re: Is Little Rock a shithole or a nice clean city?

I love the roundabouts in Conway. Once you are used to them (and if the other drivers know what they are doing) they are great. I lived in Conway for over twenty years and it been pretty awesome to watch that little town grow. The downtown has real potential and the city is making a real effort to continue to grow responsibly. It has been great to watch the schools there grow too. Hendrix has a beautiful little campus and UCA has grown well within its space.
As for Little Rock I think it is a great town. Little Rock isn't a big city, but it is big and old enough that you can have neighborhoods that are distinctive and unique (like Hillcrest or the Heights). There are good local restaurants and bars and shopping is decent here.
I like NWA too, I think it will be interesting to see how that area deals with such a sustained high level of growth over time.