Quality of Life

The creeks and streams that attract visitors to Mountain View and Stone County today are the same ones that provided a source of water for the fertile farmland carved out by pioneers. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the pioneers began moving into the rugged land of the Ozark Mountains. They settled the bottomlands of the White River, slowly entering the rugged interior by way of its tributaries.

They later ventured into the hardwood forests, where they practiced subsistence farming along the many creeks and streams in the “hollers”. Today the agricultural roots of the area are still apparent. A drive through the winding country roads reveals rolling farmland dotted with poultry houses and small herds of cattle.

Residents of Mountain View work to preserve their heritage and many old-time practices are still used in every day living. Homemakers take pride in their home-canned vegetables and fruits, quilting and other needlework. Builders take pride in handmade furniture and artisans in crafts perfected by old techniques.

Mountain View is perhaps best known for the impromptu picking sessions that are a nightly event around courtsquare downtown. Today’s music and gatherings on the square stem from traditions years ago, before TV and radio. Socializing meant rounding up the neighbors for an evening on the front porch with music, food, and visiting with one another.

Native son and well known musician, Jimmy Driftwood, was a major force in developing the Arkansas Folk Festival back in 1962 and in acquiring federal funding to build the Ozark Folk Center and install a new water system and sewage plant for the city of Mountain View. The opening of The Ozark Folk Center in 1973, along with Blanchard Springs Caverns that same year, firmly established Mountain View and Stone County as an Ozark tourist destination and that tradition continues today.

Mountain View continues its dedication to preserving the music, crafts, and heritage of the past. Yet its citizens look to the future and strive to continue to responsibly develop its natural resources. For example, the development of the Syllamo Mountain Bike Trail, now at 22 miles in length, in the Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest enables biking enthusiasts to experience this beautiful forest just north of town at their own pace.

The unspoiled natural beauty of Mountain View & the surrounding area provides endless opportunities for outdoor activitities. Citizens and visitors alike enjoy world class fishing, hunting, hiking & biking, caving, canoeing, kayaking, and camping. Both young and old take time to learn basket weaving, woodcarving, painting, pottery making, blacksmithing, and other traditional Ozark skills from local artists and craftspeople. Hardworking and fun loving, the folks of Mountain View provide a welcoming smile to all and proudly share their love of this charming community.