Pleasant Valley is one of the older neighborhoods in west Little Rock, built mostly in the late 1960s and early 1970s around Pleasant Valley Country Club. It sits along the west end of Rodney Parham Road, right at Interstate 430.
The feel
Pleasant Valley grew up as Little Rock pushed west. Most of the homes went up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, after a partial interchange opened at Rodney Parham Road and Interstate 430 in 1970. Fifty years on, the trees are tall and the streets are settled. The private Pleasant Valley Country Club sits at the center. Around the edges you find churches, offices, and a range of shops and restaurants, with the hillier Pleasant Ridge and Walton Heights areas just to the north.
The homes
Expect established single-family homes from the area's first building wave, on lots that have had decades to fill in with trees. Some of the larger homes sit near the country club grounds. Because much of the housing is now around fifty years old, updates vary a lot from house to house. Some have been fully renovated, while others still have original kitchens, baths, and systems, so condition drives value as much as square footage does.
Schools
Pleasant Valley is inside Little Rock city limits and is served by the Little Rock School District. Attendance zones are drawn by address and LRSD revises them from time to time, so confirm elementary, middle, and high school assignments with the district for the specific home. Several private schools in west Little Rock are a short drive away. Do not assume that a neighbor's school assignment matches yours, since zone lines can split nearby streets.
Getting around
Location is a big part of the appeal. Rodney Parham Road, named for a former Pulaski County judge, runs through the neighborhood and meets Interstate 430. From there, I-430 connects north toward the river and Cantrell Road and south to Interstate 630, which runs east to downtown. Downtown is roughly ten miles by car. West Little Rock shopping and dining corridors are a few minutes away. Being right at an interstate interchange is a big reason the area filled in so quickly in the early 1970s.
Life here
Pleasant Valley Country Club is the neighborhood's centerpiece, a private club with golf. Houses of worship in the area include Pleasant Valley Church of Christ, First Baptist Church, St. James Methodist, and Temple B'nai Israel on North Rodney Parham Road. Windstream Communications set up its corporate headquarters in the area after it spun off from Alltel. Everyday errands, dining, and offices line the main roads, so a lot of daily life stays close to home.
Owning here
Pleasant Valley is within Little Rock, so homes pay city and county property taxes under the Pulaski County system. Arkansas assesses real property at 20 percent of market value, and the total millage depends on the taxing districts for the address. Taxes are due by October 15 of the year after assessment. For homes from the late 1960s and early 1970s, budget for inspection items common to that age, such as roofs, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical panels. Some streets may have a neighborhood association, so ask.
