Arkansas, known as "The Natural State," is located in the southeastern United States. Arkansas’ nickname, The Natural State, was officially adopted by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1995. However, it has been used by the Arkansas State Park system to promote eco-tourism since the 1970s.[1] Arkansas became the 25th state of the United States on June 15, 1836.[2] The state covers an area of 53,179 square miles, making it the 29th largest state by size.[3]
As of 2024, the population of Arkansas is estimated to be around 3,067,732.[4] The state’s economy ranks 36th in size among states and Washington, DC.[5] In 2023, the economy of Arkansas produced $172.7 billion of gross domestic product.[5] The state’s per capita income for 2022 was $52,618, and the median household income was $56,325.[6][4] Arkansas is home to six Fortune 500 companies, including the world’s #1 corporation by revenue, Walmart.[7] The state’s economy is diverse, with key industries including agriculture, transport and logistics, aerospace and defense.[8] Agriculture is one of the leading industries, contributing approximately $16 billion every year to the state’s economy.[8] The state is a major exporter of rice, soybeans, cotton, poultry, and feed grains.[9] On the farms, you’ll likely find rice, soybeans, wheat, corn, and cotton.[10]
Arkansas is rich in natural beauty and offers numerous attractions for visitors. Some of the state’s most attractive features include the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, which is home to a world-class collection of art that spans five centuries1920. The Crater of Diamonds State Park, just outside Murfreesboro, is one of the world’s only diamond-bearing sites accessible to the public. The Thorncrown Chapel is another notable attraction, having won an architecture award in 1980. The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest big cat sanctuaries in the United States19. Lastly, the Hot Springs National Park is famous for its thermal springs.
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History of ArkansasHistory of Arkansas
The history of Arkansas began millennia ago when humans first crossed into North America. Many tribes used Arkansas as their hunting lands but the main tribe was the Quapaw, who settled in the Arkansas River delta upon moving south from Illinois. The early French explorers gave the territory its name, a corruption of Akansea, which is a phonetic spelling from the Siouan language word for the Quapaw.[11]
Arkansas was incorporated into the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and later became the Arkansas Territory from 1819 to 1836. Upon gaining statehood on June 15, 1836, Arkansas had begun to prosper under a plantation economy that was heavily reliant on slave labor.[12] Arkansas seceded from the Union on May 6, 1861, and joined the Confederate States of America. It was restored to the Union on June 22, 1868.[13]
After the American Civil War, Arkansas was a poor rural state, whose main economic base revolved around agriculture based chiefly on cotton production. In the late 19th century, the state instituted various Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise and segregate the African American population.[13]
During the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Arkansas and particularly Little Rock, were major battlegrounds for efforts to integrate schools. The state started to see some economic prosperity during and after World War II in the 1940s. Arkansas became the base for retail corporation Walmart during the 1960s, which is headquartered in Bentonville. Walmart would later become the world’s largest company by revenue.[13]
Demographics of ArkansasDemographics of Arkansas
The demographic distribution of Arkansas' population is as follows:[14]
- White: 74.08%
- Black or African American: 15.24%
- Two or more races: 5.29%
- Other race: 2.91%
- Asian: 1.54%
- Native American: 0.58%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.35%
Most common surnames in ArkansasMost common surnames in Arkansas
Researching family history in ArkansasResearching family history in Arkansas
The National Archives at Fort Worth, Texas has a major collection of federal records for Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Arkansas State Archives is responsible for collecting and preserving the official records and historical materials for the State of Arkansas. The Arkansas Digital Archives contains thousands of images of a wide variety of records preserved by the Arkansas State Archives. The state has additional collections of records in the regional archives.
Arkansas county listArkansas county list
Arkansas has 75 counties:
| Arkansas | Ashley | Baxter | Benton |
| Boone | Bradley | Calhoun | Carroll |
| Chicot | Clark | Clay | Cleburne |
| Cleveland | Columbia | Conway | Craighead |
| Crawford | Crittenden | Cross | Dallas |
| Desha | Drew | Faulkner | Franklin |
| Fulton | Garland | Grant | Greene |
| Hempstead | Hot Spring | Howard | Independence |
| Izard | Jackson | Jefferson | Johnson |
| Lafayette | Lawrence | Lee | Lincoln |
| Little River | Logan | Lonoke | Madison |
| Marion | Miller | Mississippi | Monroe |
| Montgomery | Nevada | Newton | Ouachita |
| Perry | Phillips | Pike | Poinsett |
| Polk | Pope | Prairie | Pulaski |
| Randolph | Saint Francis | Saline | Scott |
| Seacy | Sebastian | Sevier | Sharp |
| Stone | Union | Van Buren | Washington |
| White | Woodruff | Yell |
See alsoSee also
Explore more about ArkansasExplore more about Arkansas
MyHeritage.com has a collections of genealogically valuable Arkansas records, including Arkansas Marriages, Arkansas Voter Registrations, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, and the Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961. There are also addition records in the Arkansas Collections Catalog.
References
- ↑ 10 Arkansas Nicknames and the Stories Behind Them
- ↑ Arkansas History Timeline
- ↑ How Big is Arkansas?
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Arkansas
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Economy of Arkansas Statistics and Data Trends: GDP ranking, unemployment rate, and economic growth | USAFacts
- ↑ Per capita income Arkansas U.S. 2022
- ↑ Six Arkansas Companies Named to Fortune 500
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 What Are The Biggest Industries In Arkansas?
- ↑ Ag Facts
- ↑ Top 5 Crops in Arkansas
- ↑ History of Arkansas Native Indian Tribes
- ↑ Arkansas History Timeline
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Arkansas - Native American, Civil War, Reconstruction | Britannica
- ↑ Arkansas Population 2024 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)
- ↑ Most Common Surnames in Arkansas, With Meanings