The West Little Rock/Chenal Valley area is an exciting and flourishing community of over 3,000 people. Here you will find beautiful neighborhoods in the very heart of Little Rock’s outdoor recreation, superb dining, championship golf, and first-class shopping. It is one of the newest residential developments in the city, and one that is growing enormously. It is an affluent area, one that holds some of Arkansas’ most impressive addresses. In Chenal Valley you can escape the big-city stress without being out of reach of the city’s amenities. It doesn’t get any better than Chenal Valley.
Location
The area known as West Little Rock/Chenal Valley is a fairly large and newly developed section of west-central Little Rock, Arkansas. It is situated in Pulaski County, central Arkansas in the southeastern United States. Pulaski County is bounded by Faulkner County to the north, Perry and Saline Counties to the west, Lonoke County to the east, and Jefferson and Grant Counties to the south.
Geography/Terrain
Sitting at an elevation of approximately 295 feet, Chenal Valley covers roughly 4,300 acres of land. The area is nestled amidst gently rolling, forested hills, surrounded by greenbelts, lakes and towering trees. The region is situated in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, on the south bank of the Arkansas River.
Distance to 3 closest major cities
Fort Smith, AR is 127 miles northwest; Memphis, TN is 130 miles northeast; and Texarkana, AR is 135 miles southwest of Chenal Valley.
Jobs
A hub for developing businesses, West Little Rock/Chenal Valley has 600 acres dedicated to commercial development. It is located in Arkansas, a state which is known to have the fewest business failures in the southeast. West Little Rock is home to many mass-market retailers, including: Wal-Mart, Kroger, Target, Home Depot and Barnes and Noble. It is also the location of the headquarters of the Nuvell unit of GMAC Financial Services, an important Little Rock employer. About 30 miles north of the area are one of the largest bus manufacturers and the leading information management company for the direct marketing industry. Educational, health and social services provide 25.8% of the employment in the area, and 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 average household income in the area is $97,271.
Housing
Attractive new homes, encompassing a variety of housing styles, ranging from Old World Mediterranean to Southern Louisiana can be found in the West Little Rock/Chenal Valley area. Chenal Valley has over a dozen neighborhoods, which can be divided into the North Slope Neighborhoods, the Golf Course Neighborhoods, and the Wooded Hills Neighborhoods.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
There is a profusion of scenic parks and natural open spaces to enjoy in the Little Rock area. With over 50 parks, including Burns, Riverfront, Murray, Emerald and Julius Breckling, the range of facilities include playgrounds, ball fields, amusement parks, tennis courts, racquetball, miniature golf ranges, soccer fields, and hiking/biking trails.
There are several state parks and one national park that Chenal Valley residents can enjoy. Hot Springs National Park is approximately 60 miles southwest, and was named for the abundance of hot mineral water springs in the area. Pinnacle Mountain, rising over 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River Valley, offers stunning views, as well as opportunities for camping, fishing, and hiking. Lake Catherine State Park, located 50 miles south of Little Rock offers lakeside campsites for fishing and boating. Lake Degray State Park is a lakeshore resort park surrounded by the Ouachita Mountains and home to a challenging championship public golf course. Petit Jean State Park is situated between the Ozark and Ouachita Mountain ranges in west-central Arkansas. Situated upon Petit Jean Mountain, spanning over 3,400 acres of countryside, it is known for its spectacular views. Just 50 miles north of metropolitan Little Rock is Woolly Hollow, one of Arkansas' most picturesque state parks.
Lake Maumelle is one of Little Rock's most popular outdoor recreation areas. There are several places where fishing enthusiasts can go. In Murray Park you can fish the Arkansas River. Approximately 50 miles southwest is Lake Ouachita State Park, in the Ouachita Mountains. Lake Ouachita has 975 miles of shoreline, and 48,000 acres of pristine waters. It is known as one of Arkansas' best fishing lakes.
There is no shortage of top-notch golf courses in West Little Rock. The Chenal Country Club and Pleasant Valley Country Club are both beautiful, first-class golf courses in the area. Chenal Country Club has two championship 18-hole courses: the Founders Course and the Bear Den Mountain course. Both courses are parkland in design and have rolling terrain with tree-lined fairways. Pleasant Valley Country Club’s championship golf course was ranked as Arkansas' top course by Golf Digest, and was named "Best of the Best" golf courses in Arkansas by readers of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Golf Week has ranked it among the top100 courses in the country.
Special Attractions/Events
There are a seemingly unlimited number of restaurants, hotels, and shops to enjoy here. And Little Rock itself offers a whole host of cultural and entertainment opportunities.
In the Metropolitan Little Rock area there are festivities and special events throughout the year. In October, the Arkansas State Fair and World Fest, a multi-cultural event with music and dance and a world marketplace enliven the city. On the first Saturday after Mother's Day the spirit of New Orleans floods into Little Rock. Riverfest, one of the nation’s Top 100 Festivals, is celebrated on Memorial Day Weekend. It is a three-day festival featuring arts and crafts shows, a wide variety of local food, and musicians, including one major nationally recognized artist. At the end of the festivities there is a huge fireworks display.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
The name Chenal Valley comes from the area's Shinnall Mountain. The name was altered by one of the area’s early developers, with the intention of making it sound more French.
The Quapaw Quarter is a nine-square mile area, which encompasses Little Rock’s history from frontier days to the beginning of the 20th century. The name "Quapaw Quarter" has been used to identify this area since 1961, and was taken from the Quapaw Indians, who lived in central Arkansas.
Most of the city's oldest buildings, some of which date from before the Civil War, are found within the boundaries of the MacArthur Park Historic District. Visitors may tour the Arkansas Museum of Science and History housed in the former U.S. Arsenal Building, built in 1840, and the Decorative Arts Museum, in the antebellum Pike-Fletcher-Terry House. Trapnall Hall is another of the historic district's antebellum homes, and the Villa Marre is a local Victorian home built in 1881.
Homes in the Governor's Mansion Historic District generally date from about 1880 to 1920, comprising an exceptional collection of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Craftsman architecture.
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