wear track pants and jeans, etc, I would be glad for the kids to know they have a bit more freedom than expected, but I would be even more annoyed and angry with the parents for perpetrating all the lies about their lifestyle and for including their kids in on the lying.

I doubt we are going to hear of them wearing track pants and jeans. Considering that Jim Bob ran a race in jeans, he must not even own track pants. When they were first filmed they wore khaki pants and no jeans. Their shirts always had collars. They have made progress...maybe in another ten years the boys can try track pants or sweats.

[pega127]

Living in Northwest Arkansas is a lot more diverse than you may think it is. NWA is a melting pot of different cultures due to many cooperations having their headquarters there. Where the duggars live in Tonitown is only about 5 miles from downtown Springdale. The Tyson headquarters is in Springdale, where they employ a lot of Hispanics to work in their factories. Not to mention the immigrant workers working on local chicken farms. A few minutes south is the town of Fayettevile which is a huge college town. It's full of college students and has a reputation of being a hippie town. Lots of unique independant restaurants, stores, and bars etc.

North of springdale is Bentonville. Which is the where to home office of Walmart is. There are Walmart and Sams Club offices ALL over Bentonville/Rogers. That being said, in order to run big cooperatios, you have to have workers. Walmart Relies on recruiting people to move to arkansas to work for Walmart. Which is what happened to me. Walmart employs people from all over the world and relocate them to Arkansas. There is a huge population of Indian people who work majorly in the information systems division at Walmart and about any other race/religion you can't think of. Now, it hasn't always been like this. NWA has changed drastically in the past 10 years. It used to be all farm lands and rednecks. But they realized if they wanted to have been willing to move to NWA they had to change. Now it is highly developed and populated.

In order to sell products at Walmart, your business has to have an office in NWA. So there are offices for about any brand/product you can think of spread all over NWA.

They say when you move down here is that you work for Walmart, are a vendor for Walmart, work at Tyson, or JB Hunt.

Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents in, since I'm a local.

Sounds like lots of defrauding going on!

[Freefundies]

Recently found out that a friend now lives in Springdale and they have seen the Duggars on an occasion or two but they actually don't run into them often around town and that nothing unusual was noted about them but thy haven't seen the entire family out at one time. I take it the best place to see them is the local grocery as they require food the most.

[Lucy H]

I think some people are confusing accountability partners with chaperones.

Chaparones are used when a couple is courting or when non-married members of the opposite sex go out and do something and need to be looked over so no hanky-pankty occurs.

Accountability partners are like a peer or older persons that you can confide in. They don't follow you around or go with you to places. You are able to meet with them or call them whenever you need to to discuss things that are going on that are leading to sinful thoughts or actions. They are there to pray with you and for you.

That is one definition of an accountability partners, but it is my understanding that children cannot leave the house alone. They can't go to the store alone or do a volunteer activity like firefighting without a partner,

Are you saying this is incorrect, that a Duggar teen girl could go shopping in town by herself?

[Mrs. Figg]

They've said before that, like Jesus always sent his disciples out in two, they send their children out in pairs as well.

[CorruptionInc.]

So, are the kids allowed to drive in to town on their own?

I remember an episode where Jinger took Jackson? to the shop to buy a chess set. All the camera crew aside, I believe it was just the two of them?