Twin Cities

Our Courthouse. Yes, this is on the state line.
 

It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure this out: Texarkana is two cities. Now, in my defense, I wasn't trying too hard unpack this when we first found out we were moving here. In my cursory search on Google "Texarkana" is referred to as one city and when I was initially researching this, I had many other more pressing matters on my plate--like my father's health, a duck-egg sized tumor in my arm and my husband's job going away. 

Also in my defense, I've now known the truth about Texarkana for about a year. 

Anyway, Texarkana is two cities. Texas has the majority of the commerce: shopping, the "mall" and Sam's Club. Arkansas has the transportation: rail station and airport. Both sides have their own State University, however the junior college is in Texas. Property taxes are significantly cheaper in Arkansas. However there is no food tax in Texas. Neither resident has to pay state taxes in their respective states because of some sort of obscure law that says if one lives or works in Texarkana Arkansas they are exempt from paying state taxes--Texas doesn't have a state tax. However, as Polly found out last year when she interviewed for a job fifteen miles away in Ashdown Arkansas, she'd have to pay Arkansas taxes if she'd worked there. 

Bi-State Jail, also on the state line,
taken from
the Arkansas side,
looking towards Texas.

The Courthouse is on the state line, straddling both states. So is the Bi-States Jail. Fun fact: when the jail was built, there was a big stink about which side of the building--Texas or Arkansas--the phone lines would be installed. It was decided Texas because it was significantly cheaper to call Dallas if the phone lines were located in Texas than in Arkansas, which was across the hall in the same building. 

Here, there are two sets of sheriffs, police forces and governments. I am under the impression if one commits a crime on one one side of the state line, police will allow jurisdiction to pursue and arrest on the other side of the state line. So, run a red light on the Texas side of of the road, cross into Arkansas, it may be the Texas police who pull you over. 

Texarkana Texas has a population of around 35,000. Texarkana Arkansas has a population of around 30,000. It takes fifteen minutes in "heavy traffic" to cross from the east side of Texarkana Texas (roughly where I live) to the west side of Texarkana Arkansas. I can usually do it in ten if I take the Interstate.  

I am told crime is high. And, if you Google "worst crime ridden cities in Texas" Texarkana comes up, though the Sunshine family laughs at this. "Crime" is relative. Though always on alert, I'm not afraid to walk through the Wal-Mart parking lot by myself at 10 p.m. here. I can't say the same for other places I've lived.  

However, if by "crime" they mean the Shreveport shoplifters who got detained by a group of Second Amendment folks at the Dollar General in Texarkana Texas until the police showed up, I guess we do. But otherwise, since I've been here there's been one murder--on the Arkansas side and both sets of residents went ballistic on social media. The suspect's face was plastered all over the place and it seems like 15 people knew who the guy was. He was arrested hours after the social media post. 

For the most part, it isn't a stigma to live in one state or the other. We purposely picked the Texas side (despite the property taxes) because we wanted to establish Texas residency for the college-aged young adults. 

But none of this is truly our concern, because we don't live in Texarkana. We live in Wake Village.