Editing Arkansas

{{Short description|U.S. state}}
{{About|the U.S. state}}
{{Pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
| name = Arkansas
| image_flag = Flag of Arkansas.svg
| flag_link = Flag of Arkansas
| image_seal = Seal of Arkansas.svg
| seal_link = Great Seal of Arkansas
| image_map = Arkansas in United States.svg
| nicknames = The Natural State (current){{break}}Land of Opportunity (former)
| motto = ''[[Regnat populus]]'' ([[Latin]]: The People Rule)
| anthem = "[[Arkansas (song)|Arkansas]]", "[[Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)]]", "[[Oh, Arkansas]]", and "[[The Arkansas Traveler (song)|The Arkansas Traveler]]"
| Former = Arkansas Territory
| seat = [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]]
| OfficialLang = [[English language|English]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/2020/title-1/chapter-4/section-1-4-117/ |title=
2020 Arkansas Code Title 1 - General Provisions Chapter 4 - State Symbols, Motto, Etc. § 1-4-117. Official language  |website=[[Justia|Justia US Law]] |access-date=27 April 2023}}</ref>
| population_demonym = [[Adjectivals and demonyms for U.S. states|Arkansan{{break}}Arkansawyer{{break}}Arkanite]]<ref>Blevins 2009, p. 2.</ref>
| LargestCity = capital
| LargestCounty = [[Pulaski County, Arkansas|Pulaski]]
| LargestMetro = [[Central Arkansas]]
[[Northwest Arkansas]]
| Governor = {{nowrap|[[Sarah Huckabee Sanders]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[Leslie Rutledge]] (R)}}
| Legislature = [[Arkansas General Assembly]]
| Upperhouse = [[Arkansas Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Arkansas House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[Arkansas Supreme Court]]
| Senators = {{nowrap|[[John Boozman]] (R)}}{{break}}{{nowrap|[[Tom Cotton]] (R)}}
| Representative = {{nowrap|[[Arkansas's 1st congressional district|1]]: [[Rick Crawford (politician)|Rick Crawford]] (R)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Arkansas's 2nd congressional district|2]]: [[French Hill (politician)|French Hill]] (R)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Arkansas's 3rd congressional district|3]]: [[Steve Womack]] (R)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Arkansas's 4th congressional district|4]]: [[Bruce Westerman]] (R)}}
| postal_code = AR
| TradAbbreviation = Ark.
| area_rank = 29th
| area_total_km2 = 137,732
| area_total_sq_mi = 53,179
| area_land_km2 = 134,771
| area_land_sq_mi = 52,035
| area_water_km2 = 2,961
| area_water_sq_mi = 1,143
| area_water_percent = 2.15
| population_rank = 33rd
| population_as_of = 2024
| 2010Pop = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 3,088,354<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/AR/PST045224|accessdate=January 9, 2025|title= United States Census Quick Facts Arkansas}}</ref>
| MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|58700|-2}} (2<span>0</span>23)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/acsbr-023.pdf|title=Household Income in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2023|accessdate=January 12, 2025}}</ref>
| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|48th]]
| population_density_rank = 35th
| 2020Density = 22.4
| 2020DensityUS = 57.9
| AdmittanceOrder = 25th
| AdmittanceDate = June 15, 1836
| timezone1 = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central]]
| utc_offset1 = −06:00
| timezone1_DST = CDT
| utc_offset1_DST = −05:00
| Latitude = 33° 00′ N to 36° 30′ N
| Longitude = 89° 39′ W to 94° 37′ W
| width_km = 435
| width_mi = 270
| length_km = 386
| length_mi = 240
| elevation_max_point = [[Mount Magazine]]<ref>{{cite ngs|id=FG1888|designation=Mag|access-date = October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |year=2001 |access-date=October 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012701/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=October 15, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=NAVD88 group = "lower-alpha">Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]]</ref>{{refn|The Geographic Names Index System (GNIS) of the [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS) indicates that the official name of this feature is Magazine Mountain, not "Mount Magazine". Although not a hard and fast rule, generally "Mount X" is used for a peak and "X Mountain" is more frequently used for ridges, which better describes this feature. Magazine Mountain appears in the GNIS as a ridge,<ref>{{cite web |url= {{GNIS 3|67051}} |title= Magazine Mountain |website= [[Geographic Names Information System]] | publisher= [[United States Geological Survey]] | access-date= January 2, 2013}}</ref> with Signal Hill identified as its summit.<ref name="sh">{{cite web |url= {{GNIS 3|73578}} |title = Signal Hill | website= Geographic Names Information System | publisher= United States Geological Survey | access-date = January 2, 2013 }}</ref> "[[Mount Magazine]]" is the name used by the [[Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism]], which follows what the locals have used since the area was first settled.|group= "lower-alpha"}}
| elevation_max_m = 839
| elevation_max_ft = 2,753
| elevation_m = 200
| elevation_ft = 650
| elevation_min_point = [[Ouachita River]] at {{nowrap |[[Louisiana]] border}}<ref name=USGS /><ref name=NAVD88 group="lower-alpha" />
| elevation_min_m = 17
| elevation_min_ft = 55
| iso_code = US-AR
| website = arkansas.gov
| Capital = 
| Representatives = 
}}
{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States
|state = Arkansas
|image_flag = Flag of Arkansas.svg
|image_seal = Seal of Arkansas.svg
|bird = [[Northern mockingbird|Mockingbird]]
|butterfly = [[Diana fritillary]]
|flower = [[Apple]] blossom
|insect = [[Western honeybee]]
|mammal = [[White-tailed deer]]
|tree = [[Pinus taeda|Pine tree]]
|beverage = [[Milk]]
|dance = [[Square dance]]
|food = [[Pecan]]
|gemstone = [[Diamond]]
|mineral = [[Quartz]]
|rock = [[Bauxite]]
|soil = [[Stuttgart (soil)|Stuttgart]]
|vegetable = [[Tomato|South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato]]
|image_route = Arkansas_1.svg
|image_quarter = 2003 AR Proof.png
|quarter_release_date = 2003
}}

'''Arkansas''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑːr|k|ən|s|ɔː|audio=En-us-Arkansas3.ogg}} {{Respell|AR|kən|saw}}<ref name="Arkansas" group = "lower-alpha"/>) is a landlocked [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[West South Central region]] of the [[Southern United States]].<ref>Jones, Daniel (1997) ''English Pronouncing Dictionary'', 15th ed. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-45272-4}}.</ref><ref name="wsc">{{cite web|title=Census Regions and Divisions of the United States |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/us_regdiv.pdf |publisher=Geography Division, United States Census Bureau |access-date=June 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120131930/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/us_regdiv.pdf |archive-date=January 20, 2013 }}</ref> It borders [[Missouri]] to the north, [[Tennessee]] and [[Mississippi]] to the east, [[Louisiana]] to the south, [[Texas]] to the southwest, and [[Oklahoma]] to the west. Its name derives from the [[Osage language]], and refers to their relatives, the [[Quapaw]] people.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Lyon | first= Owen | title= The Trail of the Quapaw |journal= Arkansas Historical Quarterly | volume= 9 |date=Autumn 1950 | issue= 3 | pages= 206–7| doi= 10.2307/40017228 | jstor= 40017228 |issn = 0004-1823 }}</ref> The state's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the [[The Ozarks|Ozark]] and [[Ouachita Mountains]], which make up the [[U.S. Interior Highlands]], to the densely forested land in the south known as the [[Arkansas Timberlands]], to the eastern lowlands along the [[Mississippi River]] and the [[Arkansas Delta]].

Previously part of [[French Louisiana]] and the [[Louisiana Purchase]], the [[Territory of Arkansas]] was [[admitted to the Union]] as the 25th state on June 15, 1836.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Cash |first= Marie |title= Arkansas Achieves Statehood |journal= Arkansas Historical Quarterly |volume= 2 | date= December 1943 |issue= 4 |pages= 292–308 |doi= 10.2307/40018776 |jstor= 40018776 }}</ref> Much of the Delta had been developed for cotton plantations, and landowners there largely depended on [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved African Americans]]' labor. In 1861, Arkansas seceded from the United States and joined the [[Confederate States of America]] during the [[American Civil War]]. On returning to the Union in 1868, Arkansas continued to suffer economically, due to its overreliance on the large-scale [[plantation economy]]. Cotton remained the leading commodity crop, and the cotton market declined. Because farmers and businessmen did not diversify and there was little industrial investment, the state fell behind in economic opportunity. In the late 19th century, the state instituted various [[Jim Crow laws]] to disenfranchise and segregate the African-American population. [[White American|White]] interests dominated Arkansas's politics, with disenfranchisement of African Americans and refusal to reapportion the legislature; only after the federal legislation passed were more African Americans able to vote. During the [[civil rights movement]] of the 1950s and 1960s, Arkansas and particularly Little Rock were major battlegrounds for efforts to integrate schools. Following [[World War II]] in the 1940s, Arkansas began to diversify its economy and see prosperity. During the 1960s, the state became the base of the [[Walmart]] corporation, the [[List of largest companies by revenue|world's largest company by revenue]], headquartered in [[Bentonville, Arkansas|Bentonville]].

Arkansas is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|29th largest by area]] and the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|33rd most populous]] state, with a population of just over three million at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Bureau 2021">{{cite web | title=2020 Census Apportionment Results | website=The United States Census Bureau | date=2021-04-26 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-apportionment-data.html | access-date=2021-04-27}}</ref> The [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] and [[List of municipalities in Arkansas|most populous city]] is [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], in the central part of the state, a hub for transportation, business, culture, and government. The northwestern corner of the state, namely the [[Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area]], is a population, education, cultural, and economic center. The [[Fort Smith metropolitan area|Fort Smith Metropolitan Area]] is also an economic center and is known for its historic sites related to western expansion and the persecution of Native Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Mailing Address: 301 Parker Ave Fort |last2=Us |first2=AR 72901 Phone: 479 783-3961 Contact |title=Judge Isaac C. Parker - Fort Smith National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/fosm/learn/historyculture/judge-parker.htm |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> The largest city in the state's eastern part is [[Jonesboro, Arkansas|Jonesboro]]. The largest city in the state's southeastern part is [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas|Pine Bluff]].

In the 21st century, Arkansas's economy is based on service industries, aircraft, poultry, steel, and tourism, along with important commodity crops of cotton, [[soybeans]] and [[rice]]. The state supports a network of public [[university|universities]] and colleges, including two major university systems: [[Arkansas State University System]] and [[University of Arkansas System]]. [[culture of Arkansas|Arkansas's culture]] is observable in museums, theaters, novels, television shows, restaurants, and athletic venues across the state.

==Etymology==
{{Listen
| filename    = En-us-Arkansas.ogg
| title       = Pronunciation of Arkansas
| description = 
| pos         = left
}}
The name ''Arkansas'' initially applied to the [[Arkansas River]]. It derives from a [[French language|French]] term, ''Arcansas'', their plural term for their transliteration of ''akansa'', an [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] term for the [[Quapaw]] people,<ref name="bright">{{cite book|last1=Bright|first1=William|title=Native American Placenames of the United States|date=2007|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|location=Norman|isbn=978-0-806135984|page=47|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&q=Akancea%2C%20Acansea%2C%20Acansa%20(Dickinson%2C%201995)&pg=PA47}}</ref> which is believed to translate to "south wind people."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arkansas Secretary of State |url=https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/education/arkansas-history/how-did-arkansas-get-its-name |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.sos.arkansas.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Origin of Names of US States {{!}} Indian Affairs |url=https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/origin-names-us-states |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.bia.gov |language=en}}</ref> These were a [[Dhegiha Siouan]]-speaking people who settled in Arkansas around the 13th century. ''Kansa'' is likely also the root term for [[Kansas]], which was named after the related [[Kaw people]].<ref name=bright/>

The name has been pronounced and spelled in a variety of ways.<ref name="Arkansas" group = "lower-alpha"/> In 1881, the state legislature defined the official pronunciation of Arkansas as having the final "s" be silent (as it would be in French). A dispute had arisen between the state's two senators over the pronunciation issue. One favored {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑr|k|ən|s|ɔː}} ({{respell|AR|kən|saw}}), the other {{IPAc-en|ɑr|ˈ|k|æ|n|z|ə|s}} ({{respell|ar|KAN|zəs}}).{{Refn | name="Arkansas" | group = "lower-alpha" |

The region was organized as the [[Territory of Arkansaw]] on July 4, 1819, but the territory was admitted to the United States as the state of Arkansas on June 15, 1836. The name was historically pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑr|k|ən|s|ɔː}}, {{IPAc-en|ɑr|ˈ|k|æ|n|z|ə|s}}, and several other variants. The residents of Arkansas have called themselves either "Arkansans" or "Arkansawyers". In 1881, the [[Arkansas General Assembly]] passed the following concurrent resolution, now Arkansas Code{{spaces}}1 April{{spaces}}105:<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/ArkansasCode/0/1-4-105.htm |format=official text |title=Code |place=AR, [[United States|US]] |publisher=Assembly |issue=1–4–105 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924223556/http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/ArkansasCode/0/1-4-105.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2011 |website=Arkansas State Legislature }}</ref>
{{Blockquote |Whereas, confusion of practice has arisen in the pronunciation of the name of our state and it is deemed important that the true pronunciation should be determined for use in oral official proceedings.

And, whereas, the matter has been thoroughly investigated by the State Historical Society and the Eclectic Society of Little Rock, which have agreed upon the correct pronunciation as derived from history, and the early usage of the American immigrants.

Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final "s" silent, the "a" in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. The pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of "a" in "man" and the sounding of the terminal "s" is discouraged by Arkansans.}} Despite this, the state's name is still frequently mispronounced, especially by non-Americans; in fact, it is spelled in [[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]] with the {{respell|ar|KAN|zəs}} pronunciation.

Citizens of the [[state of Kansas]] often pronounce the [[Arkansas River]] as {{IPAc-en|ɑr|ˈ|k|æ|n|z|ə|s}}, in a manner similar to the common pronunciation of the name of their state.}}

In 2007, the state legislature passed a non-binding resolution declaring that the possessive form of the state's name is ''Arkansas's'', which the state government has increasingly followed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004291.html|title= Arkansas apostrophism|website=Language Log |date=March 10, 2007 |first=Mark |last=Liberman |access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite act|type=House Concurrent Resolution |date=March 14, 2007|legislature=[[Arkansas House of Representatives]]|title=Declaring "Arkansas's" as the correct spelling of the possessive form of the name of our state |url=https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2007%2FPublic%2FHCR1016.pdf}}</ref>

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2022}}
{{Main|History of Arkansas}}

===Early history===
{{Main|New France|Louisiana (New France)|French and Indian War|Treaty of Paris (1763)|New Spain|Louisiana (New Spain)|Treaty of Aranjuez (1801)}}
[[File:Chromesun toltec mounds photo01.jpg|thumb|left|[[Platform mound]]s were constructed frequently during the [[Woodland Period|Woodland]] and [[Mississippian culture|Mississippian periods]].]]
Before European settlement of North America, Arkansas was inhabited by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The [[Caddo]], [[Osage Nation|Osage]], and [[Quapaw]] peoples encountered European explorers. The first of these Europeans was Spanish explorer [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] in 1541, who crossed the Mississippi and marched across central Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains. After finding nothing he considered of value and encountering native resistance the entire way, he and his men returned to the Mississippi River where de Soto fell ill. From his deathbed he ordered his men to massacre all the men of the nearby village of Anilco, who he feared had been plotting with a powerful polity down the Mississippi River, ''[[Quigualtam]]''. His men obeyed and did not stop with the men, but were said to have massacred women and children as well. He died the following day in what is believed to be the vicinity of modern-day [[McArthur, Arkansas]], in May 1542. His body was weighted down with sand and he was consigned to a watery grave in the Mississippi River under cover of darkness by his men. De Soto had attempted to deceive the native population into thinking he was an immortal deity, sun of the sun, in order to forestall attack by outraged Native Americans on his by then weakened and bedraggled army. In order to keep the ruse up, his men informed the locals that de Soto had ascended into the sky. His will at the time of his death listed "four Indian slaves, three horses and 700 hogs" which were auctioned off. The starving men, who had been living off maize stolen from natives, immediately started butchering the hogs and later, commanded by former [[aide-de-camp]] Moscoso, attempted an overland return to Mexico. They made it as far as Texas before running into territory too dry for maize farming and too thinly populated to sustain themselves by stealing food from the locals. The expedition promptly backtracked to Arkansas. After building a small fleet of boats they then headed down the Mississippi River and eventually on to Mexico by water.<ref name="HUDSONKNIGHTS">{{cite book| author-link =Charles M. Hudson (author) |last= Hudson| first=Charles M.|title= Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun| url =https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780820318882 | url-access =registration | year=1997|publisher= [[University of Georgia Press]] |pages = [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780820318882/page/341 341–351] |isbn= 9780820318882}}</ref><ref>Davidson, James West. ''After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection'' Volume 1. Mc Graw Hill, New York 2010, Chapter 1, p. 2,3</ref>

Later explorers included the French [[Jacques Marquette]] and [[Louis Jolliet]] in 1673, and Frenchmen [[Robert La Salle]] and [[Henri de Tonti]] in 1681.<ref>{{cite web |last= Sabo III |first= George |title= First Encounters, Hernando de Soto in the Mississippi Valley, 1541–42 |url= http://arkarcheology.uark.edu/indiansofarkansas/index.html?pagestate=First%20Encounters |date= December 12, 2008 |access-date= May 3, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>Fletcher 1989, p. 26.</ref> Tonti established [[Arkansas Post]] at a Quapaw village in 1686, making it the first European settlement in the territory.<ref name="ce">Arnold 1992, p. 75.</ref> The early Spanish or French explorers of the state gave it its name, which is probably a phonetic spelling of the [[Illinois language|Illinois]] tribe's name for the [[Quapaw]] people, who lived downriver from them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0302b&L=ads-l&P=7800 |title=Linguist list 14.4 |publisher=Listserv.linguistlist.org |date=February 11, 2003 |access-date=July 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208035440/http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0302b&L=ads-l&P=7800 |archive-date=December 8, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Arkansas" group="lower-alpha" /> The name Arkansas has been pronounced and spelled in a variety of fashions. The region was organized as the [[Territory of Arkansaw]] on July 4, 1819, with the territory admitted to the United States as the state of Arkansas on June 15, 1836. The name was historically {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑr|k|ən|s|ɔː}}, {{IPAc-en|ɑr|ˈ|k|æ|n|z|ə|s}}, and several other variants. Historically and modernly, the people of Arkansas call themselves either "Arkansans" or "Arkansawyers". In 1881, the [[Arkansas General Assembly]] passed Arkansas Code 1-4-105 (official text):
<blockquote>Whereas, confusion of practice has arisen in the pronunciation of the name of our state and it is deemed important that the true pronunciation should be determined for use in oral official proceedings.</blockquote>
<blockquote>And, whereas, the matter has been thoroughly investigated by the State Historical Society and the Eclectic Society of Little Rock, which have agreed upon the correct pronunciation as derived from history, and the early usage of the American immigrants.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final "s" silent, the "a" in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. The pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of "a" in "man" and the sounding of the terminal "s" is an innovation to be discouraged.</blockquote>
Citizens of the [[state of Kansas]] often pronounce the [[Arkansas River]] as {{IPAc-en|ɑr|ˈ|k|æ|n|z|ə|s}}, in a manner similar to the common pronunciation of the name of their state.

Settlers, such as fur trappers, moved to Arkansas in the early 18th century. These people used Arkansas Post as a home base and [[entrepôt]].<ref name="ce" /> During the colonial period, Arkansas changed hands between [[France]] and [[Spain]] following the [[Seven Years' War]], although neither showed interest in the remote settlement of Arkansas Post.<ref>Arnold et al. 2002, p. 82.</ref> In April 1783, Arkansas saw its only battle of the [[American Revolutionary War]], a brief [[Battle of Arkansas Post (American Revolutionary War)|siege]] of the post by British Captain James Colbert with the assistance of the [[Choctaw]] and [[Chickasaw]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= Din |first= Gilbert C. |title= Arkansas Post in the American Revolution |journal= The Arkansas Historical Quarterly |date= Spring 1981 |volume= 40 |issue= 1 |pages= 17–28 |doi= 10.2307/40023280 |jstor= 40023280 }}</ref>

===Purchase and statehood===
{{Main|Louisiana Purchase|District of Louisiana|Louisiana Territory|Missouri Territory|Organic act#List of organic acts|Arkansas Territory}}
[[File:Arkansasterritory.PNG|thumb|Map of the [[Arkansas Territory]]]]
[[Napoleon Bonaparte]] sold [[Louisiana (New France)|French Louisiana]] to the United States in 1803, including all of Arkansas, in a transaction known today as the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. French soldiers remained as a garrison at [[Arkansas Post]]. Following the purchase, the balanced give-and-take relationship between settlers and Native Americans began to change all along the frontier, including in Arkansas.<ref>Arnold et al. 2002, p. 79.</ref> Following [[Missouri compromise|a controversy over allowing slavery in the territory]], the [[Territory of Arkansas]] was organized on July 4, 1819.<ref name="Arkansas" group="lower-alpha" /> Gradual emancipation in Arkansas was struck down by one vote, the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] [[Henry Clay]], allowing Arkansas to organize as a slave territory.<ref>Johnson 1965, p. 58.</ref>

[[Slavery in the United States|Slavery]] became a wedge issue in Arkansas, forming a geographic divide that remained for decades. Owners and operators of the cotton [[plantation economy]] in southeast Arkansas firmly supported slavery, as they perceived [[Slavery|slave labor]] as the best or "only" economically viable method of harvesting their commodity crops.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Bolton |first= S. Charles |title= Slavery and the Defining of Arkansas |journal= The Arkansas Historical Quarterly |date= Spring 1999 |volume= 58 |issue= 1 |page= 9 |doi= 10.2307/40026271 |jstor= 40026271 }}</ref> The "hill country" of northwest Arkansas was unable to grow cotton and relied on a cash-scarce, [[subsistence farming]] economy.<ref>Scroggs 1961, pp. 231–232.</ref>

[[File:Arkansas Centennial state houses single, 3c, 1936 issue.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Arkansas statehood, 100th anniversary issue; released on June 15, 1936, on the 100th anniversary of Arkansas statehood. The old state house is depicted at center, the fort surrounding the [[Arkansas Post]] at left with the present day state capitol building at right.<ref>{{cite web |first= |last= |title=3c Arkansas Centennial state houses single |publisher=[[w:Smithsonian National Postal Museum|' Smithsonian National Postal Museum]] |year=1936 |accessdate=January 10, 2024 |url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_1980.2493.2674 |ref=smithsonian}}</ref>]]
As European Americans settled throughout the East Coast and into the Midwest, in the 1830s the United States government forced the [[Indian Removal|removal]] of many [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes to Arkansas and [[Indian Territory]] west of the [[Mississippi River]].

Additional Native American removals began in earnest during the territorial period, with final Quapaw removal complete by 1833 as they were pushed into Indian Territory.<ref>White 1962, p. 197.</ref> The capital was relocated from Arkansas Post to [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] in 1821, during the territorial period.<ref>{{cite journal |title= Territorial Governors of Arkansas |last= Eno |first= Clara B. |journal= Arkansas Historical Quarterly |date= Winter 1945 |volume= 4 |issue= 4 |page= 278 |doi= 10.2307/40018362 |jstor= 40018362 }}</ref>

{{See also|Admission to the Union|List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union}}

When Arkansas applied for statehood, the slavery issue was again raised in [[Washington, D.C.]] Congress eventually approved the [[Arkansas Constitution]] after a 25-hour session, admitting Arkansas on June 15, 1836, as the 25th state and the 13th [[slave state]], having a population of about 60,000.<ref>Scroggs 1961, p. 243.</ref> Arkansas struggled with taxation to support its new state government, a problem made worse by [[Holford Bonds|a state banking scandal]] and worse yet by the [[Panic of 1837]].

===Civil War and Reconstruction===
{{Main|Ordinance of Secession|Confederate States of America|Arkansas in the American Civil War}}
[[File:Lakeport Plantation, Lake Village, Chicot County, Arkansas.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3| [[Lakeport Plantation]], built {{circa|1859}}]]
In early antebellum Arkansas, the southeast Arkansas slave-based economy developed rapidly. On the eve of the American Civil War in 1860, enslaved African Americans numbered 111,115 people, just over 25% of the state's population.<ref>[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php Historical Census Browser, 1860 US Census, University of Virginia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823030234/http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php |date=August 23, 2007 }}. Retrieved March 21, 2008.</ref> A plantation system based largely on cotton agriculture developed that, after the war, kept the state and region behind the nation for decades.<ref>Arnold et al. 2002, p. 135.</ref> The wealth developed among planters of southeast Arkansas caused a political rift between the northwest and southeast.<ref name="bol">Bolton 1999, p. 22.</ref>

Many politicians were elected to office from [[The Family (Arkansas politics)|the Family]], the Southern rights political force in antebellum Arkansas. Residents generally wanted to avoid a civil war. When the Gulf states seceded in early 1861, delegates to a convention called to determine whether Arkansas should secede referred the question back to the voters for a referendum to be held in August.<ref name="bol" /> Arkansas did not secede until [[Abraham Lincoln]] demanded Arkansas troops be sent to [[Fort Sumter]] to quell [[Battle of Fort Sumter|the rebellion there]]. On May 6, the members of the state convention, having been recalled by the convention president, voted to terminate Arkansas's membership in the Union and join the [[Confederate States of America]].<ref name="bol" />

[[File:Cannons from Battle of Pea Ridge, 2016.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Cannons at [[Battle of Pea Ridge]] site]]

Arkansas held a very important position for the Rebels, maintaining control of the [[Mississippi River]] and surrounding Southern states. The bloody [[Battle of Wilson's Creek]] just across the border in Missouri shocked many Arkansans who thought the war would be a quick and decisive Southern victory. Battles early in the war took place in northwest Arkansas, including the [[Battle of Cane Hill]], [[Battle of Pea Ridge]], and [[Battle of Prairie Grove]]. Union general [[Samuel Ryan Curtis|Samuel Curtis]] swept across the state to [[Helena-West Helena, Arkansas|Helena]] in the Delta in 1862. Little Rock was captured the following year. The government shifted the state Confederate capital to [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]], and then again to [[Washington, Arkansas|Washington]] from 1863 to 1865, for the remainder of the war. Throughout the state, [[guerrilla]] warfare ravaged the countryside and destroyed cities.<ref>Arnold et al. 2002, p. 200.</ref> Passion for the Confederate cause waned after implementation of programs such as the draft, high taxes, and martial law.

Under the [[Reconstruction era#Military Reconstruction|Military Reconstruction Act]], Congress declared Arkansas restored to the Union in June 1868, after the Legislature accepted the 14th Amendment. The Republican-controlled reconstruction legislature established universal male suffrage (though temporarily disfranchising former Confederate Army officers, who were all Democrats), a public education system for blacks and whites, and passed general issues to improve the state and help more of the population. The State soon came under control of the [[Radical Republicans]] and Unionists, and led by Governor [[Powell Clayton]], they presided over a time of great upheaval as Confederate sympathizers and the [[Ku Klux Klan]] fought the new developments, particularly voting rights for African Americans.

===End of Reconstruction and late 19th century===
In 1874, the [[Brooks-Baxter War]], a political struggle between factions of the [[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]] shook Little Rock and the state governorship. It was settled only when President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] ordered [[Joseph Brooks (politician)|Joseph Brooks]] to disperse his militant supporters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2276 |title=Brooks-Baxter War—Encyclopedia of Arkansas |access-date=August 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091926/http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2276 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the Brooks-Baxter War, a new state constitution was ratified, re-enfranchising former Confederates and effectively bringing an end to Reconstruction.

In 1881, the Arkansas state legislature enacted a bill that adopted an official pronunciation of the state's name, to combat a controversy then simmering. (See Law and Government below.)

After Reconstruction, the state began to receive more [[immigrants]] and [[migrant worker|migrants]]. Chinese, [[Italians|Italian]], and [[Syrian]] men were recruited for farm labor in the developing Delta region. None of these nationalities stayed long at farm labor; the Chinese especially, as they quickly became small merchants in towns around the Delta. Many Chinese became such successful merchants in small towns that they were able to educate their children at college.<ref>William D. Baker, ''[http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/pdf/publications/Minority_Settlement.pdf Minority Settlement in the Mississippi River Counties of the Arkansas Delta, 1870–1930] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527190216/http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/pdf/publications/Minority_Settlement.pdf |date=May 27, 2008 }}'', Arkansas Preservation Commission. Retrieved May 14, 2008</ref>

Construction of railroads enabled more farmers to get their products to market. It also brought new development into different parts of the state, including the Ozarks, where some areas were developed as resorts. In a few years at the end of the 19th century, for instance, [[Eureka Springs]] in [[Carroll County, Arkansas|Carroll County]] grew to 10,000 people, rapidly becoming a tourist destination and the fourth-largest city of the state. It featured newly constructed, elegant resort hotels and spas planned around its natural springs, considered to have healthful properties. The town's attractions included horse racing and other entertainment. It appealed to a wide variety of classes, becoming almost as popular as [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]].

===Rise of the Jim Crow laws and early 20th century===
{{See also|Elaine massacre}}
[[File:Colored boys playing on top of Coca Cola stand. Little Rock, Arkansas.jpg|thumb|upright|right|A group of [[African American]] boys in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] in 1938.]]
In the late 1880s, the worsening agricultural depression catalyzed Populist and third party movements, leading to interracial coalitions. Struggling to stay in power, in the 1890s the Democrats in Arkansas followed other Southern states in passing legislation and constitutional amendments that [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disfranchised]] blacks and poor whites. In 1891 state legislators passed a requirement for a [[literacy test]], knowing it would exclude many blacks and whites. At the time, more than 25% of the population could neither read nor write. In 1892, they amended the state constitution to require a [[Poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] and more complex residency requirements, both of which adversely affected poor people and sharecroppers, forcing most blacks and many poor whites from voter rolls.

By 1900 the Democratic Party expanded use of the [[white primary]] in county and state elections, further denying blacks a part in the political process. Only in the primary was there any competition among candidates, as Democrats held all the power. The state was a Democratic one-party state for decades, until after passage of the federal [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]] to enforce constitutional rights.<ref>[http://www.oldstatehouse.com/educational_programs/classroom/arkansas_news/detail.asp?id=800&issue_id=36&page=3 "White Primary" System Bars Blacks from Politics—1900, ''The Arkansas News'', Old State House, Spring 1987, p.3. Retrieved March 22, 2008.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115152140/http://www.oldstatehouse.com/educational_programs/classroom/arkansas_news/detail.asp?id=800&issue_id=36&page=3 |date=January 15, 2009 }}</ref>

Between 1905 and 1911, Arkansas began to receive a small immigration of [[Germans|German]], [[Slovaks|Slovak]], and Scots-Irish from Europe. The German and Slovak peoples settled in the eastern part of the state known as the [[Prairie]], and the Irish founded small communities in the southeast part of the state. The Germans were mostly Lutheran and the Slovaks were primarily Catholic. The Irish were mostly Protestant from [[Ulster]], of Scots and Northern Borders descent. Some early 20th-century immigration included people from eastern Europe. Together, these immigrants made the Delta more diverse than the rest of the state. In the same years, some black migrants moved into the area because of opportunities to develop the bottomlands and own their own property.

Black sharecroppers began to try to organize a farmers' union after World War{{spaces}}I. They were seeking better conditions of payment and accounting from white landowners of the area cotton plantations. Whites resisted any change and often tried to break up their meetings. On September 30, 1919, two white men, including a local deputy, tried to break up a meeting of black sharecroppers who were trying to organize a farmers' union. After a white deputy was killed in a confrontation with guards at the meeting, word spread to town and around the area.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} Hundreds of whites from Phillips and neighboring areas rushed to suppress the blacks, and started attacking blacks at large. [[governor of Arkansas|Governor]] [[Charles Hillman Brough]] requested federal troops to stop what was called the [[Elaine massacre]]. White mobs spread throughout the county, killing an estimated 237 blacks before most of the violence was suppressed after October 1.<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net">[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1102 Elaine Massacre, Arkansas Encyclopedia of History and Culture]; accessed April 3, 2008.</ref> Five whites also died in the incident. The governor accompanied the troops to the scene; President [[Woodrow Wilson]] had approved their use.

[[File:Arkansas State Planning Board Areas Inundated by Flood in 1927.jpg|thumb|Map of the flood of 1927 in Arkansas]]
The [[Great Mississippi Flood of 1927]] flooded the areas along the Ouachita Rivers along with many other rivers.

Based on the order of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] given shortly after [[Imperial Japan]]'s [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], nearly 16,000 [[Japanese Americans]] were forcibly removed from the [[West Coast of the United States]] and incarcerated in two internment camps in the [[Arkansas Delta]].<ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2273|title=Japanese American Relocation Camps—Encyclopedia of Arkansas|website=encyclopediaofarkansas.net}}</ref> The [[Rohwer War Relocation Center|Rohwer Camp]] in [[Desha County]] operated from September 1942 to November 1945 and at its peak interned 8,475 prisoners.<ref name="encyclopedia" /> The [[Jerome War Relocation Center]] in [[Drew County]] operated from October 1942 to June 1944 and held about 8,000.<ref name="encyclopedia" />

===Fall of segregation===
After the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional in [[Brown v. Board of Education|''Brown ''v.'' Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas'']] (1954), some students worked to integrate schools in the state. The [[Little Rock Nine]] brought Arkansas to national attention in 1957 when the federal government had to intervene to protect African-American students trying to integrate a high school in the capital. Governor [[Orval Faubus]] had ordered the [[Arkansas National Guard]] to help segregationists prevent nine African-American students from enrolling at Little Rock's Central High School. After attempting three times to contact Faubus, President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] sent 1,000 troops from the active-duty 101st Airborne Division to escort and protect the African-American students as they entered school on September 25, 1957. In defiance of federal court orders to integrate, the governor and city of Little Rock decided to close the high schools for the remainder of the school year. By the fall of 1959, the Little Rock high schools were completely integrated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=723 |title=Little Rock Nine—Encyclopedia of Arkansas |access-date=August 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929115012/http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=723 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Arkansas}}
[[File:Boxley Valley 001.jpg|thumb|View from the [[Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway]] in [[Boxley Valley Historic District|Boxley Valley]]]]

===Boundaries===
Arkansas borders [[Louisiana]] to the south, [[Texas]] to the southwest, [[Oklahoma]] to the west, [[Missouri]] to the north, and [[Tennessee]] and [[Mississippi]] to the east. The [[United States Census Bureau]] classifies Arkansas as a [[Southern United States|southern]] state, sub-categorized among the [[West South Central States]].<ref name="wsc" /> The [[Mississippi River]] forms most of its eastern border, except in [[Clay County, Arkansas|Clay]] and [[Greene County, Arkansas|Greene]] counties, where the [[St. Francis River]] forms the western boundary of the [[Missouri Bootheel]], and in many places where the channel of the Mississippi has meandered (or been straightened by man) from its original 1836 course.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

===Terrain===
[[File:Buffalo national river steel creek overlook.jpg|thumb|The [[Ozarks]] rise behind a bend in the [[Buffalo National River|Buffalo River]] from an overlook on the Buffalo River Trail.]]

Arkansas can generally be split into two halves, the highlands in the northwest and the lowlands of the southeast.<ref>Smith 1989, p. 15.</ref> The highlands are part of the Southern Interior Highlands, including [[The Ozarks]] and the [[Ouachita Mountains]]. The southern lowlands include the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]] and the [[Arkansas Delta]].<ref>Smith 1989, pp. 15–17.</ref> This split can yield to a regional division into northwest, southwest, northeast, southeast, and central Arkansas. These regions are broad and not defined along county lines. Arkansas has seven distinct natural regions: the Ozark Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, [[Arkansas River Valley]], Gulf Coastal Plain, [[Crowley's Ridge]], and the Arkansas Delta, with [[Central Arkansas]] sometimes included as a blend of multiple regions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arkansas Regions |url=http://www.arkansasheritage.com/discover/natural_environments/regions.aspx |website=Discover Arkansas History |publisher=The Department of Arkansas Heritage |access-date=June 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614023536/http://www.arkansasheritage.com/discover/natural_environments/regions.aspx |archive-date=June 14, 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:Arkansas Delta, Desha County, AR.jpg|thumb|The flat terrain and rich soils of the Arkansas Delta near [[Arkansas City, Arkansas|Arkansas City]] are in stark contrast to the northwestern part of the state.]]

The southeastern part of Arkansas along the [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]] is sometimes called the Arkansas Delta. This region is a flat landscape of [[River delta|rich alluvial soils formed by repeated flooding]] of the adjacent Mississippi. Farther from the river, in the southeastern part of the state, the Grand Prairie has a more undulating landscape. Both are fertile agricultural areas. The Delta region is bisected by a geological formation known as [[Crowley's Ridge]]. A narrow band of rolling hills, Crowley's Ridge rises {{convert|250|to|500|ft|m}} above the surrounding alluvial plain and underlies many of eastern Arkansas's major towns.<ref>Smith 1989, p. 19.</ref>

Northwest Arkansas is part of the [[Ozark Plateau]] including the [[Ozark Mountains]], to the south are the [[Ouachita Mountains]], and these regions are divided by the [[Arkansas River]]; the southern and eastern parts of Arkansas are called the Lowlands.<ref>Federal Writers' Project 1987, p. 6.</ref> These mountain ranges are part of the [[U.S. Interior Highlands]] region, the only major mountainous region between the [[Rocky Mountains]] and the [[Appalachian Mountains]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title= Ozark Mountains |encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica |url= https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/437144/Ozark-Mountains |access-date= January 2, 2013 }}</ref> The state's highest point is [[Mount Magazine]] in the [[Ouachita Mountains]],<ref>{{cite web |title= Arkansas's Highpoint Information |url= http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/!userfiles/pdfs/MM%20Highpoint%20bro%2005.pdf |publisher= [[Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism]] |access-date= January 2, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130306172243/http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/!userfiles/pdfs/MM%20Highpoint%20bro%2005.pdf |archive-date= March 6, 2013 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref> which is {{convert|2753|ft|m}} above sea level.<ref name="sh" />

[[File:Cedar Falls Trail, Petit Jean State Park 010.jpg|thumb|Cedar Falls in [[Petit Jean State Park]]]]

Arkansas is home to many [[List of caves in Arkansas|caves]], such as [[Blanchard Springs Caverns]]. The State Archeologist has catalogued more than 43,000 Native American living, hunting and tool-making sites, many of them Pre-Columbian burial mounds and rock shelters. [[Crater of Diamonds State Park]] near [[Murfreesboro, Arkansas|Murfreesboro]] is the world's only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public for digging.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/history/ |title=Crater of Diamonds: History of diamonds, diamond mining in Arkansas |publisher=Craterofdiamondsstatepark.com |access-date=July 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821235457/http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/history/ |archive-date=August 21, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://geology.com/gemstones/united-states-diamond-production.shtml |title=US Diamond Mines—Diamond Mining in the United States |publisher=Geology.com |access-date=July 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724122236/http://geology.com/gemstones/united-states-diamond-production.shtml |archive-date=July 24, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Arkansas is home to a dozen Wilderness Areas totaling {{convert|158444|acre|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web |title= List Wilderness Areas in Arkansas |url= http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/stateView?state=AR |publisher= [[University of Montana College of Forestry and Conservation]] Wilderness Institute, Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute |access-date= January 2, 2013 |archive-date= December 31, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121231150303/http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/stateView?state=ar |url-status= dead }}</ref> These areas are set aside for outdoor recreation and are open to hunting, fishing, hiking, and primitive camping. No mechanized vehicles nor developed campgrounds are allowed in these areas.<ref>{{cite book |title= Arkansas Atlas and Gazetteer |year= 2004 |publisher= DeLorme |page= 12 |location= Yarmouth, Maine }}</ref>

===Hydrology===
[[File:Buffalo National River.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Buffalo National River]] is one of many attractions that give the state its nickname, ''The Natural State'']]
Arkansas has many rivers, lakes, and reservoirs within or along its borders. Major tributaries to the Mississippi River include the [[Arkansas River]], the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]], and the [[St. Francis River]].<ref name="Federal Writers 1987, p. 8">Federal Writers' Project 1987, p. 8.</ref> The Arkansas is fed by the [[Mulberry River (Arkansas)|Mulberry]] and [[Fourche La Fave River|Fourche LaFave Rivers]] in the Arkansas River Valley, which is also home to [[Lake Dardanelle]]. The [[Buffalo National River|Buffalo]], [[Little Red River (Arkansas)|Little Red]], [[Black River (Arkansas)|Black]] and [[Cache River (Arkansas)|Cache Rivers]] are all tributaries to the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]], which also empties into the Mississippi. [[Bayou Bartholomew]] and the [[Saline River (Ouachita River)|Saline]], [[Little Missouri River (Arkansas)|Little Missouri]], and [[Caddo River]]s are all tributaries to the [[Ouachita River]] in south Arkansas, [[Old River Control Structure|which empties into the Mississippi]] in Louisiana. The [[Red River of the South|Red River]] briefly forms the state's boundary with Texas.<ref>Smith 1989, p. 24.</ref> Arkansas has few natural lakes and many reservoirs,{{Quantify|date=August 2016}} such as [[Bull Shoals Lake]], [[Lake Ouachita]], [[Greers Ferry Lake]], [[Millwood Lake]], [[Beaver Lake (Arkansas)|Beaver Lake]], [[Norfork Lake]], [[DeGray Lake]], and [[Lake Conway]].<ref>Smith 1989, p. 25.</ref>

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:White River, Arkansas.jpg|right|thumb|The [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]] in eastern Arkansas]]
Arkansas's mix of warm temperate moist forest and subtropical bottomland is divided into three broad ecoregions: the ''Ozark, Ouachita-Appalachian Forests'', the ''Mississippi Alluvial and Southeast USA Coastal Plains'', and the ''Southeastern USA Plains''.<ref>{{cite map |title= Ecological Regions of North America |scale= 1:10000000 |url= ftp://ftp.epa.gov/wed/ecoregions/cec_na/NA_LEVEL_II.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170525200330/ftp://ftp.epa.gov/wed/ecoregions/cec_na/NA_LEVEL_II.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2017-05-25 |type= PDF |publisher= United States Environmental Protection Agency |access-date= July 5, 2012 }}</ref> The state is further divided into seven subregions: the Arkansas Valley, [[Boston Mountains]], [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]], [[Crowley's Ridge|Mississippi Valley Loess Plain]], Ozark Highlands, Ouachita Mountains, and the South Central Plains.<ref>{{cite map |title= Ecoregions of Arkansas |url= ftp://ftp.epa.gov/wed/ecoregions/ar/ar_eco_pg.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170525200416/ftp://ftp.epa.gov/wed/ecoregions/ar/ar_eco_pg.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2017-05-25 |type= PDF |publisher= United States Environmental Protection Agency |access-date= July 5, 2012 }}</ref> A 2010 [[United States Forest Service]] survey determined {{convert|18720000|acre|ha}} of Arkansas's land is forestland, or 56% of the state's total area.<ref>{{cite web |title= Forest Inventory and Analysis |url= http://srsfia2.fs.fed.us/states/ar/tables/AR_2010-FS_FIADB_22JUNE2011.xls |format= XLS |year= 2010 |publisher= United States Forest Service, Southern Research Station |access-date= July 5, 2012 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121201151653/http://srsfia2.fs.fed.us/states/ar/tables/AR_2010-FS_FIADB_22JUNE2011.xls |archive-date= December 1, 2012 |df= mdy-all }}</ref> Dominant species in Arkansas's forests include ''[[Oak|Quercus]]'' (oak), ''[[Hickory|Carya]]'' (hickory), ''[[Pinus echinata]]'' (shortleaf pine) and ''[[Pinus taeda]]'' (loblolly pine).<ref>{{cite journal |title= Proceedings of the Symposium on Arkansas Forests: A Conference on the Results of the Recent Forest Survey of Arkansas |url=http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/2793 |publisher= [[United States Forest Service]] |date= May 30–31, 1997 |page= 74 |doi=10.2737/SRS-GTR-41 |last1=Guldin |first1=James M. |last2=Technical Compiler |journal=Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-41. Asheville, Nc: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 125 P |volume=041 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Dale |first1= Edward E. Jr. |last2= Ware |first2= Stewart |title= Distribution of Wetland Tree Species in Relation to a Flooding Gradient and Backwater versus Streamside Location in Arkansas, U.S.A |date= April–June 2004 |journal= Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society |volume= 131 |issue= 2 |pages= 177–186 |doi= 10.2307/4126919 |jstor= 4126919 }}</ref>

Arkansas's plant life varies with its climate and elevation. The [[Arkansas Timberlands|pine belt]] stretching from the Arkansas delta to Texas consists of dense oak-hickory-pine growth. Lumbering and paper milling activity is active throughout the region.<ref>Federal Writers' Project 1987, p. 13.</ref> In eastern Arkansas, one can find ''[[Taxodium]] ''(cypress), ''[[Quercus nigra]]'' (water oaks), and hickories with their roots submerged in the Mississippi Valley bayous indicative of the Deep South. [[Saw palmetto]] and [[needle palm]] both range into Arkansas.<ref>Federal Writers' Project 1987, p. 12.</ref> Nearby Crowley's Ridge is the only home of the [[Liriodendron|tulip tree]] in the state, and generally hosts more northeastern plant life such as the [[beech]] tree.<ref>Federal Writers' Project 1987, pp. 12–13.</ref> The northwestern highlands are covered in an oak-hickory mixture, with [[Juniperus ashei|Ozark white cedars]], ''[[Cornus (genus)|cornus]]'' (dogwoods), and ''[[Cercis canadensis]]'' (redbuds) also present. The higher peaks in the Arkansas River Valley play host to scores of ferns, including the ''[[Physematium scopulinum]]'' and ''[[Adiantum]]'' (maidenhair fern) on Mount Magazine.<ref>Federal Writers' Project 1987, pp. 13–14.</ref> The white-tailed deer is the official state mammal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/animals-of-arkansas/ |title=Animals of Arkansas |date=May 2, 2022 |publisher=animalsaroundtheglobe.com |access-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715130017/https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/animals-of-arkansas/ |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Climate===
{{further|Climate change in Arkansas}}
[[File:SnowstormPics1-9-2011 (14).jpg|thumb|Rare snowy winter at [[Historic Washington State Park]] in [[Hempstead County, Arkansas|Hempstead County]]]]
Arkansas generally has a [[humid subtropical climate]]. While not bordering the [[Gulf of Mexico]], Arkansas, is still close enough to the warm, large body of water for it to influence the weather in the state. Generally, Arkansas, has hot, humid summers and slightly drier, mild to cool winters. In [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], the daily high temperatures average around {{convert|93|°F|°C|abbr=on}} with lows around {{convert|73|°F|°C|abbr=on}} in July. In January highs average around {{convert|51|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and lows around {{convert|32|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. In [[Siloam Springs, Arkansas|Siloam Springs]] in the northwest part of the state, the average high and low temperatures in July are {{convert|89|and|67|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and in January the average high and low are {{convert|44|and|23|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. Annual precipitation throughout the state averages between about {{convert|40|and|60|in|mm}}; it is somewhat wetter in the south and drier in the northern part of the state.<ref>{{cite web|title= Climate in Arkansas |url= http://www.city-data.com/states/Arkansas-Climate.html |publisher= City-data |access-date= January 9, 2013}}</ref> Snowfall is infrequent but most common in the northern half of the state.<ref name="Federal Writers 1987, p. 8"/> The half of the state south of Little Rock is more apt to see ice storms. Arkansas's record high is {{convert|120|F|C}} at [[Ozark, Arkansas|Ozark]] on August 10, 1936; the record low is {{convert|−29|F|C}} at [[Gravette, Arkansas|Gravette]], on February 13, 1905.<ref>{{cite web |title= State Climate Records |url= http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records |date= July 23, 2012 |publisher= National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center |website= State Climate Extremes Committee |access-date= January 4, 2013 |archive-date= January 17, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082655/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records |url-status= dead }}</ref>

Arkansas is known for extreme weather and frequent storms. A typical year brings thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hail. Occasional cold snaps stand to bring varying amounts of snow, as well as ice storms. Between both the [[Great Plains]] and the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf States]], Arkansas, receives around 60 days of thunderstorms. Arkansas is located in [[Dixie alley]], and very near [[tornado alley]]. As a result, a few of the most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history have struck the state. While sufficiently far from the coast to avoid a direct hit from a hurricane, Arkansas can often get the remnants of a [[tropical cyclone|tropical system]], which dumps tremendous amounts of rain in a short time and often spawns smaller tornadoes.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|
| colspan="14" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;"|Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Arkansas Cities
|-
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| City
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Jan
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Feb
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Mar
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Apr
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| May
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Jun
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Jul
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Aug
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Sep
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Oct
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Nov
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Dec
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| Avg
|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"| [[Fayetteville, Arkansas|Fayetteville]]<ref>{{cite web |title= Climate—Fayetteville—Arkansas |publisher= U.S. Climate Data |url= http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAR0189 |access-date= June 28, 2012 |archive-date= December 8, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121208094554/http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAR0189 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 44/24<br />(7/-4)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 51/29<br />(10/-2)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 59/38<br />(15/3)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 69/46<br />(20/8)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 76/55<br />(24/13)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 84/64<br />(29/18)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 89/69<br />(32/20)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 89/67<br />(32/19)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 81/59<br />(27/15)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 70/47<br />(21/9)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 57/37<br />(14/3)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 48/28<br />(9/-2)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 68/47<br />(20/8)
|-
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"| [[Jonesboro, Arkansas|Jonesboro]]<ref>{{cite web |title= Climate—Jonesboro—Arkansas |publisher= U.S. Climate Data |url= http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAR0189 |access-date= June 28, 2012 |archive-date= December 8, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121208094554/http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAR0189 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 45/26<br />(7/-3)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 51/30<br />(11/-1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 61/40<br />(16/4)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 71/49<br />(22/9)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 80/58<br />(26/15)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 88/67<br />(31/19)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 92/71<br />(34/22)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 91/69<br />(33/20)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 84/61<br />(29/16)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 74/49<br />(23/9)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 60/39<br />(15/4)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 49/30<br />(10/-1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 71/49<br />(21/9)
|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"| [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]]<ref>{{cite web |title= Monthly Averages for Little Rock, AR |publisher= The Weather Channel |url= http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/72201 |access-date= June 28, 2012 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 51/31<br />(11/-1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 55/35<br />(13/2)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 64/43<br />(18/6)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 73/51<br />(23/11)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 81/61<br />(27/16)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 89/69<br />(32/21)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 93/73<br />(34/23)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 93/72<br />(34/22)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 86/65<br />(30/18)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 75/53<br />(24/12)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 63/42<br />(17/6)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 52/34<br />(11/1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 73/51<br />(23/11)
|-
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"| [[Texarkana, Arkansas|Texarkana]]<ref>{{cite web |title= Climate—Texarkana—Texas |publisher= U.S. Climate Data |url= http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USTX1347 |access-date= June 28, 2012 |archive-date= December 8, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121208094600/http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USTX1347 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 53/31<br />(11/-1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 58/34<br />(15/1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 67/42<br />(19/5)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 75/50<br />(24/10)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 82/60<br />(28/16)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 89/68<br />(32/20)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 93/72<br />(34/22)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 93/71<br />(34/21)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 86/64<br />(30/18)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 76/52<br />(25/11)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 64/41<br />(18/5)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 55/33<br />(13/1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 74/52<br />(23/11)
|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"| [[Monticello, Arkansas|Monticello]]<ref>{{cite web |title= Climate—Monticello—Arkansas |publisher= U.S. Climate Data |url= http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAR0385 |access-date= June 28, 2012 |archive-date= December 8, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121208094605/http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAR0385 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 52/30<br />(11/-1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 58/34<br />(14/1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 66/43<br />(19/6)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 74/49<br />(23/10)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 82/59<br />(28/15)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 89/66<br />(32/19)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 92/70<br />(34/21)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 92/68<br />(33/20)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 86/62<br />(30/17)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 76/50<br />(25/10)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 64/41<br />(18/5)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 55/34<br />(13/1)
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 74/51<br />(23/10)
|-
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"| [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]]<ref>{{cite web |title= Climate—Fort Smith—Arkansas |publisher= U.S. Climate Data |url= http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAR0197 |access-date= May 29, 2013 |archive-date= April 26, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130426191434/http://usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAR0197 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 48/27<br />(8/-2)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 54/32<br />(12/0)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 64/40<br />(17/4)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 73/49<br />(22/9)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 80/58<br />(26/14)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 87/67<br />(30/19)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 92/71<br />(33/21)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 92/70<br />(33/21)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 84/62<br />(29/17)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 75/50<br />(23/10)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 61/39<br />(16/4)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 50/31<br />(10/0)
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 72/50<br />(22/10)
|-
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="14"| Average high °F/average low °F (average high °C/average low°C)
|}

===Cities and towns===
{{See also|List of cities and towns in Arkansas|Arkansas metropolitan areas|List of townships in Arkansas}}
[[File:Cleveland County Arkansas Courthouse.jpg|right|thumb|[[Cleveland County Courthouse (Arkansas)|Cleveland County Courthouse]] in [[Rison, Arkansas|Rison]]]]

[[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] has been Arkansas's [[List of capitals in the United States|capital city]] since 1821 when it replaced [[Arkansas Post, Arkansas|Arkansas Post]] as the capital of the [[Territory of Arkansas]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= Smith |first= Darlene |title= Arkansas Post |journal= Arkansas Historical Quarterly |volume= 13 |date= Spring 1954 |issue= 1 |page= 120 |doi= 10.2307/40037965 |jstor= 40037965 }}</ref> The state capitol was moved to [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]] and later [[Washington, Arkansas|Washington]] during the [[American Civil War]] when the Union armies threatened the city in 1862, and state government did not return to Little Rock until after the war ended. Today, the [[Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metropolitan area]] is the largest in the state, with a population of 724,385 in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title= Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas |url= https://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-01.xls |date= April 1, 2010 – July 1, 2011 |publisher= United States Census Bureau |format= XLS |access-date= July 8, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120707202313/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-01.xls |archive-date= July 7, 2012 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

The [[Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area]] is the second-largest metropolitan area in Arkansas, growing at the fastest rate due to the influx of businesses and the growth of the [[University of Arkansas]] and [[Walmart]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings |url= https://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-05.xls |date= July 1, 2010 – July 1, 2011 |publisher= United States Census Bureau |format= XLS |access-date= July 8, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120707055911/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-05.xls |archive-date= July 7, 2012 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

The state has eight cities with populations above 50,000 (based on 2010 census). In descending order of size, they are [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]], [[Fayetteville, Arkansas|Fayetteville]], [[Springdale, Arkansas|Springdale]], [[Jonesboro, Arkansas|Jonesboro]], [[North Little Rock, Arkansas|North Little Rock]], [[Conway, Arkansas|Conway]], and [[Rogers, Arkansas|Rogers]]. Of these, only Fort Smith and Jonesboro are outside the two largest metropolitan areas. Other cities in Arkansas include [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas|Pine Bluff]], [[Crossett, Arkansas|Crossett]], [[Bryant, Arkansas|Bryant]], [[Lake Village, Arkansas|Lake Village]], [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]], [[Bentonville, Arkansas|Bentonville]], [[Texarkana, Arkansas|Texarkana]], [[Sherwood, Arkansas|Sherwood]], [[Jacksonville, Arkansas|Jacksonville]], [[Russellville, Arkansas|Russellville]], [[Bella Vista, Arkansas|Bella Vista]], [[West Memphis, Arkansas|West Memphis]], [[Paragould, Arkansas|Paragould]], [[Cabot, Arkansas|Cabot]], [[Searcy, Arkansas|Searcy]], [[Van Buren, Arkansas|Van Buren]], [[El Dorado, Arkansas|El Dorado]], [[Blytheville, Arkansas|Blytheville]], [[Harrison, Arkansas|Harrison]], [[Dumas, Arkansas|Dumas]], [[Rison, Arkansas|Rison]], [[Warren, Arkansas|Warren]], and [[Mountain Home, Arkansas|Mountain Home]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arkansas Cities by Population |url=https://www.arkansas-demographics.com/cities_by_population |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.arkansas-demographics.com}}</ref>

{{Largest cities
| country = Arkansas
| stat_ref = Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biggestuscities.com/ar|title=Biggest US Cities By Population—Arkansas—2017 Populations|access-date=March 2, 2019|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| div_name =
| div_link = Counties of Arkansas{{!}}County
| city_1 = Little Rock, Arkansas{{!}}Little Rock
| div_1 = Pulaski County, Arkansas{{!}}Pulaski
| pop_1 = 198,606
| img_1 = Little Rock.jpg
| city_2 = Fort Smith, Arkansas{{!}}Fort Smith
| div_2 = Sebastian County, Arkansas{{!}}Sebastian
| pop_2 = 88,037
| img_2 = Fort Smith, AR 002.jpg
| city_3 = Fayetteville, Arkansas{{!}}Fayetteville
| div_3 = Washington County, Arkansas{{!}}Washington
| pop_3 = 85,257
| img_3 = Fayetteville, Arkansas skyline featuring University of Arkansas.jpg
| city_4 = Springdale, Arkansas{{!}}Springdale
| div_4 = Washington County, Arkansas{{!}}Washington
| pop_4 = 79,599
| img_4 = 
| city_5 = Jonesboro, Arkansas{{!}}Jonesboro
| div_5 = Craighead County, Arkansas{{!}}Craighead
| pop_5 = 75,866
| img_5 = 
| city_6 = Rogers, Arkansas{{!}}Rogers
| div_6 = Benton County, Arkansas{{!}}Benton
| pop_6 = 66,430
| img_6 = 
| city_7 = North Little Rock, Arkansas{{!}}North Little Rock
| div_7 = Pulaski County, Arkansas{{!}}Pulaski
| pop_7 = 65,911
| img_7 = 
| city_8 = Conway, Arkansas{{!}}Conway
| div_8 = Faulkner County, Arkansas{{!}}Faulkner
| pop_8 = 65,782
| img_8 = 
| city_9 = Bentonville, Arkansas{{!}}Bentonville
| div_9 = Benton County, Arkansas{{!}}Benton
| pop_9 = 49,298
| img_9 = 
| city_10 = Pine Bluff, Arkansas{{!}}Pine Bluff
| div_10 = Jefferson County, Arkansas{{!}}Jefferson
| pop_10 = 42,984
| img_10 = 
| city_11 = Hot Springs, Arkansas{{!}}Hot Springs
| div_11 = Garland County, Arkansas{{!}}Garland
| pop_11 = 36,915
| img_11 = 
| city_12 = Benton, Arkansas{{!}}Benton
| div_12 = Saline County, Arkansas{{!}}Saline
| pop_12 = 35,789
| img_12 = 
| city_13 = Sherwood, Arkansas{{!}}Sherwood
| div_13 = Pulaski County, Arkansas{{!}}Pulaski
| pop_13 = 31,081
| img_13 = 
| city_14 = Texarkana, Arkansas{{!}}Texarkana
| div_14 = Miller County, Arkansas{{!}}Miller
| pop_14 = 30,259
| img_14 = 
| city_15 = Russellville, Arkansas{{!}}Russellville
| div_15 = Pope County, Arkansas{{!}}Pope
| pop_15 = 29,318
| img_15 = 
| city_16 = Jacksonville, Arkansas{{!}}Jacksonville
| div_16 = Pulaski County, Arkansas{{!}}Pulaski
| pop_16 = 28,513
| img_16 = 
| city_17 = Bella Vista, Arkansas{{!}}Bella Vista
| div_17 = Benton County, Arkansas{{!}}Benton
| pop_17 = 28,511
| img_17 = 
| city_18 = Paragould, Arkansas{{!}}Paragould
| div_18 = Greene County, Arkansas{{!}}Greene
| pop_18 = 28,488
| img_18 = 
| city_19 = Cabot, Arkansas{{!}}Cabot
| div_19 = Lonoke County, Arkansas{{!}}Lonoke
| pop_19 = 26,141
| img_19 = 
| city_20 = West Memphis, Arkansas{{!}}West Memphis
| div_20 = Crittenden County, Arkansas{{!}}Crittenden
| pop_20 = 24,860
| img_20 = 
}}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Arkansas}}

===Population===
{{multiple image
| direction         = horizontal
| width1            = 195
| image1            = Arkansas population density 2020.png
| width2            = 200
| image2            = Arkansas, Percent Change in Population by County, 2000 to 2010.png
| alt1              = Map of Arkansas, showing density of population by census tract.
| alt2              = Map of Arkansas, with many southern and eastern counties recording population losses with the rest of the state showing moderate gains. Benton and Faulkner counties were the most rapidly growing in population between 2000 and 2010.
| footer            = Left: Arkansas's population distribution in 2020. Red indicates high density in urban areas, white indicates low density in rural areas, blue indicates water.{{break}}Right: Map showing population changes by county between 2000 and 2010. Blue indicates population gain, purple indicates population loss, and shade indicates magnitude.
}}

The [[United States Census Bureau]] estimated that the population of Arkansas was 3,017,804 on July 1, 2019, a 3.49% increase since the [[2010 United States census]].<ref name="AnnualEstUS">{{cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2010-2019/state/totals/nst-est2019-01.xlsx?# |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 |website=2010-2019 Population Estimates |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date=December 30, 2019 |access-date=January 27, 2020}}</ref> At the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]], Arkansas had a resident population of 3,011,524.

From fewer than 15,000 in 1820, Arkansas's population grew to 52,240 during a special census in 1835, far exceeding the 40,000 required to apply for statehood.<ref>Arnold et al. 2002, p. 106.</ref> Following statehood in 1836, the population doubled each decade until the [[1870 United States census|1870 census]] conducted following the American Civil War. The state recorded growth in each successive decade, although it gradually slowed in the 20th century.

It recorded population losses in the [[1950 United States census|1950]] and [[1960 United States census|1960 censuses]]. This outmigration was a result of multiple factors, including farm mechanization, decreasing labor demand, and young educated people leaving the state due to a lack of non-farming industry in the state.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Holley |first= Donald |title= Leaving the Land of Opportunity: Arkansas and the Great Migration |journal= Arkansas Historical Quarterly |volume= 64 |pages= 247–248 |date= Autumn 2005 |issue= 3 |doi= 10.2307/40028047 |jstor= 40028047 }}</ref> Arkansas again began to grow, recording positive growth rates ever since and exceeding two million by the [[1980 United States census|1980 census]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Resident Population Data |publisher=United States Census Bureau |url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php |access-date=July 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220045933/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php |archive-date=December 20, 2012 }}</ref> Arkansas's rate of change, age distributions, and gender distributions mirror national averages. [[Minority group]] data also approximates national averages. There are fewer people in Arkansas of Hispanic or Latino origin than the national average.<ref>{{cite web |title= Arkansas QuickFacts |url= http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05000.html |date= June 7, 2012 |publisher= United States Census Bureau |access-date= July 4, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110104031416/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05000.html |archive-date= January 4, 2011 |url-status= dead }}</ref> The [[center of population]] of Arkansas for 2000 was located in [[Perry County, Arkansas|Perry County]], near Nogal.<ref>{{cite web |title= Arkansas 2000 Census Population Center |url= http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/INFO/COP/ar_links.htm |publisher= NOAA |access-date= July 4, 2012 }}</ref>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 2,459 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in Arkansas.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf|title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress|website=Huduser.gov|access-date=September 30, 2023}}</ref>

{{US Census population
|1810= 1062
|1820= 14273
|1830= 30388
|1840= 97574
|1850= 209897
|1860= 435450
|1870= 484471
|1880= 802525
|1890= 1128211
|1900= 1311564
|1910= 1574449
|1920= 1752204
|1930= 1854482
|1940= 1949387
|1950= 1909511
|1960= 1786272
|1970= 1923295
|1980= 2286435
|1990= 2350725
|2000= 2673400
|2010= 2915918
|2020= 3011524
|estyear=2024
|estimate=3088354
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 26, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=Source: 1910–2020<ref name="Census2010">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html|url-status=dead|title=Historical Population Change Data (1910-2020)|archive-date=April 29, 2021|website=Census.gov|access-date=September 30, 2023}}</ref>
}}

===Race and ethnicity===
Per the 2019 census estimates, Arkansas was 72.0% non-Hispanic white, 15.4% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, 0.4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.1% some other race, 2.4% two or more races, and 7.7% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2019 Census Data for Races and Ethnicities|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0400000US05&tid=ACSDP1Y2019.DP05&hidePreview=true|access-date=2021-06-03|website=data.census.gov}}</ref> In 2011, the state was 80.1% white (74.2% [[non-Hispanic white]]), 15.6% Black or [[African American]], 0.9% [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] and [[Alaska Native]], 1.3% [[Asian ethnicity|Asian]], and 1.8% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics]] or Latinos of any race made up 6.6% of the population.<ref name=census>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05000.html |title=Arkansas QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=December 13, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104031416/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05000.html |archive-date=January 4, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of 2011, 39.0% of Arkansas's population younger than age{{spaces}}1 were minorities.<ref>{{cite news|last=Exner|first=Rich|url=https://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|date=June 3, 2012|work=[[The Plain Dealer]]}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]
|-
! Race and ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census
 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=2021-09-26}}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|68.5|%|2||background:gray}}
|align=right| {{bartable|73.2|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[African Americans|African American (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|14.9|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|align=right| {{bartable|16.2|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}}
|align=right| {{bartable}}
|align=right| {{bartable|8.5|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1.7|%|2||background:purple}}
|align=right| {{bartable|2.2|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.7|%|2||background:gold}}
|align=right| {{bartable|3.4|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.5|%|2||background:pink}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.6|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|align=right| {{bartable|0.3|%|2||background:brown}}
|align=right| {{bartable|1.1|%|2||background:brown}}
|}
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Arkansas.png|thumb|330x330px|Ethnic origins in Arkansas]]
[[File:Arkansas counties by race.svg|thumb|187x187px|Map of counties in Arkansas by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census{{Collapsible list
| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

'''Non-Hispanic White'''

{{legend|#dd7e6b|40–50%}}

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-2}}

'''Black or African American'''

{{legend|#ffe599|40–50%}}

{{legend|#ffd966|50–60%}}

{{legend|#f1c232|60–70%}}

{{col-end}}
}}]]
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ '''Arkansas Racial Breakdown of Population'''
|-
! Racial composition !! 1990<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044857/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html|url-status=dead|title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States|archivedate=July 25, 2008|access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref> !! 2000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://censusviewer.com/state/AR|title=Population of Arkansas—Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts—CensusViewer|website=Censusviewer.com|access-date=January 6, 2014|archive-date=January 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127074230/http://censusviewer.com/state/AR|url-status=dead}}</ref>!! 2010<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census by Decades|newspaper=Census.gov|access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref>!! 2020<ref name="2020DP1">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=040XX00US05 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Arkansas |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[White American|White]] || 82.7% || 80.0% || 77.0% || 70.2% 
|-
| [[African American]] || 15.9% || 15.7% || 15.4% || 15.1% 
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || 0.5% || 0.8% || 1.2% || 1.7% 
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || 0.5% || 0.7% || 0.8% || 0.9% 
|-
| [[Native Hawaiian]] and{{break}}[[Pacific Islander|other Pacific Islander]] || – || 0.1% || 0.2% || 0.5% 
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || 0.3% || 1.5% || 3.4% || 4.5% 
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] || – || 1.3% || 2.0% || 7.1% 
|}

European Americans have a strong presence in the northwestern [[Ozarks]] and the central part of the state. African Americans live mainly in the southern and eastern parts of the state. Arkansans of Irish, English and German ancestry are mostly found in the far northwestern Ozarks near the Missouri border. Ancestors of the Irish in the Ozarks were chiefly [[Ulster Scots people|Scots-Irish]], Protestants from [[Northern Ireland]], the [[Scotland|Scottish]] lowlands and northern England part of the largest group of immigrants from [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] before the American Revolution. [[English American|English]] and [[Scots-Irish American|Scots-Irish]] immigrants settled throughout the back country of the South and in the more mountainous areas. Americans of [[English American|English]] stock are found throughout the state.<ref>[[David Hackett Fischer]], ''[[Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America]]'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, pp.633–639</ref>

A 2010 survey of the principal ancestries of Arkansas's residents revealed the following:<ref>{{cite web |author= American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau |url= http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_CP02&prodType=table |archive-url= https://archive.today/20200212213806/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_CP02&prodType=table |url-status= dead |archive-date= February 12, 2020 |title= Arkansas—Selected Social Characteristics in the United States |year= 2010 |publisher= [[American Community Survey]] |access-date= July 4, 2012 }}</ref> 15.5% [[African American]], 12.3% [[Irish American|Irish]], 11.5% [[German Americans|German]], 11.0% [[American ethnicity|American]], 10.1% [[English American|English]], 4.7% [[Mexican American|Mexican]], 2.1% [[French American|French]], 1.7% [[Scottish American|Scottish]], 1.7% [[Dutch American|Dutch]], 1.6% [[Italian American|Italian]], and 1.4% [[Scots-Irish American|Scots-Irish]].

Most people identifying as "American" are of English descent or Scots-Irish descent. Their families have been in the state so long, in many cases since before statehood, that they choose to identify simply as having American ancestry or do not in fact know their ancestry. Their ancestry primarily goes back to the original 13 colonies and for this reason many of them today simply claim American ancestry. Many people who identify as of Irish descent are in fact of Scots-Irish descent.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=SVoAXh-dNuYC&dq=Sharing+the+dream:+white+males+in+multicultural+America++english+ancestry&pg=PA57 Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America] By Dominic J. Pulera.</ref><ref>Reynolds Farley, 'The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us?', ''Demography'', Vol. 28, No. 3 (August 1991), pp. 414, 421.</ref><ref>Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns', ''Social Science Research'', Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44–6.</ref><ref>Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, 'Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites', ''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'', Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82–86.</ref>

According to the American Immigration Council, in 2015, the top countries of origin for Arkansas' immigrants were Mexico, El Salvador, India, Vietnam, and Guatemala.<ref>(2017). ''Immigrants in Arkansas.'' American Immigrant Council. https://www.immigrationresearch.org/system/files/immigrants_in_arkansas.pdf</ref>

According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, 93.8% of Arkansas's population (over the age of five) spoke only English at home. About 4.5% of the state's population spoke Spanish at home. About 0.7% of the state's population spoke another [[Indo-European language]]. About 0.8% of the state's population spoke an [[Languages of Asia|Asian language]], and 0.2% spoke other languages.{{clarify|post-text=dubious|reason=At least a quarter of the Indo-European languages are in Asia|date=March 2017}}

===Religion===
{{bar box
|title = Religion in Arkansas (2014)<ref name="pew2014">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/|title=Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics|website=Pewforum.org|access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd |left1=Religion |right1=Percent |float=right
|bars =
{{bar percent|[[Protestant]]|Blue|70}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]]|Grey|18}}
{{bar percent|[[Catholic]]|DarkOrchid|8}}
{{bar percent|[[Muslim]]|Green|2}}
{{bar percent|[[Mormon]]|pink|1}}
{{bar percent|Other|grey|1}}
}}
Like most other Southern states, Arkansas is part of the [[Bible Belt]] and predominantly [[Protestantism|Protestant]]. The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] with 661,382; the [[United Methodist Church]] with 158,574; non-denominational Evangelical Protestants with 129,638; the [[Catholic Church]] with 122,662; and [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] with 31,254. Other religions include Islam, [[Judaism]], [[Wicca]]/[[Paganism]], Hinduism, Buddhism, and some residents have no religious affiliation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/05/rcms2010_05_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State membership Report |publisher=Thearda.com |access-date=November 7, 2013 |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225650/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/05/rcms2010_05_state_adh_2010.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2014, the [[Pew Research Center]] determined that 79% of the population was Christian, dominated by evangelicals in the Southern Baptist and independent Baptist churches. In contrast with many other states, the Catholic Church as of 2014 was not the largest Christian denomination in Arkansas. Of the unaffiliated population, 2% were [[Atheism|atheist]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics|url=https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|language=en-US}}</ref> By 2020, the [[Public Religion Research Institute]] determined 71% of the population was Christian.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-AR |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=ava.prri.org |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-AR |url-status=dead }}</ref> Arkansas continued to be dominated by evangelicals, followed by [[mainline Protestant]]s and [[Black church|historically black or African American churches]].

==Economy==
{{See also|Economy of Arkansas|List of Arkansas companies|Arkansas locations by per capita income}}
[[File:Metropolitan Bank Tower.png|right|thumb|upright|The [[Simmons Tower]] in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] is the state's tallest building.]]

Once a state with a cashless society in the uplands and [[Plantation economy|plantation]] agriculture in the lowlands, Arkansas's economy has evolved and diversified. The state's gross domestic product (GDP) was $176.24{{spaces}}billion in 2023.<ref name="GDPByState">{{cite web |title=GDP by State |url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state |website=GDP by State &#124; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) |publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis |access-date=24 May 2024}}</ref> Six [[Fortune 500]] companies are based in Arkansas, including the world's #1 retailer, [[Walmart]]; [[Tyson Foods]], [[J.B. Hunt]], [[Dillard's]], [[Murphy USA]], and [[Windstream]] are also headquartered in the state.<ref name="f500" >{{cite magazine |title= Fortune 500 |magazine= Forbes |url= http://beta.fortune.com/fortune500/list/filtered?hqstate=AR |year= 2017 |access-date= February 19, 2017 |archive-date= February 20, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170220012204/http://beta.fortune.com/fortune500/list/filtered?hqstate=AR |url-status= dead }}</ref> The [[List of U.S. states by GDP per capita (nominal)|per capita personal income]] in 2023 was $54,347, ranking 46th in the nation, and the [[median household income]] was $55,432, which ranked 47th.<ref name="r095">{{cite web | last=Account | first=Economic | title=Personal Income by State | website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) | date=2024-03-29 | url=https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-state | access-date=2024-05-24}}</ref><ref name="u858">{{cite web | publisher=United States Census Bureau | title=S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months | website=Explore Census Data | url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1901 | access-date=2024-05-22}}</ref> The state's agriculture outputs are poultry and eggs, soybeans, sorghum, cattle, cotton, rice, hogs, and milk. Its industrial outputs are food processing, electric equipment, fabricated metal products, machinery, and paper products. Arkansas's mines produce natural gas, oil, crushed stone, bromine, and vanadium.<ref>{{cite web |title= The Mineral Industry of Arkansas |website= 2008 Minerals Yearbook |url= http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/state/2008/myb2-2008-ar.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/state/2008/myb2-2008-ar.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher= United States Geological Survey |date= August 2011 |access-date= September 11, 2012 }}</ref> According to [[CNBC]], Arkansas is the 20th-best state for business, with the 2nd-lowest cost of doing business, 5th-lowest cost of living, 11th-best workforce, 20th-best economic climate, 28th-best-educated workforce, 31st-best infrastructure and the 32nd-friendliest regulatory environment.{{Citation needed|date=August 2016}} Arkansas gained 12 spots in the best state for business rankings since 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title= Arkansas #20 |url= https://www.cnbc.com/id/100003143 |year= 2013 |publisher= CNBC |website= America's Best States for Business 2012 |access-date= May 26, 2013 }}</ref> As of 2014, it was the most affordable state to live in.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

As of July 2023, the state's unemployment rate was 2.6%; the preliminary rate for December 2023 is 3.4%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ar.htm|title=Arkansas Economy at a Glance|website=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date=Feb 17, 2024 }}</ref>

===Industry and commerce===
Arkansas's earliest industries were [[fur trading]] and agriculture, with development of cotton [[plantations in the American South|plantations]] in the areas near the Mississippi River. They were dependent on slave labor through the [[American Civil War]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Flagel |first=Thomas R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7dH3lmpMbkgC&dq=arkansas+were+dependent+on+slave+labor+during+civil+war&pg=PA21 |title=The History Buff's Guide to the Civil War: The best, the worst, the largest, and the most lethal top ten rankings of the Civil War |date=2010-09-01 |publisher=Sourcebooks, Inc. |isbn=978-1-4022-5487-1 |language=en}}</ref>

Today only about three percent of the population are employed in the agricultural sector,<ref>{{cite web |title= Selected Economic Characteristics 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |publisher= United States Census Bureau |url= http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_5YR_DP03&prodType=table |archive-url= https://archive.today/20200212213253/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_5YR_DP03&prodType=table |url-status= dead |archive-date= February 12, 2020 |year= 2011 |access-date= October 4, 2012 }}</ref> it remains a major part of the state's economy, ranking 13th in the nation in the value of products sold.<ref name="agcensus">{{cite web |website= Census of Agriculture |title= Arkansas State Profile |publisher= United States Department of Agriculture |url= http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Online_Highlights/County_Profiles/Arkansas/cp99005.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Online_Highlights/County_Profiles/Arkansas/cp99005.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |year= 2007 |access-date= October 4, 2012 }}</ref> Arkansas is the nation's largest producer of rice, [[broiler]]s, and turkeys,<ref>U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, ''Poultry—Production and Value, 2010 Summary'', data indicates Arkansas led the nation in 2008, 2009, and 2010, in both broilers and turkeys.</ref> and ranks in the top three for [[cotton]], [[pullets]], and aquaculture (catfish).<ref name="agcensus" /> Forestry remains strong in the [[Arkansas Timberlands]], and the state ranks fourth nationally and first in the South in softwood lumber production.<ref>{{cite web |first= Matthew H. |last= Pelkki |title= An Economic Assessment of Arkansas's Forest Industries: Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century |publisher= University of Arkansas-Monticello School of Forest Resources, Arkansas Forest Resources Center, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture |url= http://arkansasagnews.uark.edu/afrc-007.2.1-20.pdf |access-date= October 4, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120928163327/http://arkansasagnews.uark.edu/afrc-007.2.1-20.pdf |archive-date= September 28, 2012 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref> Automobile parts manufacturers have opened factories in eastern Arkansas to support auto plants in other states. [[Bauxite]] was formerly a large part of the state's economy, mined mostly around [[Saline County, Arkansas|Saline County]].<ref>{{cite web |first= William V. |last= Bush |title= History of Bauxite in Arkansas |url= http://www.geology.arkansas.gov/pdf/pamphlets/Bauxite.pdf |publisher= Arkansas Geological Survey |access-date= October 4, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082700/http://www.geology.arkansas.gov/pdf/pamphlets/Bauxite.pdf |archive-date= January 17, 2013 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

Tourism is also very important to the Arkansas economy; the official state nickname "The Natural State" was created for state tourism advertising in the 1970s, and is still used to this day. The state maintains [[List of Arkansas state parks|52 state parks]] and the [[National Park Service]] maintains seven properties in Arkansas. The completion of the [[William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library]] in Little Rock has drawn many visitors to the city and revitalized the nearby [[River Market District (Little Rock, Arkansas)|River Market District]]. Many cities also hold festivals, which draw tourists to Arkansas culture, such as The Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival in Warren, [[King Biscuit Blues Festival]], [[Ozark Folk Center|Ozark Folk Festival]], [[Toad Suck Daze]], and [[Tontitown, Arkansas|Tontitown Grape Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Festival |first=Tontitown Grape |title=Tontitown Grape Festival |url=https://tontitowngrapefestival.com/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Tontitown Grape Festival |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2022}}
{{Main|List of Arkansas railroads|Aviation in Arkansas|Arkansas Highway System}}
{{See also|List of Arkansas railroads|List of airports in Arkansas}}
[[File:River cruise 2009 27b2.jpg|thumb|The [[Greenville Bridge]] crosses over the [[Mississippi River]] into [[Shives, Arkansas|Shives]].]]

Transportation in Arkansas is overseen by the [[Arkansas Department of Transportation]] (ArDOT), headquartered in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]]. Several main corridors pass through Little Rock, including [[Interstate 30 in Arkansas|Interstate{{spaces}}30]] (I-30) and [[Interstate 40 in Arkansas|I-40]] (the nation's 3rd-busiest trucking corridor).<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Memphis: The Number One City of Chemical Related Incidents in Tennessee 
 |first=Sutapa 
 |last=Mukhopadhyay, PhD 
 |publisher=Tennessee Department of Health 
 |url=http://www.cste.org/dnn/portals/0/confpresentations/UploadedFiles/cste_presentation.pdf 
 |access-date=August 25, 2012 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082700/http://www.cste.org/dnn/portals/0/confpresentations/UploadedFiles/cste_presentation.pdf 
 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 
}}</ref> Arkansas first designated a state highway system in 1924, and first numbered its roads in 1926. Arkansas had one of the first paved roads, the [[Dollarway Road]], and one of the first members of the [[Interstate Highway System]]. The state maintains a large system of [[List of Arkansas state highways|state highways]] today, in addition to eight [[List of Interstate Highways in Arkansas|Interstates]] and 20 [[List of U.S. Routes in Arkansas|U.S. Routes]].

In northeast Arkansas, [[Interstate 55 in Arkansas|I-55]] travels north from [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to [[Missouri]], with a new spur to [[Jonesboro, Arkansas|Jonesboro]] ([[Interstate 555|I-555]]). Northwest Arkansas is served by the segment of [[Interstate 49 in Arkansas|I-49]] from Fort Smith to the beginning of the [[Arkansas Highway 549|Bella Vista Bypass]]. This segment of I-49 currently follows mostly the same route as the [[Interstate 540 (Arkansas)#History|former section of I-540]] that extended north of I-40.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.4029tv.com/article/i-540-becomes-interstate-49/4952011|title=I-540 becomes Interstate 49|date=April 22, 2014|website=KHBS|access-date=November 10, 2019}}</ref> The state also has the 13th largest [[List of Arkansas state highways|state highway system]] in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |title= 19th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (1984–2008) |url=http://reason.org/files/19th_annual_highway_report.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://reason.org/files/19th_annual_highway_report.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |date= September 2010 |first1= David T. |last1= Hartgen |first2= M. Gregory |last2= Karanam |last3= Fields |first4= Travis A. |last4= Kerscher |publisher= Reason Foundation |page= 46 |type = PDF }}</ref>

[[File:MNA 2167.jpg|thumb|The [[Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad]]]]

Arkansas is served by {{convert|2750|mi|km}} of railroad track divided among twenty-six railroad companies including three [[Class I railroads]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Arkansas State Rail Plan |page=3 |url=http://www.arkansashighways.com/planning_research/statewide_planning/SRP_2002all.pdf |year=2002 |publisher=Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department |access-date=August 25, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082700/http://www.arkansashighways.com/planning_research/statewide_planning/SRP_2002all.pdf |archive-date=January 17, 2013 }}</ref> Freight railroads are concentrated in southeast Arkansas to serve the industries in the region. The [[Texas Eagle]], an Amtrak passenger train, serves five stations in the state [[Walnut Ridge (Amtrak station)|Walnut Ridge]], [[Little Rock (Amtrak station)|Little Rock]], [[Malvern (Amtrak station)|Malvern]], [[Arkadelphia (Amtrak station)|Arkadelphia]], and [[Texarkana (Amtrak station)|Texarkana]].

Arkansas also benefits from the use of its rivers for commerce. The [[Mississippi River]] and [[Arkansas River]] are both major rivers. The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] maintains the [[McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System]], allowing barge traffic up the Arkansas River to the [[Port of Catoosa]] in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]].

There are four airports with commercial service: [[Clinton National Airport]] (formerly Little Rock National Airport or Adams Field), [[Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport]], [[Fort Smith Regional Airport]], and [[Texarkana Regional Airport]], with [[List of airports in Arkansas|dozens of smaller airports in the state]].

Intercity bus services across the state are provided by [[Flixbus]], [[Greyhound Lines]], and [[Jefferson Lines]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jeffersonlines.com/bus-stops/arkansas/|title=Arkansas Bus Stops|access-date=September 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/destinations|title=Greyhound destinations|access-date=September 28, 2023}}</ref>

Public transit and community transport services for the elderly or those with developmental disabilities are provided by agencies such as the [[Central Arkansas Transit Authority]] and the [[Ozark Regional Transit]], organizations that are part of the [[Arkansas Transit Association]].

{| class="collapsible collapsed" style="border:1px #aaa solid; width:50em; margin:0.2em auto"
|-
! Local transit map
|-
|{{Location map+ |Arkansas |width=600 |float=center
|caption=Local Transit Systems (Only systems with fixed-route services are shown)
|places=
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=35.386066|long=-94.423415|position=bottom|label='''<small>[[Fort Smith Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90|mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=34.228319|long=-92.003343|position=left |label='''<small>[[Pine Bluff Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=34.507836|long=-93.052813|position=left |label='''<small>[[Hot Springs Intracity Transit|Intracity Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=35.840337|long=-90.704960|position=left |label='''<small>[[Jonesboro Economical Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=33.423331|long=-94.041321|position=right |label='''<small>[[Texarkana Urban Transit District]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=34.744447|long=-92.267996|position=left |label='''<small>[[Rock Region Metro]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=36.174522|long=-94.139036|position=top |label='''<small>[[Ozark Regional Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=36.066742|long=-94.174689|position=bottom |label='''<small>[[Razorback Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Arkansas |lat=35.146484|long=-90.169943|position=left |label='''<small>[[Memphis Area Transit Authority]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
}}
|}

==Government==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2022}}
{{Main|Politics and government of Arkansas}}
As with the federal government of the United States, political power in Arkansas is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Each officer's term is four years long. Office holders are [[term-limited]] to two full terms plus any partial terms before the first full term.<ref>{{cite web |last1= English |first1= Art |last2= Weberg |first2= Brian |title= Term Limits in the Arkansas General Assembly: A Citizen Legislature Responds |year= 2005 |publisher= National Conference of State Legislatures |website= Joint Project on Term Limits |page= 1 |url= http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/documents/jptl/casestudies/Arkansasv2.pdf |access-date= February 3, 2013 |archive-date= June 3, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130603142221/http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/documents/jptl/casestudies/Arkansasv2.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref>

===Executive===
{{Main|Governor of Arkansas}}
{{See also|List of governors of Arkansas|Arkansas Cabinet}}
The governor of Arkansas is [[Sarah Huckabee Sanders]]. Sanders is a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and was inaugurated on January 10, 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.stateline.org/weekly/Stateline.org-Weekly-Original-Content-2006-11-06.pdf |title=Winners in '06 Governors races |access-date=July 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728055148/http://archive.stateline.org/weekly/Stateline.org-Weekly-Original-Content-2006-11-06.pdf |archive-date=July 28, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dwe.arkansas.gov/GenIfo/administration.html |title=Arkansas.gov Administration page for Governor |publisher=Dwe.arkansas.gov |date=March 16, 2007 |access-date=July 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614164225/http://dwe.arkansas.gov/GenIfo/administration.html |archive-date=June 14, 2006 }}</ref> The six other elected executive positions in Arkansas are [[Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas|lieutenant governor]], [[Secretary of State of Arkansas|secretary of state]], [[Arkansas Attorney General|attorney general]], [[Arkansas State Treasurer|treasurer]], [[Arkansas State Auditor|auditor]], and [[Arkansas Land Commissioner|land commissioner]].<ref>Arkansas Code 7 May 806.</ref> The governor also appoints the leaders of various state boards, committees, and departments. Arkansas governors served two-year terms until a referendum lengthened the term to four years, effective with the 1986 election. Individuals elected to these offices are limited to a lifetime total of two four-year terms per office.

In Arkansas, the lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor and thus can be from a different political party.<ref>{{cite web |title= Office of Lieutenant Governor |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5722 |date= February 28, 2011 |publisher= The Pryor Center |website= Encyclopedia of Arkansas |access-date= January 6, 2013 }}</ref>

===Legislative===
{{Main|Arkansas General Assembly}}
The [[Arkansas General Assembly]] is the state's [[bicameral]] bodies of legislators, composed of the [[Arkansas Senate|Senate]] and [[Arkansas House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. The Senate contains 35 members from districts of approximately equal population. These districts are redrawn decennially with each US census, and in election years ending in "2", the entire body is put up for reelection. Following the election, half of the seats are designated as two-year seats and are up for reelection again in two years, these "half-terms" do not count against a legislator's term limits. The remaining half serve a full four-year term. This staggers elections such that half the body is up for reelection every two years and allows for complete body turnover following redistricting.<ref>{{cite web |last= Greenberg |first= Dan |url= http://arkansaseconomics.org/policy/050105.html |title= The Dangers of Diluting Term Limits |publisher= Arkansas Policy Center |access-date= February 3, 2012 }}</ref> Arkansas House members can serve a maximum of three two-year terms. House districts are redistricted by the Arkansas Board of Apportionment. 

In the 2012 elections, Arkansas voters elected a 21–14 Republican majority in the Senate and the Republicans gained a 51–49 majority in the House of Representatives.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cooke |first=Mallory |date=November 14, 2012 |title=Republicans Take Control of Arkansas House, Senate |url=http://5newsonline.com/2012/11/13/republicans-take-control-of-arkansas-house-senate/ |access-date=January 8, 2013 |publisher=[[KFSM-TV]]}}</ref> The 2012 elections established a Republican dominance in both bodies of legislature.

The Republican Party's [[majority]] status in the Arkansas State House of Representatives after the 2012 elections, is the party's first since 1874. Arkansas was the last state of the [[Confederate States of America|old Confederacy]] to not have Republican control of either chamber of its house since the American Civil War.<ref name="sen">{{cite web |title= Arkansas Senate flips; first time since Reconstruction |date= November 7, 2012 |publisher= The Courier |url= http://www.couriernews.com/view/full_story/20738303/article-Arkansas-Senate-flips--first-time-since-Reconstruction |access-date= January 8, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082700/http://www.couriernews.com/view/full_story/20738303/article-Arkansas-Senate-flips--first-time-since-Reconstruction |archive-date= January 17, 2013 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

Following the term limits changes, studies have shown that lobbyists have become less influential in state politics. Legislative staff, not subject to term limits, have acquired additional power and influence due to the high rate of elected official turnover.<ref>{{cite web |last1= English |first1= Art |last2= Weberg |first2= Brian |title= Term Limits in the Arkansas General Assembly: A Citizen Legislature Responds |year= 2005 |publisher= National Conference of State Legislatures |website= Joint Project on Term Limits |url= http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/documents/jptl/casestudies/Arkansasv2.pdf |pages= 33–34 |access-date= February 3, 2013 |archive-date= June 3, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130603142221/http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/documents/jptl/casestudies/Arkansasv2.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref>

===Judicial===
{{Main|Courts of Arkansas}}
Arkansas's judicial branch has five court systems: [[Arkansas Supreme Court]], [[Arkansas Court of Appeals]], Circuit Courts, District Courts and City Courts.

Most cases begin in district court, which is subdivided into state district court and local district court. State district courts exercise district-wide jurisdiction over the districts created by the General Assembly, and local district courts are presided over by part-time judges who may privately practice law. 25 state district court judges preside over 15 districts, with more districts created in 2013 and 2017. There are 28 judicial circuits of Circuit Court, with each contains five subdivisions: criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations, and juvenile court. The jurisdiction of the Arkansas Court of Appeals is determined by the Arkansas Supreme Court, and there is no [[appeal|right of appeal]] from the Court of Appeals to the high court. The Arkansas Supreme Court can review Court of Appeals cases upon application by either a party to the litigation, upon request by the Court of Appeals, or if the Arkansas Supreme Court feels the case should have been initially assigned to it. The twelve judges of the Arkansas Court of Appeals are elected from judicial districts to renewable six-year terms.

The Arkansas Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the state, composed of seven justices elected to eight-year terms. Established by the Arkansas Constitution in 1836, the court's decisions can be appealed to only the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].

===Federal===
Both Arkansas's U.S. senators, [[John Boozman]] and [[Tom Cotton]], are Republicans. The state has four seats in [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]. All four seats are held by Republicans: [[Rick Crawford (politician)|Rick Crawford]] ([[Arkansas's 1st congressional district|1st district]]), [[French Hill (politician)|French Hill]] ([[Arkansas's 2nd congressional district|2nd district]]), [[Steve Womack]] ([[Arkansas's 3rd congressional district|3rd district]]), and [[Bruce Westerman]] ([[Arkansas's 4th congressional district|4th district]]).<ref name="sw">{{cite web |title= New Arkansas Rep. Cotton Draws Spotlight; 113th Congress Sworn In |url= http://swtimes.com/sections/news/politics/new-arkansas-rep-cotton-draws-spotlight-113th-congress-sworn.html |date= January 4, 2013 |last= Urban |first= Peter |publisher= [[Southwest Times Record|The Times-Record]] |access-date= January 6, 2013 |archive-date= January 17, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082706/http://swtimes.com/sections/news/politics/new-arkansas-rep-cotton-draws-spotlight-113th-congress-sworn.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>

===Politics===
{{Main|Politics and government of Arkansas}}
{| class=wikitable floatright"
! colspan = 6 | Party registration as of October 3, 2024<ref>{{cite web |title=VR Statistics Report for June 2021|access-date=June 9, 2021 |url=https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/VR_Statistics_Report_for_June_2021.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/VR_Statistics_Report_for_June_2021.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://ballot-access.org/2024/05/03/new-arkansas-registration-data-2/ | title=New Arkansas Registration Data &#124; | date=May 3, 2024 }}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent politician}}
| [[Independent voter|Nonpartisan]]
| align=center | 1,581,556
| align=center | 87.59%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (US)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align=center | 140,291
| align=center | 7.47%
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (US)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align=center | 88,969
| align=center | 4.89%
|-
| {{party color cell|Other parties (US)}}
|[[List of political parties in the United States|Other]]
| align=center | 851
| align=center | 0.05%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align=center | 1,811,667
! align=center | 100.00%
|}
[[File:William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock, Arkansas (exterior view - 2007).jpg|thumb|The [[Clinton Presidential Center]] in Little Rock]]
Arkansas governor [[Bill Clinton]] brought national attention to the state with a long speech at the [[1988 Democratic National Convention]] endorsing [[Michael Dukakis]]. Some journalists suggested the speech was a threat to his ambitions; Clinton defined it "a comedy of error, just one of those fluky things".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2012/07/30/when_bill_clinton_died_on_stage/|title=When Bill Clinton died onstage|last=Kornacki|first=Steve|website=Salon|date=July 30, 2012 |access-date=November 10, 2016}}</ref> 

He won the Democratic nomination for president in 1992. Clinton presented himself as a "[[New Democrats (United States)|New Democrat]]" and used incumbent [[George H. W. Bush]]'s [[Read my lips: no new taxes|broken promise]] against him to win the [[U.S. presidential election, 1992|1992 presidential election]] with 43.0% of the vote to Bush's 37.5% and independent billionaire [[Ross Perot]]'s 18.9%.

Most Republican strength traditionally lay mainly in the northwestern part of the state, particularly [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] and [[Bentonville, Arkansas|Bentonville]], as well as North Central Arkansas around the [[Mountain Home, Arkansas|Mountain Home]] area. In the latter area, Republicans have been known to get 90% or more of the vote, while the rest of the state was more Democratic. After 2010, Republican strength expanded further to the Northeast and Southwest and into the Little Rock suburbs. The Democrats are mostly concentrated to central Little Rock, the Mississippi Delta, the Pine Bluff area, and the areas around the southern border with Louisiana.

Arkansas has elected only three Republicans to the U.S. Senate since [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]]: [[Tim Hutchinson]], who was defeated after one term by [[Mark Pryor]]; [[John Boozman]], who defeated incumbent [[Blanche Lincoln]]; and [[Tom Cotton]], who defeated Pryor in 2014. Before 2013, the General Assembly had not been controlled by the Republican Party since Reconstruction, with the GOP holding a 51-seat majority in the state House and a 21-seat (of 35) in the state Senate following victories in 2012. Arkansas was one of the only states of the former [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] other than Florida and Virginia that sent two Democrats to the U.S. Senate for any period during the first decade of the 21st century.

In 2010, Republicans captured three of the state's four seats in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]]. In 2012, they won election to all four House seats. Arkansas held the distinction of having a U.S. House delegation composed entirely of military veterans ([[Rick Crawford (politician)|Rick Crawford]], [[United States Army|Army]]; [[Tim Griffin]], [[United States Army Reserve|Army Reserve]]; [[Steve Womack]], [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]]; [[Tom Cotton]], Army). When Pryor was defeated in 2014, the entire congressional delegation was in GOP hands for the first time since [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]].

Reflecting the state's large [[Evangelicalism in the United States|evangelical]] population, Arkansas has a strong [[Social conservatism in the United States|social conservative]] bent. In the aftermath of the landmark Supreme Court decision ''[[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization]]'', Arkansas became one of nine states where [[abortion]] is banned.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=The New York |date=2022-05-24 |title=Tracking the States Where Abortion Is Now Banned |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html |access-date=2022-08-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Under the [[Arkansas Constitution]], Arkansas is a [[Right-to-work law|right to work state]]. Its voters passed a ban on [[same-sex marriage]] in 2004, with 75% voting yes,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/ballot.measures/|title= Election 2004 - Ballot Measures|website=CNN |access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref> although that ban has been inactive since the Supreme Court protected same-sex marriage in ''[[Obergefell v. Hodges]]''.

Arkansas retains the [[death penalty]]. Authorized methods of execution include the [[electric chair]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution | title=Methods of Execution }}</ref>

===Military===
The [[Strategic Air Command]] facility of [[Little Rock Air Force Base]] was one of eighteen silos in the command of the [[308th Armament Systems Wing#Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles|308th Strategic Missile Wing]] (308th SMW), specifically one of the nine silos within its [[374th Strategic Missile Squadron]] (374th SMS). The squadron was responsible for Launch Complex 374–7, site of the [[1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion|1980 explosion]] of a [[Titan (missile)|Titan{{spaces}}II]] Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in [[Damascus, Arkansas]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety|last=Schlosser|first=Eric|author-link=Eric Schlosser|publisher=Penguin Press|year=2013|isbn=978-1594202278|pages=[https://archive.org/details/commandcontrol00eric/page/ Title]|url=https://archive.org/details/commandcontrol00eric/page/}}</ref>

===Taxation===
Taxes are collected by the [[Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/|title=Department of Finance and Administration|website=Dfa.arkansas.gov|access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref>

==Health==
{{See also|List of hospitals in Arkansas}}
[[File:UAMSmedcenter.JPG|thumb|[[UAMS Medical Center]], Little Rock]]
As of 2012, Arkansas, as with many Southern states, has a high incidence of premature death, infant mortality, cardiovascular deaths, and occupational fatalities compared to the rest of the United States.<ref name="health">{{cite web |title= Arkansas |website= America's Health Rankings |year= 2012 |url= http://www.americashealthrankings.org/AR/2012 |publisher= United Health Foundation |access-date= January 21, 2013 |archive-date= January 30, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130130120851/http://www.americashealthrankings.org/AR/2012 |url-status= dead }}</ref> The state is tied for 43rd with [[New York (state)|New York]] in percentage of adults who regularly exercise.<ref>{{cite web |title= Physical exercise (most recent) by state |website= Health Statistics |url= http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_phy_exe-health-physical-exercise |access-date= January 21, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130513182949/http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_phy_exe-health-physical-exercise |archive-date= May 13, 2013 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Arkansas is usually ranked as one of the least healthy states due to high obesity, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle rates,<ref name="health" /> but according to a Gallup poll, Arkansas made the most immediate progress in reducing its number of uninsured residents after the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Affordable Care Act]] passed. The percentage of uninsured in Arkansas dropped from 22.5 in 2013 to 12.4 in August 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Reid|title=Arkansas is the Best State in America|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/08/arkansas-is-the-best-state-in-america|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 9, 2014}}</ref>

The [[List of smoking bans in the United States#Arkansas|Arkansas Clean Indoor Air Act]], a statewide smoking ban excluding bars and some restaurants, went into effect in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title= Arkansas Smoking Ban |date= July 22, 2006 |url= http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story/Arkansas-Smoking-Ban/v0FkUVtPPUeQz0oXGgskjQ.cspx |publisher= [[KLRT-TV]] |access-date= January 21, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130517165120/http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story/Arkansas-Smoking-Ban/v0FkUVtPPUeQz0oXGgskjQ.cspx |archive-date= May 17, 2013 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

Healthcare in Arkansas is provided by a network of hospitals as members of the Arkansas Hospital Association. Major institutions with multiple branches include Baptist Health, [[Community Health Systems]], and [[HealthSouth]]. The [[University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences]] (UAMS) in Little Rock operates the [[UAMS Medical Center]], a [[teaching hospital]] ranked as high performing nationally in [[cancer]] and [[nephrology]].<ref>{{cite web |title= University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences |url= http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ar/uams-medical-center-6710440 |publisher= U.S. News & World Report |website= Health & Hospitals |access-date= January 21, 2013 }}</ref> The pediatric division of UAMS Medical Center is known as [[Arkansas Children's Hospital]], nationally ranked in pediatric [[cardiology]] and heart surgery.<ref>{{cite web |title= Arkansas Children's Hospital |url= http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ar/arkansas-children%27s-hospital-6710340 |publisher= U.S. News & World Report |website= Health & Hospitals |access-date= January 21, 2013 }}</ref> Together, these two institutions are the state's only [[Level I trauma center]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title= Designated Trauma Centers |url= http://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programsServices/injuryPreventionControl/TraumaticSystems/Pages/DesignatedTraumaCenters.aspx |date= December 17, 2012 |publisher= Arkansas Department of Health |access-date= January 21, 2013 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120211165823/http://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programsServices/injuryPreventionControl/TraumaticSystems/Pages/DesignatedTraumaCenters.aspx |archive-date= February 11, 2012 |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Arkansas}}
{{See also|List of colleges and universities in Arkansas|List of high schools in Arkansas|List of school districts in Arkansas}}
Arkansas has 1,064 state-funded kindergartens, elementary, junior and senior high schools.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arkansas K-12 Profile: 2016–2017|url=https://adedatabeta.arkansas.gov/Ark12|publisher=Arkansas State Board of Education|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121061736/https://adedatabeta.arkansas.gov/ARK12|archive-date=January 21, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The state supports a network of public [[university|universities]] and colleges, including two major university systems: [[Arkansas State University System]] and [[University of Arkansas System]]. The [[University of Arkansas]], flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System in Fayetteville was ranked #63 among public schools in the nation by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''.<ref>{{cite web |website= College Ranking Lists |url= http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public/spp%2B50/page+2 |publisher= U.S. News & World Report |title= Top Public Schools |year= 2014 |access-date= January 26, 2014 }}</ref> Other public institutions include [[Arkansas State University]], [[University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff]], [[Arkansas Tech University]], [[Henderson State University]], [[Southern Arkansas University]], and [[University of Central Arkansas]] across the state. It is also home to 11 private colleges and universities including [[Hendrix College]], one of the nation's top 100 [[liberal arts]] colleges, according to U.S. News & World Report.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=National Liberal Arts College Rankings |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |year=2012 |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges |access-date=September 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821213346/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges |archive-date=August 21, 2016 }}</ref>

In the 1920s the state required all children to attend public schools. The school year was set at 131 days, although some areas were unable to meet that requirement.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Holley|first1=Marc J|title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=William Oscar|title=History of Public School Education in Arkansas; 1900–1918|date=August 30, 1918|publisher=University of Chicago, Department of Education|page=Page}}</ref>

Generally prohibited in the [[Western world]] at large, [[school corporal punishment]] is not unusual in Arkansas, with 20,083 public school students{{efn|This figure refers to only the number of students paddled, regardless of whether a student was spanked multiple times in a year, and does not refer to the number of instances of corporal punishment, which would be substantially higher.}} [[paddle (spanking)|paddled]] at least one time, according to government data for the 2011–12 school year.<ref name="CORPUN_US_SCHOOL" /> The rate of corporal punishment in public schools is higher only in [[Mississippi]].<ref name="CORPUN_US_SCHOOL">{{cite web|url=http://corpun.com/counuss.htm |title= Corporal punishment in US schools |publisher=World Corporal Punishment Research | last = Farrell | first = Colin | date=February 2016|access-date=April 4, 2016}}</ref>

==Media==
{{Expand section|date=March 2017 }}
<!--   see [[:Category:Mass media in Arkansas]]  -->
As of 2010 many Arkansas local newspapers are owned by [[WEHCO Media]], Alabama-based Lancaster Management, Kentucky-based [[Paxton Media Group]], Missouri-based [[Rust Communications]], Nevada-based [[Stephens Media (newspapers)|Stephens Media]], and New York-based [[GateHouse Media]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2191 |title= Mass Media |author=C. Dennis Schick |publisher= Central Arkansas Library System |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas]] |access-date= March 24, 2017 }}</ref>

==Culture==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2022}}
{{Main|Culture of Arkansas}}
[[File:Van Buren Confederate Monument 001.jpg|thumb|188x188px|[[Van Buren Confederate Monument]] at the [[Crawford County, Arkansas|Crawford County]] Courthouse in [[Van Buren, Arkansas]]]]
The culture of Arkansas includes distinct cuisine, dialect, and traditional festivals. Sports are also very important to the culture, including football, baseball, basketball, hunting, and fishing. Perhaps the best-known aspect of Arkansas's culture is the stereotype that its citizens are shiftless hillbillies.<ref>Arnold et al. 2002, p. 115.</ref> The reputation began when early explorers characterized the state as a savage wilderness full of outlaws and thieves.<ref>Blevins 2009, p. 15.</ref> The most enduring icon of Arkansas's hillbilly reputation is ''[[Edward Washburn|The Arkansas Traveller]]'', a painted depiction of a folk tale from the 1840s.<ref>Blevins 2009, p. 30.</ref> Though intended to represent the divide between rich southeastern plantation Arkansas planters and the poor northwestern hill country, the meaning was twisted to represent a Northerner lost in the Ozarks on a white horse asking a backwoods Arkansan for directions.<ref>Sutherlin 1996, p. 20.</ref> The state also suffers from the racial stigma common to former Confederate states, with historical events such as the [[Little Rock Nine]] adding to Arkansas's enduring image.<ref>Sutherlin 1996, p. 17.</ref>

Art and history museums display pieces of cultural value for Arkansans and tourists to enjoy. [[Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art]] in [[Bentonville, Arkansas|Bentonville]] was visited by 604,000 people in 2012, its first year.<ref>{{cite web |title=600K visitors later, Crystal Bridges turns 1 |last=Bartels |first=Chuck |url=http://www.newsok.com/article/feed/461683 |date=November 12, 2012 |access-date=June 18, 2017 |publisher=News Ok }}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The museum includes walking trails and educational opportunities in addition to displaying over 450 works covering five centuries of American art.<ref>{{cite news |title= Crystal Bridges art museum is reshaping Wal-Mart's hometown |last= Reynolds |first= Chris |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |url= http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/la-tr-arkansas-20121014,0,3925043.story?page=2 |date= October 14, 2012 |access-date= November 18, 2012 }}</ref> Several historic town sites have been restored as Arkansas [[List of Arkansas state parks|state parks]], including [[Historic Washington State Park]], [[Powhatan Historic State Park]], and [[Davidsonville Historic State Park]].

Arkansas features a variety of native music across the state, ranging from the [[blues]] heritage of [[West Memphis, Arkansas|West Memphis]], [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas|Pine Bluff]], [[Helena–West Helena, Arkansas|Helena–West Helena]] to [[rockabilly]], [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]], and folk music from the Ozarks. Festivals such as the [[King Biscuit Blues Festival]] and [[Bikes, Blues, and BBQ]] pay homage to the history of blues in the state. The Ozark Folk Festival in [[Mountain View, Arkansas|Mountain View]] is a celebration of Ozark culture and often features folk and bluegrass musicians. Literature set in Arkansas such as ''[[I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings]]'' by [[Maya Angelou]] and ''[[A Painted House]]'' by [[John Grisham]] describe the culture at various time periods.

===Sports and recreation===
[[File:Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge Crittenden County AR 052.jpg|thumb|The flooded, forested [[Upland and lowland (freshwater ecology)#Lowland|bottomlands]] of east Arkansas attract wintering waterfowl.]]
Team sports and especially collegiate football are important to Arkansans. College football in Arkansas began from humble beginnings, when the [[University of Arkansas]] first fielded a team in [[1894 Arkansas Cardinals football team|1894]]. Over the years, many Arkansans have looked to [[Arkansas Razorbacks football]] as the public image of the state.<ref>{{ cite web |title= Retirement of an Arkansas Newsmaker |first=John |last=Brummett |date= January 13, 2008 |publisher= Arkansas News Bureau |work=Pine Bluff Commercial |location= Pine Bluff, Arkansas |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/11E2C4D6FB3F6F48 |access-date= January 16, 2021 |via=Newsbank }}</ref> Although the University of Arkansas is based in [[Fayetteville, Arkansas|Fayetteville]], the Razorbacks have always played at least one game per season at [[War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas)|War Memorial Stadium]] in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] in an effort to keep fan support in central and south Arkansas.

[[Arkansas State University]] became the second [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision]] (FBS) (then known as Division I-A) team in the state in 1992 after playing in lower divisions for nearly two decades. The two schools have never played each other, due to the University of Arkansas's policy of not playing intrastate games.<ref>{{cite news |title= Arkansas matchup is not likely soon |publisher= [[Sun Herald]] |date= July 20, 2003 |page= 9B }}</ref> Two other campuses of the [[University of Arkansas System]] are Division I members. The [[University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff]] is a member of the [[Southwestern Athletic Conference]], a league whose members all play football in the second-level [[Football Championship Subdivision]] (FCS). The [[University of Arkansas at Little Rock]], known for sports purposes as Little Rock, joined the [[Ohio Valley Conference]] in 2022 after playing in the [[Sun Belt Conference]]; unlike many other OVC members, it does not field [[List of NCAA Division I non-football programs|a football program]]. The state's other Division{{spaces}}I member is the [[University of Central Arkansas]] (UCA), which joined the [[ASUN Conference]] in 2021 after leaving the FCS [[Southland Conference]]. Because the ASUN does not plan to start FCS football competition until at least 2022, UCA football is competing in the [[Western Athletic Conference]] as part of a formal football partnership between the two leagues. Seven of Arkansas's smaller colleges play in [[NCAA Division&nbsp;II]], with six in the [[Great American Conference]] and one in the [[Lone Star Conference]]. Two other small Arkansas colleges compete in [[NCAA Division&nbsp;III]], in which [[athletic scholarship]]s are prohibited. High school football also began to grow in Arkansas in the early 20th century.

Baseball runs deep in Arkansas and was popular before the state hosted [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) [[spring training]] in [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]] from 1886 to the 1920s. Two [[Minor League Baseball|minor league]] teams are based in the state. The [[Arkansas Travelers]] play at [[Dickey–Stephens Park]] in [[North Little Rock, Arkansas|North Little Rock]], and the [[Northwest Arkansas Naturals]] play in [[Arvest Ballpark]] in [[Springdale, Arkansas|Springdale]]. Both teams compete in [[Double-A Central]].

Hunting continues in the state. The state created the [[Arkansas Game and Fish Commission]] in 1915 to regulate hunting.<ref>{{cite web |last= Griffee |first= Carol |title= Odyssey of Survival, A History of the Arkansas Conservation Sales Tax |page= 10 |url= http://www.teaming.com/sites/default/files/REPORT%20Odyssey%20of%20Survival-%20A%20History%20of%20the%20AR%20Conservation%20Sales%20Tax.pdf |access-date= September 16, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082707/http://www.teaming.com/sites/default/files/REPORT%20Odyssey%20of%20Survival-%20A%20History%20of%20the%20AR%20Conservation%20Sales%20Tax.pdf |archive-date= January 17, 2013 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Today a significant portion of Arkansas's population participates in hunting [[duck]] in the [[Mississippi flyway]] and [[deer]] across the state.<ref name="Sutherlin 1996, p. 164">Sutherlin 1996, p. 164.</ref> [[Ducks Unlimited]] has called [[Stuttgart, Arkansas]], "the epicenter of the duck universe".<ref>{{ cite journal |last=Bourne |first=Hampton |title= Calling Accents |url=https://www.ducks.org/hunting/duck-calling/calling-accents |date=September–October 2022 |page= 76 |journal= [[Ducks Unlimited]] |location= Memphis, Tennessee |oclc=1774718 |issn=0012-6950 |access-date= September 12, 2022 }}</ref> Millions of acres of public land are available for both bow and modern gun hunters.<ref name="Sutherlin 1996, p. 164"/>

Fishing has always been popular in Arkansas,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanggi |first=Sam |date=2024-03-15 |title=What I Learned Fishing in Arkansas |url=https://www.wired2fish.com/fishing-tips/what-i-learned-fishing-in-arkansas |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Wired2Fish |language=en-US}}</ref> and the sport and the state have benefited from the creation of reservoirs across the state. Following the completion of [[Norfork Dam]], the [[Norfork Tailwater]] and the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]] have become a destination for [[trout]] fishers. Several smaller retirement communities such as [[Bull Shoals, Arkansas|Bull Shoals]], [[Hot Springs Village, Arkansas|Hot Springs Village]], and [[Fairfield Bay, Arkansas|Fairfield Bay]] have flourished due to their position on a fishing lake. The [[National Park Service]] has preserved the [[Buffalo National River]] in its natural state and fly fishers visit it annually.

==Attractions==
[[File:Blanchard Springs II.jpg|thumb|[[Blanchard Springs Caverns]] in [[Stone County, Arkansas|Stone County]]]]
* [[Arkansas Post National Memorial]] at [[Gillett, Arkansas|Gillett]]
* [[Blanchard Springs Caverns]]
* [[Buffalo National River]]
* [[Fort Smith National Historic Site]]
* [[Hot Springs National Park]]
* [[Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site]]
* [[Pea Ridge National Military Park]]
* [[President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site]]
* [[Arkansas State Capitol Building]]
* [[List of Arkansas state parks]]

==See also==
* [[Index of Arkansas-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Arkansas]]
* [[Spanish Empire]]
* [[History of Louisiana]]
* [[USS Arkansas|USS ''Arkansas'']], 5 ships
* '''''<small>{{portal-inline|Arkansas}}</small>'''''
* '''''<small>{{portal-inline|United States}}</small>'''''

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite journal | last1= Arnold | first1= Morris S | title= The Significance of the Arkansas Colonial Experience | pages= 69–82 |volume= 51 |date= Spring 1992 |journal = Arkansas Historical Quarterly| issue= 1 | doi= 10.2307/40038202 | jstor= 40038202 }}
* {{cite book | last4= Whayne | first4= Jeannie M | last2= DeBlack | first2= Thomas A | last3= Sabo III | first3= George | last1= Arnold | first1= Morris S. | title= Arkansas: A narrative history | edition= 1st | year= 2002 | publisher= The University of Arkansas Press | location= Fayetteville, AR | isbn= 978-1-55728-724-3 | oclc= 49029558 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/arkansasnarrativ0000unse }}
* {{Cite book |last=Blevins |first= Brooks |title= Arkansas/Arkansaw, How Bear Hunters, Hillbillies & Good Ol' Boys Defined a State |location= Fayetteville, AR |year= 2009 | publisher= [[University of Arkansas Press]] | isbn= 978-1-55728-952-0 }}
* {{cite journal |last= Bolton |first= S. Charles |title= Slavery and the Defining of Arkansas |journal= The Arkansas Historical Quarterly |date= Spring 1999 |volume= 58 |issue= 1 |pages= 1–23 |doi= 10.2307/40026271 |jstor= 40026271 }}
* {{cite book |last= Fletcher |first= John Gould |title= Arkansas |year= 1989 |volume= 2 |editor-last = Carpenter |editor-first= Lucas |publisher= University of Arkansas Press |location= Fayetteville, AR | isbn = 978-1-55728-040-4 |oclc= 555740849}}
* {{cite journal |last= Johnson |first= William R. |title= Prelude to the Missouri Compromise: A New York Congressman's Effort to Exclude Slavery from Arkansas Territory | journal = Arkansas Historical Quarterly |volume= 24 |date= Spring 1965 |issue= 1 |pages= 47–66|doi= 10.2307/40023964 |jstor= 40023964 }}
* {{cite journal |title= Arkansas Statehood: A Study in State and National Political Schism |first= Jack B | last = Scroggs |pages= 227–244 |volume= 20 |date= Autumn 1961 | journal = Arkansas Historical Quarterly|issue= 3 |doi= 10.2307/40038048 |jstor= 40038048 }}
* {{cite book |last= Smith |first= Richard M. |title= The Atlas of Arkansas |publisher= The University of Arkansas Press |year= 1989 |isbn= 978-1557280473}}
* {{Cite journal |title= Arkansas Territorial Indian Affairs |first= Lonnie J. |last= White |journal= Arkansas Historical Quarterly |volume= 21 |date= Autumn 1962 |issue= 3 |pages= 193–212 |doi= 10.2307/40018929 |jstor= 40018929 }}
* {{Cite book |title= The Arkansas Handbook |last= Sutherlin |first= Diann |year= 1996 | edition= 2nd | publisher = Fly By Night Press |location= Little Rock, Arkansas |isbn= 978-0-932531-03-2 |lccn= 95-90761}}
* {{Cite book | title= The WPA Guide to 1930s Arkansas | year= 1987 | edition= 1st paperback | series = [[Federal Writers' Project]] |publisher= University Press of Kansas |location= [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence, KS]] | orig-year = 1941 | isbn =978-0700603411 |lccn= 87-81307}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* Blair, Diane D. & Jay Barth ''Arkansas Politics & Government: Do the People Rule?'' (2005)
* Deblack, Thomas A. ''With Fire and Sword: Arkansas, 1861–1874'' (2003)
* Donovan, Timothy P. and Willard B. Gatewood Jr., eds. ''The Governors of Arkansas'' (1981)
* Dougan, Michael B. ''Confederate Arkansas'' (1982),
* Duvall, Leland. ed., ''Arkansas: Colony and State'' (1973)
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=dvMZ_YNpYrYC&dq=peter+joseph+hamilton+reconstruction+period&pg=PP16 Hamilton, Peter Joseph. ''The Reconstruction Period''] (1906), full length history of era; [[Dunning School]] approach; 570 pp; ch 13 on Arkansas
* Hanson, Gerald T. and Carl H. Moneyhon. ''Historical Atlas of Arkansas'' (1992)
* Key, V. O. ''Southern Politics'' (1949)
* Kirk, John A., ''Redefining the Color Line: Black Activism in Little Rock, Arkansas, 1940–1970'' (2002).
* McMath, Sidney S. ''Promises Kept'' (2003)
* Moore, Waddy W. ed., ''Arkansas in the Gilded Age, 1874–1900'' (1976).
* Peirce, Neal R. ''The Deep South States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Seven Deep South States'' (1974).
* Thompson, Brock. ''The Un-Natural State: Arkansas and the Queer South'' (2010)
* Thompson, George H. ''Arkansas and Reconstruction'' (1976)
* Whayne, Jeannie M. ''Arkansas Biography: A Collection of Notable Lives'' (2000)
* White, Lonnie J. ''Politics on the Southwestern Frontier: Arkansas Territory, 1819–1836'' (1964)
* Williams, C. Fred. ed. ''A Documentary History Of Arkansas'' (2005)
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Arkansas|Arkansas|n=Category:Arkansas}}
* [http://www.arkansas.gov/ Arkansas.gov]—Official State Website
* [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=05&StateName=Arkansas#.U8FpBLH-ItU Arkansas State Facts from USDA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824212729/http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=05&StateName=Arkansas#.U8FpBLH-ItU |date=August 24, 2016 }}
* [http://www.arkansas.com Official State tourism website]
* [http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/ ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'']
* [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=AR Energy & Environmental Data for Arkansas]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110104031416/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05000.html U.S. Census Bureau]
* [http://www2.census.gov/census_2000/datasets/demographic_profile/Arkansas/2kh05.pdf 2000 Census of Population and Housing for Arkansas], [[U.S. Census Bureau]]
* [http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=AR USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Arkansas]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120728123638/http://www.summercampsus.com/arkansas-summer-camps/ Arkansas Summer Camps]
* [http://www.arkshakes.com Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219003526/https://www.arkshakes.com/ |date=December 19, 2020 }}
* {{Ballotpedia|Arkansas|Arkansas}}
* {{OSM relation|161646}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081013051630/http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/data/ar_code.asp Arkansas State Code (the state statutes of Arkansas)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150518075409/http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Arkansas Arkansas State Databases]—Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Arkansas state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.

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