HSV People

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Hot Springs Village: History & Future
Hot Springs Village......
Yesterday, today and tomorrow.In this day and time it can be hard to find peace and quiet. We have found ours in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas (map).Mr. John A. Cooper was an attorney in Memphis in the mid 1950's when he realised that there was about to be a bumper crop of Baby Boomers coming south soon. He and his family enjoyed vacationing on the banks of the Spring River (read COLD water) near Hardy Arkansas. He found that there was a development nearby on the Spring River. The development was floundering. He and a group of partners picked up the resort with a golf course and as we say in Arkansas "turned a pig's ear into a purse". Cherokee Village became a popular location. Cherokee Village did have it's downside. Sewer connections, ample water supply, utilities, etc. The development was not completely isolated so some parts of the village where across the street from mobile homes and dead cars in front yards. Not exactly the high end resort that one might have in mind, and as usual there were the rural vs. suburb conflicts. When you live "in the country" and i mean REALLY in the country, dogs barks do not respect the property lines and sometimes even the dogs themselves do not either ;). While working with CV Mr. Cooper and his development company learned a great deal. First and most important, how to you get people to HARDY ARKANSAS ? (map) well, to his everlasting credit, Mr. Cooper discovered / invented the 3 day / 2 night vacation for a 90 minute sales tour (sound familiar to you? ) NRPI and other companies are copying him to this day (rest his soul). Yes, John A. Cooper is in the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame for inventing the "Time Share Tour". I only wish I had made that up, it is TRUE.

After learning a GREAT deal in North East Arkansas, (mainly that it is a hard market to sell and that he needed more control over his development) Mr. Cooper left his partners and headed off too North Eastern Garland County where a 2.1 million acre National Forest and where the Dirks Timber Company was offering to sell "the dark corner" of Garland County. It was known as the Dark Corner (click to see a online book from a resident), because it was FAR beyond the arm of the law around the turn of the century when it was settled. This area offered by the Dirks Timber Company was 18,000 acres that crossed between Garland and Saline County in South Central Arkansas (map). Hot Springs National Park is a mere 16 miles away and has a rich history all it's own from 30's era gangsters hanging out at the Springs trying to cure their STD's to native Indians that lived here thousands of years ago and declared the healing springs as a neutral place (that ironically the gangsters respected also). The great city of Hot Springs has grown up around the park and has quite a personality of it's own. Oaklawn is the local horse racing track and consistently produces great horse that are always contenders in the Kentucky Derby.
Back to our history, ;)... Mr. Cooper and a State Senator toured the land in a plane and Mr. Cooper saw all he needed to see. It was his gem. He knew immediately that he could gate this community and make it what he had always wanted his developments to be. Private, self sustaining, secure and an oasis of beauty. Cooper then set upon the principals that he KNEW would make it a great place to live.
1. 25% (NOT including the 9 Golf Courses and 7 lakes) of ALL areas would be designated as "green space".
2. All lots touch green space. This was to preserve the feel of the forest and lessen the effect of "seeing other homes" nearby.3. All utilities would be underground and unseen.4. All subdivisions would be protected from the road by green space.

The Total Effect of this is SIMPLY amazing.171 holes of Golf. (most courses are under $20 for 18 holes)7 Lakes in Village, (roughly 1400 acres total)5 miles from Ouachita National Forest and Lake (285,000 acres)Look here for Scenic Drives
Needless to say, I cannot cover it all in this one post, more to come, probably next week.In the meanwhile, here for some video clips that can tell you more about the area.
dennis