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About Little Rock, AR

Little Rock is the state capital of Arkansas in the United States. It is the county seat of Pulaski County, located on the Arkansas River in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains in the state’s central region. Bernard de la Harpe, a French adventurer, spotted two prominent rock formations on the Arkansas River’s bank in 1722 and allegedly called them La Petite Roche and La Grande Roche. La Harpe established his trade station near a Quapaw Indian hamlet near the smaller rock. The “small rock” was eventually used as a railway bridge abutment. The “huge rock,” 2 miles (3 kilometers) upstream, housed an army station and, subsequently, a veterans hospital.

William Lewis, a trapper, erected his cabin near the “small rock” in 1812. Arkansas became a territory in 1819, with Arkansas Post as its capital. Little Rock was surveyed in 1820, and the territory seat was relocated there the following year. The Territorial Capitol Restoration preserves the capitol building where the legislature met from 1821 to 1836, as well as a block of period buildings such as the Old State House (designed by Gideon Shyrock and the second of Little Rock’s three state capitols) and the first print shop of the Arkansas Gazette, which merged in 1991 with the Arkansas Democrat to form the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Little Rock was staunchly anti-Union when the American Civil War broke out, and the Federal armory was seized by state authorities in 1861. Federal soldiers led by General Frederick Steele captured the city in September 1863 and installed a pro-Union administration.

Little Rock became a significant transportation hub with the construction of railways in the 1880s. Beginning in the 1940s, the metropolitan area’s industry saw planned, diverse expansion, owing mostly to the availability of raw resources (timber, oil, gas, coal, and bauxite). With the completion of a system of locks and dams on the Arkansas River in 1969, the city became a river port. North Little Rock has a large railroad shop across the river. Little Rock is the primary market for the agricultural region surrounding it.

The right of nine black students to attend Central High School under a gradual desegregation plan adopted by the city school board in accordance with the 1954 decision of the United States Supreme Court holding racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional became the focus of international attention in 1957. As a result, the federal and state governments faced a power struggle. Governor Orval E. Faubus directed the state militia to prevent black students from accessing the school, but the state was barred from meddling by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who dispatched federal troops to the city to keep peace. Desegregation was completed in all public schools during the next decade. President William J. Clinton designated Central High School as a national historic monument in 1998, and each of the “Little Rock Nine” received the Congressional Gold Medal.

The economy of Little Rock is built on government and financial services, food processing, and the production of things like as cosmetics, telecommunications equipment, and data-transmission equipment.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (1927; originally Little Rock University), Philander Smith College (1877), the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (1879), Arkansas Baptist College (1884), and the state schools for the blind and deaf are among the city’s educational institutions. The Arkansas Arts Center and General Douglas MacArthur’s birthplace are surrounded by MacArthur Park. Little Rock Air Force Base (1955) is located in the northeast, close to Jacksonville. Toltec Mounds State Park, site of an ancient ceremonial center, is 15 miles (24 km) to the west, while Pinnacle Mountain State Park is 15 miles (24 km) to the east. Incorporated in 1831; incorporated in 1836. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metro Area, 699,757; (2020) 202,591; Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metro Area, 748,031.

Little Rock, AR

Little Rock, Arkansas’s capital, is located on the Arkansas River. It houses the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, which has exhibits such as an Oval Office model and presidential relics. The Old State House Museum tells the narrative of Arkansas in an 1800s Greek Revival edifice. MacArthur Park has a pond as well as the Arkansas Arts Center, which is recognized for its extensive collection of artwork.

Elevation: 102 m
Area: 318.6 km²
Population: 198,067 (2020)
Mayor: Frank Scott Jr.