You're basically coming from Bike Heaven, so anything would be a downgrade.

I wouldn't want to be that far from the ocean, for one thing. I'm sure the actual roads are fine, but you would get winter months where riding is either frustrating or impossible without studded tires, and I think I've read on this forum that AR drivers are not nearly as happy to share the road as some others in the country, although of course there are morons from coast to coast.

If the job opportunity is golden, I'm sure you can make the best of it in AR. I was just saying I'd never leave California if the only variable under consideration were cycling.