Arkansas Facts and Trivia

Statehood June 15, 1836
Electoral Votes 6
State Abbreviation AR
State Capital Little Rock
State Size Total (Land + Water): 53,179 sq miles; Land Only: 52,068 sq miles
Number of Counties 75
Time Zone Central Time Zone
Bordering States Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas
Highest Point Mount Magazine, 2,753 feet
National Parks Hot Springs National Park
State Population (2015) 2,978,204
State Population Density 57.2 people / square mile
Area Codes 327, 479, 501, 870
Top 5 Cities (2010 population) Little Rock (193,524)
Fort Smith (86,209)
Fayetteville (73,580)
Springdale (69,797)
Jonesboro (67,263)

 

Elk, badgers, and eastern spotted skunks are some of Arkansas’ mammals. The state’s birds include red-tailed hawks, ivory-billed woodpeckers, and indigo buntings. Amphibians such as cricket frogs and Ouachita dusky salamanders can be found in Arkansas. Western pygmy rattlesnakes and eastern collared lizards are among the reptiles that skitter through the state.


Common trees include hickory, plum, hawthorn, and pine. The maple-leaf oak tree exists only in Arkansas. Wildflowers are plentiful and include American beautyberry, wild bergamot, and orange coneflower.


NATURAL RESOURCES

Petroleum, natural gas, and coal are among Arkansas’ chief natural resources. But the state also leads the country in bauxite, a material used to make aluminum. Arkansas is the world’s biggest producer of bromine, which is used in pesticides, water purification, medications, and flame retardants.


Arkansas is also the only U.S. state that actively mines diamonds.
Rock House Cave in Petit Jean State Park contains well-preserved rock drawings that were created by Native Americans more than 500 years ago.
Famous Arkansans include President William Jefferson Clinton, General Douglas MacArthur, and former U.S. Surgeon General M. Joycelyn Elders.
Why is Arkansas pronounced differently from Kansas? Because Kansas (pronounced KAN-zuhs) is the English pronunciation, and Arkansas (pronounced AHR-kuhn-saw) is the French pronunciation (which is closer to the way Native Americans said it.)


State Symbols
State American Folk Dance Square dance
State Beverage Milk
State Bird Mockingbird
State Butterfly Diana fritillary
State Flower Apple blossom
State Fruit and Vegetable South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato
State Gem Diamond
State Grain Rice
State Grape Cynthiana
State Historic Cooking Vessel Dutch oven
State Insect Honeybee
State Instrument Fiddle
State Mammal White tail deer
State Motto Regnat populus (The people rule)
State Mineral Quartz crystal
State Nickname The Natural State
State Nut Pecan
State Rock Bauxite
State Tree Pine tree

Arkansas’ name came from the Quapaw Indians, whom the French called the “Arkansaw.”



Arkansas is nicknamed the Natural State because of its beautiful lakes, rivers, mountains, and wildlife.

 Spaniard Hernando de Soto was among the early European explorers to visit the territory in the mid-16th century, but it was a Frenchman, Henri de Tonti, who in 1686 founded the first permanent white settlement the Arkansas Post. In 1803 the area was acquired by the U.S. as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

Part of the Territory of Missouri from 1812, the area became a separate entity in 1819 after the first large wave of settlers arrived. The next several decades were marked by the development of the cotton industry and the spread of the Southern plantation system west into Arkansas. Arkansas joined the Confederacy in 1861, but from 1863 the northern part of the state was occupied by Union troops.

Food products are the state's largest employing sector, with lumber and wood products a close second. Arkansas is also a leader in the production of cotton, rice, and soybeans. It also has the country's only active diamond mine; located near Murfreesboro, it is operated as a tourist attraction.

Hot Springs National Park and Buffalo National River in the Ozarks are major state attractions. Blanchard Springs Caverns, the Historic Arkansas Museum at Little Rock, the William J. Clinton Birthplace in Hope, and the Arkansas Folk Center in Mountain View are also of interest. New in 2011 is the Crystal Bridges Museum for American Art, designed by Moshe Safdie, which houses the collection of Walmart heiress Alice Walton.

In 2008, Arkansas joined the unfortunate list of states that have suffered school shootings: four men were charged with capital murder and other felonies for the fatal shootings of two students and wounding of a third near a University of Central Arkansas dormitory.

Flash floods swept through Albert Pike Recreation Area, killing 19 in 2010. One year later, the Mississippi River flooded more than 1 million acres and 63 counties were declared disaster areas.



Arkansas Facts and Trivia

• Elevations in the state range from 54 feet above sea level in the far southeast corner to 2,753 feet above at Mount Magazine, the state's highest point.
• North Little Rock offers one of the nation's largest municipal parks.
• The community of Mountain View is called the Folk Capital of America. The little town preserves the pioneer way of life and puts it on display for visitors at the Ozark Folk Center State Park from March through October.
• The road to the White House for President Bill Clinton began in Hope, then led to Hot Springs, Fayetteville, and Little Rock.
• Arkansas contains over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of streams and rivers.
• The state contains six national park sites, two-and-a half million acres of national forests, seven national scenic byways, three state scenic byways, and 50 state parks.
• One of America's finest restoration projects, the Quapaw Quarter features some of Little Rock's oldest structures including Victorian and antebellum homes, churches, MacArthur Park, and the Old Arsenal.
• Mountain View is home to one of the largest producers of handmade dulcimers in the world.
• Since the 1830s the area now known as Hot Springs National Park has bathed notables as diverse as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, and Al Capone. The park is entirely surrounded by the city of Hot Springs, the boyhood home of President Bill Clinton.
• Located just outside of Murfreesboro, Crater of Diamonds State Park allows dedicated prospectors to search for precious gems including diamonds, amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, and quartz.
• The mockingbird is the official state bird. It was designated in 1929.
• Clark Bluff overlooking the St. Francis River contains chalk to supply the nation for years.
• Famous singer Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland.
• The apple blossom is the official state flower. It was designated in 1901.
• The Magnet Cove region claims to contain 102 varieties of minerals.
• The World's Championship Duck Calling Contest is held annually in Stuttgart.
• Sam Walton founded his Wal-Mart stores in Bentonville.
• Mount Ida is known as the Quartz Crystal Capital of the World.
• Arkansas became the 25th state on June 15, 1836.
• The pine tree is the official state tree. It was designated in 1939.
• Pine Bluff is known as the world center of archery bow production.
• Camden was the site of the Fort Lookout Skirmish and the Battle of Poison Springs
• Bauxite is the official state mineral. It was designated in 1967.
• Alma claims to be the Spinach Capital of the World.
• Little River County Courthouse is world famous for it's Christmas lights display.
• General Douglas MacArthur, soldier and statesman, was born in Little Rock in 1880.
• Established near the mouth of the Arkansas River in 1686, Arkansas Post was the first permanent white settlement in the state.
• The geographic center of the state is located in Pulaski, 12 miles northwest of Little Rock.
• The city of Fairfield Bay sits on the north shore of Greers Ferry Lake, a 40,000 acre mountain lake of sparkling waters in central Arkansas.
• The University of Central Arkansas was founded in Conway in 1907.
• The average temperature in July is 81.4 degrees; January it is 39.5; and the annual average is 61.7 degrees. The average rainfall is 48.52 inches and the average snowfall is 5.2 inches.
• Scott Joplin, popular musician and composer, was born in Texarkana.
• The diamond is the official state gem. It was designated in 1967.
• Arkansas is officially known as The Natural State.
• The Arkansas River is the longest stream to flow into the Mississippi-Missouri river system. Its total length is 1,450 miles.
• The South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato is the official state fruit and blossom. It was designated in 1987.
• Milk is the official state beverage. It was designated in 1985.
• The largest freestanding rock formation located in Eureka Springs has a base circumference of about 10 inches and the top measures almost 10 feet across.
• The apple blossom is the official state flower. It was designated in 1901.
• Ouachita National Forest reigns as the oldest national forest in the South.
• The lowest point in the state occurs along the Ouachita River.
• Origin of state's name: French interpretation of a Sioux word acansa, meaning downstream place.
• A person from Arkansas is called an Arkansan.
• The honeybee is the official state insect. It was officially designated in 1973.
• In 1783 the Colbert Incident occurred at Arkansas Post. It was the only Revolutionary War skirmish in the state.
• The Buffalo River is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states.
• The fiddle is the official state instrument. It was designated in 1985.
• 47 hot springs flow from the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain, at an average temperature of 143 F.
• The Ozark National Forest covers more than one million acres.
• The quartz crystal is the official state rock. It was designated in 1967.
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