NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Brett Booker was a Houston kid until he started looking at colleges. That was a decade ago, and Booker has called Northwest Arkansas home since.
He enrolled at the University of Arkansas to study architecture. After completing his degree, he decided to stay for a second one in business marketing.
The University of Arkansas, with an enrollment of more than 20,000, traditionally has drawn students from surrounding states and beyond. Many high school graduates from the Lone Star State head to Fayetteville to complete their educations.
After seven years as a UA student, Booker started seeing more of the region, working first for a granite company in Springdale, then as a sales representative for a cell phone company. His jobs have required him to travel around Arkansas and Oklahoma.
“I’ve seen other areas, and this is the only place I’d want to live,” he said.
He bought a house in Fayetteville two years ago and now refers to Houston as “where I grew up,” not “where I’m from.”
“It’s hard to believe I’ve been here 10 years,” Booker said. “I never would have guessed growing up that I’d move to Northwest Arkansas, let alone decide to stay.”