Home to many of the state’s CEOs and decedents of many of the city’s first business leaders, The Heights can be a city unto itself.

Residents confess they rarely need to leave the neighborhood â€" everything they need is within walking distance: chic boutiques, restaurants, and book and toy stores. The Heights still has locally owned neighborhood grocers that deliver.

“I like The Heights because it is small-town living in a city,” said Skip Rutherford, dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. “The Heights has most everything I need, including my barber shop, specialty retail, good restaurants and a terrific neighborhood gas station, Forest Heights Shell, where courteous customer service is a top priority.”

Neighborhood Dining

Compared with nearby neighborhood Hillcrest, The Heights has homes that are larger and more expensive. Prices range from $200,000 to $2 million. Residents can walk to neighborhood eateries such as Sushi Café, Café Prego, Boulevard Bread, and the recently opened ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood-Oven Pizza Co. Shoppers are busy during the day at local retailers such as Tallulah, Thread, Cobblestone & Vine and Wordsworth Books.

Don’t think The Heights doesn’t attract young families. Adults who spent childhoods in The Heights are moving back to the neighborhood as homeowners, and the area attracts new residents looking for a quiet atmosphere.

Homes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars are being torn down to build much larger and more expensive homes on the same lots, but as with Hillcrest, the ambiance remains. Streets such as Edgehill that overlook the Arkansas River have survived multiple home expansions and offer incredible view of the city and beyond.