Centerton, with a population of 6,743 people as of July 2006, is growing faster than any other Arkansas city-- with a growth rate of 167-percent from 2000 to 2006. Esther Varner has lived in Centerton all her life, helping run her father's business right in the heart of the town. She says residents began noticing the growth about 3 years ago. "The people moving in are from everywhere else...it's a nice area to live in," Varner says. So why is Centerton growing so quickly? It allows close access to Bentonville and the Wal-Mart Home Office and living in Centerton allows residents to avoid the congestion of city life. But according to Varner, the real estate may not be that much cheaper "We just bought a house, we had to go all the way up to Bella Vista because you can't afford anything over here anymore."
