Named one of the Best Affordable Suburbs in America by BusinessWeek in 2010, Bryant is just six miles south of the Little Rock city limit and home to roughly 18,000 people. That nearness to the capital makes Bryant a bedroom community of sorts, but plenty of other reasons account for its 50 percent growth rate since the last census.

Live
Brand new residential development is underway. Built by the same developers of Seaside, the innovative and famous Florida resort community, Midtown Bryant will bring together socio-economic cultures in a planned community with necessities and amenities within walking distance. Residents in all neighborhoods boast about the Bryant school district, which recently received an “A” from the Arkansas Policy Foundation, a private group that made grades based heavily on students’ performance on standardized test scores.

Work
Bryant’s proximity to Little Rock means many of its residents make the easy trip to Little Rock for work each day; punching the time clock at places like Acxiom Corp. and Dillard’s. However, within the city limits of Bryant you will find jobs in the education, retail and health care industries, among many more. The most common employer among Bryant residents is the state government, thanks in part to nearby Alexander Human Development Center and Alexander Youth Center, which employ more than 400 people combined.
 
Play
Families find lots to do outdoors, thanks to 250 acres of land devoted to 10 city parks. Recently completed, Bishop Park features nine baseball fields, six softball fields, two soccer fields, a community center and more. An aquatic facility at the park is also planned. Just a short drive up Arkansas Highway 5 lies the Otter Creek Racquet Club’s 11 lighted USTA tennis courts. For shopaholics, Alcoa Exchange houses 300,000 square feet of retail therapy.
           
Experience
Bryant has a blend of small-town charm and progressiveness, fueled in part by its growth and the fact that the people living here tend to have more education and income than in other areas of the state. The school district’s two relatively new “green” schools are just one example of the community’s forward thinking. Rush-hour slows traffic between Bryant and Little Rock, but not terribly, thanks to Interstate 30’s three lanes. Besides the major routes, the streets in residential areas are quiet and conducive to bike riding for kids and family fun in general.

Making a Splash Bishop Park’s two planned pools, which will be encompassed by an all-glass structure and retractable roof, aren’t the only way Bryant city leaders hope to make waves. Leaders hope the park will draw state tournaments for several sports, thereby boosting economic development.