Greenbrier is a small Faulkner County city about 12 miles north of Conway on US 65. It dates to the 1850s, runs its own school district, and is surrounded by rolling country, Cadron Creek and Woolly Hollow State Park.
The feel
Greenbrier began as a stop on the Des Arc to Springfield road, where Henderson Moore built an inn in 1857 and became the first postmaster. The town takes its name from the greenbrier vines along Greenbrier Creek, and it incorporated on April 5, 1880. US 65 was moved through town in 1942, which tied it more closely to Conway and Little Rock. It is still a small town at heart, with about 5,700 residents at the 2020 Census, up from about 1,400 in 1980.
The homes
In town, you will find a mix of older homes near the center and newer subdivisions built as Greenbrier grew over the last few decades. Step outside city limits and the options open up: homes on acreage, small farms and wooded rural tracts across the surrounding hills. Lot sizes are typically larger than in Conway. Rural homes often rely on wells and septic systems, so ask early about water, sewer and road maintenance.
Schools
The Greenbrier School District serves Greenbrier, Wooster, most of Holland, Springhill and small parts of Twin Groves and Conway. It runs several elementary schools, a middle school, a junior high and Greenbrier High School. Boundaries go by address and can change, so confirm the assigned schools for any home with the district before you buy. Between the 1930s and 1960, two dozen one-room schoolhouses around Greenbrier were consolidated into one system. The Arkansas Department of Education's My School Info site posts public data for each campus.
Getting around
US 65 is the main road, running about 12 miles south to Conway and Interstate 40. From there, downtown Little Rock is roughly 30 more miles, so plan on about 45 to 50 minutes for the full drive outside rush hour. Arkansas Highway 25 connects to nearby communities, and Highway 285 leads to Woolly Hollow State Park. Most errands beyond the basics happen in Conway. Expect two-lane roads once you leave the US 65 corridor.
Life here
Woolly Hollow State Park, which opened in 1973, covers 370 acres near Greenbrier around Bennett Lake, a 40-acre lake first shaped by Civilian Conservation Corps and WPA work in the 1930s. The park has 40 campsites, paddling and fishing on the lake, the Huckleberry Trail around it, and about 10 miles of mountain bike trail. Cadron Creek offers fishing and floating. Greenbrier also has local restaurants, churches and school events that draw much of the town.
Owning here
Property taxes go through Faulkner County, and the school district is part of the millage. City water service began in 1963; outside city limits, homes may be on a rural water system or a private well, with septic in place of sewer. Check FEMA flood maps near Cadron Creek and its branches. A commercial bitcoin mining site near Greenbrier drew resident complaints starting in 2023, so buyers looking at rural property nearby may want to visit in person.
