About the Little Rock, Arkansas Area 

The lively metropolitan area of Little Rock has a population of approximately 500,000 people. This city has a rich history, beautiful homes, superlative entertainment and cultural attractions and impressive natural wilderness areas and parklands. It is renowned as home to President Clinton and the civil rights movement, and is the capital of beautiful Arkansas, the Natural State. Little Rock is a major transportation hub as well as the state’s medical center, with two nationally recognized facilities. Little Rock, what a wonderful place to live, work and play! 

Location
Located in Pulaski County, Little Rock is in central Arkansas in the southeastern U.S. It is the county seat as well as the capital and largest city in the state. Perry and Saline Counties to the west, Faulkner County to the north, Lonoke County to the east, and Jefferson and Grant Counties to the south bound Pulaski County. 

Geography/Terrain
The city of Little Rock has a total area of 116.8 square miles, 116.2 square miles of which is land and 0.6 square miles of which is water. It sits at an altitude of 335 feet, with the western part of the city nestled in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Little Rock is on the south bank of the Arkansas River, and its tributaries, Fourche Creek and Rock Creek, run through the city. Pinnacle Mountain and Lake Maumelle are found northwest of the city. 

Distance to 3 closest major cities
Memphis, TN is 130 miles northeast; Fort Smith, AR is 127 miles northwest; and Texarkana, AR is 135 miles southwest of Little Rock. 

Jobs
An economic hub, Little Rock has major sectors in commerce, industry, and finance. It is home to Stephen's Inc., one of the nation's largest private investment firms and Dillards, one of the country's largest retailers. Industries include a national watch manufacturer and one of the world's largest private aircraft modification plants. 

The city is the headquarters for one of the country's largest electronic data systems serving the banking and financial industries and North Little Rock is home to the nation's largest cosmetic manufacturing plant. Little Rock is the location of the headquarters of the major corporations Alltel and Acxiom, as well as Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, Metropolitan National Bank, Rose Law Firm, and Nuvell Financial Services. Major employers in Little Rock include Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Entergy, Raytheon, the Sharper Image, Siemens and Timex. UAMS is one of the largest employers in the state. Educational, health and social services provide 25.8% of the employment in the area, retail trade provides11.3%. The unemployment rate is 4.90% with recent job growth at 2.55%. The average commute time in the city is 18 minutes. The median family income is $51,739 and the per capita income is $39,707. 

Housing
A wide range of housing styles and prices can be found in Little Rock. Real estate in the area is steadily growing and prices are rising. You can find everything here, from beautiful modern homes to small cottages. There are high-class neighborhoods, planned recreational communities, loft apartments, condos, and beautifully restored 19th-century homes. You can find your favorite location, whether it is on the river, overlooking a golf course or perhaps on a quiet, tree-lined street with well-manicured lawns.  

Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Known as the "City of Roses," Little Rock is nestled amid abundant green open spaces and natural wilderness areas. There are over 50 parks in the area, and throughout the city you can enjoy its beautiful azaleas, dogwood trees, stately pines, and majestic oaks. 1,500-acre Burns Park is one of the largest city-owned parks in the country, offering woodlands, ballparks, hiking trails, a miniature golf course, an amusement park, bocce ball courts, a BMX bike track, a disc golf course, soccer fields, a tennis and racquetball complex and a golf course. Riverfront Park stretches eleven blocks from the River Market District to Old State House. Julius Breckling Park is located on the banks of the Arkansas River, and is the home of Riverfest, the Memorial Day festival. Murray Park, also located along the Arkansas River, is a great spot to fish. It is equipped with pavilions, soccer fields, playgrounds, and a boat dock. Emerald Park, in North Little Rock, is one of the most panoramic parks, encompassing 135 acres along the bluff overlooking the Arkansas River. It features a one-mile walking trail and four scenic overlooks. War Memorial Park is one of Little Rock's oldest and favorite parks. It offers an 18-hole public golf course, amusement park, city zoo, and public swimming pool. This park is also the home of War Memorial Stadium and Ray Winder Field. 

There are many nearby lakes where you can enjoy fishing, sailing, skiing, and other outdoor activities most months of the year. Located approximately 12 miles west of the city, Pinnacle Mountain rises over 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River Valley and is a regional landmark. You can hike up its western slope to enjoy a stunning panoramic view. It provides more than 40 miles of hiking trails, as well as the Arkansas Arboretum. 

For spectator sports, Little Rock has War Memorial Stadium, which seats about 55,000 people for football games and is used for concerts. Ray Winder Field is also located in War Memorial Park, and is the home field for the Arkansas Travelers, an AA professional baseball team. An hour southwest of Little Rock, in Hot Springs National Park, you can visit Oaklawn Park, one of the nation’s top thoroughbred racing parks.

There is an exceptional range of golf courses in the Little Rock area. Burns Park Golf Course is one of the best public courses in the state. It offers two 18-hole layouts as well as a nine-hole course. Hindman Park offers an 18-hole course in a wooded setting with beautiful views, and is one of the city’s most attractive and challenging courses. Approximately 5 minutes away from downtown, along the Arkansas River, is Rebsamen Golf Course, an 18-hole championship and nine-hole executive course. War Memorial course is a fast-playing 18-hole course in the city. First Tee of Arkansas Golf Course, formerly known as Rock Creek, offers a parkland-style course with tight, tree-lined fairways and rolling terrain. North Hills Country Club is a private 18-hole course, and Western Hills Country Club is semi-private. Grand Casino Tunica, the largest casino resort between Las Vegas and Little Rock, is the home of Cottonwoods, a championship Hale Irwin-designed golf course.  

Special Attractions/Events
There is so much to see and do in Little Rock. The city hums with an exhilarating nightlife, a lively entertainment district, a wide selection of tours, top-notch restaurants, exclusive shopping, fascinating museums, and unique attractions. The cultural scene in Little Rock is exceptional. The Arkansas Arts Center is one of the country’s outstanding museums of both fine and contemporary art, as well as housing the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre. You can visit the Showcase Arkansas Gallery, or the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Art Department, which maintains three art galleries. 

Arkansas Repertory Theatre offers musical, drama and comedy productions. The Broadway Theatre Series has professional touring companies performing the best of Broadway at Robinson Auditorium. Other outstanding performing arts productions are staged by: Artspree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; the Community Theatre of Little Rock; and Murray’s Dinner Playhouse. Wildwood Park is the largest performing arts park in the South and offers entertainment including opera, country hoe-downs, chamber music, and Broadway musicals. Then there is the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Ballet Arkansas, which should not be missed. 

Touring Little Rock's art galleries, historic sites, and museums could be a full-time occupation. The city is home to the IMAX Theatre and Aerospace Education Center, and the Museum of Discovery, to name a few. There are also Civil War sites, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, and the Heifer International Center Green Building. 

The Riverfest Amphitheatre hosts many of Little Rock's concerts, holding 1,375 reserved seats and 9,125 lawn seats. The city's River Market, Museum of Discovery, Library, and other shops surround the Amphitheatre. Other sites to see are: Arkansas State Capitol, The Old State House, Arkansas Territorial Restoration Decorative Arts Museum, and Old Mill. Little Rock River Market provides plenty of shopping, dining, and nightlife. 

There are a host of festivities throughout the year, such as: the Arkansas Literary Festival and Blues on the River, both happening in April; the Arkansas State Fair and Oktoberfest in October; the Bluegrass Spring Festival in June; the Fall Bluegrass Festival in August; RiverFest and the Territorial Fair in May; and World Fest in September.  

Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
The city of Little Rock was named for a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River called La Petite Roche (the "little rock"). The "little rock" was a landmark and became a well-known river crossing for early travelers, marking the transition from the flat Mississippi Delta region to the Ouachita Mountain foothills. It was a crossing point on the Southwest Trail between Saint Louis and Texas. 

From artifacts that have been found, it appears that Native Americans inhabited the Little Rock and central Arkansas region thousands of years before European settlers arrived. These early inhabitants likely included the Folsom people, Bluff Dwellers, Mound Builders, Caddo, Quapaws, Osage, Choctaw, and Cherokee. The first Europeans to the area came in 1541 when Hernado de Soto, a Spanish explorer, traveled through the area.
Important residents of Little Rock include: Douglas MacArthur, U.S. general; John Gould Fletcher, Pulitzer Prize winning poet and author; Frank Bonner, actor; Gil Gerard, actor; Connie Hamzy, groupie; Wesley Clark, NATO Commander; Kerry Kennedy, playwright; Richard Thalheimer, Sharper Image Corporation founder; Chelsea Clinton, President Clinton’s only daughter; and, of course, Bill Clinton, former U.S. president. 

The Old State House in Little Rock was built in 1836, made of handmade brick. It acted as the state capitol for 75 years and now serves as a museum illustrating Arkansas’ history from statehood through the middle of the 20th century. It is the oldest surviving capitol building west of the Mississippi River. 

Arkansas and Little Rock received national attention in 1992 when William (Bill) Jefferson Clinton was elected 42nd president of the United States. President Clinton is a native Arkansan and spent 12 years living in the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock.
 

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