Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area

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The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a four-county area including three Arkansas counties and one Missouri county. The MSA (most often referred to as Northwest Arkansas) is anchored by the Arkansas cities of Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville — the state's third, fourth, ninth, and twelfth largest cities, respectively. The total MSA population in 2000 was 347,045 people. The US Census estimated the population of the MSA to be 420,876 in 2006 (up to 438,000 in 2007). From 1990-2000 the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA was the sixth fastest growing area in the nation.[1] The metropolitan area is the home of Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods — global leaders in retail, and meat and poultry processing, respectively. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., North America's largest publicly owned transportation and logistics company, is also based in the area. Over 1,300 Wal-Mart vendors have added corporate branches or offices in the area as well, including: Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Motorola, Nestlé Purina, General Mills, and Kelloggs, among many others.[2]

[edit] Cities

Partial view of Fayetteville's locally famous Dickson Street.

Partial view of the Pinnacle Hills Promenade, a shopping center in Rogers.

Monument in homage to James H. Berry, the Confederacy, and the Southern Soldier, located in the town square of Bentonville.

[edit] Primary Cities

[edit] Fayetteville

Fayetteville is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, USA and home to the University of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,047. However, a special census completed in June 2006 showed the population to be 67,158. The city is the third most populous in Arkansas and serves as the county seat of Washington County. It is home to the Walton Arts Center. It's also known for Dickson Street, perhaps the most prominent entertainment district in the state of Arkansas. Fayetteville was also ranked 8th on Forbes Magazine's Top 10 Best Places in America for Business and Careers in 2007.[3][4]

[edit] Springdale

Springdale is a city in Arkansas' Washington, and Benton Counties. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 60,096. Springdale is currently Arkansas's fourth-largest city, behind Little Rock, Fort Smith, and Fayetteville. Springdale is the location of the headquarters of Tyson Foods Inc., the largest meat producing company in the world, and has been dubbed the "Chicken Capital of the World" by several publications. In 2008, the Wichita Wranglers of AA minor league baseball's Texas League will move to Springdale and play in Arvest Ballpark. They will become the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.[5]

[edit] Rogers

Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city is the ninth most populous in the state, with a total population of 38,829. In 2006, a special census determined that Rogers had a population of 48,666. Rogers is famous as the location of the first Wal-Mart. In June 2007, BusinessWeek Magazine ranked Rogers as 18th in the 25 best affordable suburbs in the South. It is the home town of American country music singer/songwriter Joe Nichols, and also where comedian Will Rogers married Betty Blake.[6]

[edit] Bentonville

Bentonville is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 19,730 at the 2000 census. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 29,538, ranking it as the state's 13th largest city. Bentonville is the county seat of Benton County. It is home to the headquarters of Wal-Mart Stores, the largest retailer in the world, as well as that of The Whistler Group, a major US manufacturer of radar detectors. Bentonville is also the future home of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Funded by Sam Walton's daughter, Alice Walton, and designed by world renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the highly anticipated museum will be home to some of America's finest works of art.[7]

[edit] Suburbs

[edit] Economy

An exterior of a typical Wal-Mart discount department store.

Booming prosperity accompanying a tremendous increase in the area’s population has made Northwest Arkansas a recognized economic success. The state’s population grew 13.7 percent between 1990 and 2000, but the two-county metropolitan statistical area accounted for one-third of that growth. Benton and Washington counties grew 47 percent between 1990 and 2000. Estimates put the two-county population at roughly 373,055 by December of 2004. Even during national economic turmoil, Northwest Arkansas has experienced 8.2 percent job growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in February of 2008 the Northwest Arkansas region as a whole had an unemployment rate of 4.2%. [8] This unemployment rate gave Northwest Arkansas a rank of 90 out of 369 metropolitan areas in the United States.

Bentonville is world renowned as a retail capital of the world, as it is headquarters to Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated. Springdale is home to Fortune 75 company Tyson Foods, the world’s leading producer of poultry and beef, and second-largest producer of pork. J.B. Hunt Transport Services in Lowell, is the nation’s largest publicly owned truckload carrier, with international networks in Canada and Mexico.[9]

Per capita income in Northwest Arkansas is $28,822, according to the most recent figures from the United States Census Bureau. [10] This compares to the national average of $36,307, and places Northwest Arkansas as 268 among the 361 metropolitan areas in the United States. Income growth rate for 2006 was 3.1%, compared to the national average of 5.3%. [11]

[edit] Entertainment and Recreation

[edit] Outdoors

The Northwest Arkansas region is widely known for its natural beauty, and outdoor recreation. A local outdoor favorite is Devil’s Den State Park, located outside of Fayetteville in West Fork, Arkansas. The park offers scenic camping, climbing, fishing, caves, trails, and hiking through the Ozark Mountains. The park is located just off Highway 74.

The favorite water destination would be Beaver Lake. Beaver Lake has some 487 miles of natural shoreline. With towering limestone bluffs, natural caves and a wide variety of trees and flowering shrubs, it is a popular tourist destination. Paved access roads wind through twelve developed parks. These parks have modern campsites offering electricity and fire rings with drinking water, showers, and restrooms nearby. Other facilities, such as picnic sites, swimming beaches, hiking trails, boat launching ramps, and sanitary dump stations are also available in the parks.

The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, which covers 86 acres, is a new botanical garden now taking shape near Fayetteville. The site is located at the Fayetteville-Springdale border on Crossover Road (Highway 265), and currently includes seasonal plantings in a small area, a wildflower meadow, a lakeside hiking trail and a self-guided tree identification tour. The garden's history dates to 1993 with a 2001 master plan. Construction will be undertaken in three phases. Phase 1 will build the garden gateway and entry road, parking area, visitor center, cafe and dining terrace, exhibit gallery, conference room, and 1/3 of the core gardens with 1/2 of the horticulture and maintenance facilities. Phase 2 will create additional gardens, offices, classrooms, boat rental facility, amphitheater, observatory, demonstration gardens, and the remaining core gardens. Phase 3 will add trails, tropical conservatory, and lakeside overlooks, with the western 50 acres dedicated to native woodland plant restoration and wayside interpretive stations.

[edit] Art and Entertainment

Partial view of Fayetteville's Dickson Street.

Night time view of Crystal Bridges Museum model.

Northwest Arkansas is also quickly becoming more and more of an urban recreation destination as well. Many projects are currently underway to help fill the void of certain types of entertainment.

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville is currently under construction, with a projected completion date of 2010. [12] When completed the highly anticipated museum, funded by Sam Walton's daughter, Alice Walton, and designed by world renowned architect Moshe Safdie, will be home to some of America's finest works of art, and will immediately become one of the nation's premier art museums.

The Walton Arts Center is Arkansas' largest performing arts center. It is located in Fayetteville near the campus of the University of Arkansas, and serves as a cultural center for the Northwest Arkansas area. The building was opened in 1992 in large part because of funds donated by the Walton family (of Wal-Mart). The center is host to many musicals, plays, and other artistic and educational events throughout the year.

Visitors to the area might also stop by the Wal-Mart Visitor Center. Located in Sam Walton's original Bentonville variety store, the Wal-Mart Visitors Center traces the origin and growth of Wal-Mart. The center was created as an educational and informative facility for those interested in this American retailing success story.

Anyone looking for a night on the town should head to the famous Dickson Street in downtown Fayetteville, just off the University of Arkansas campus. Lined with popular bars, restaurants, and shops, Dickson Street is always lively, especially after large sporting events. Dickson Street is home to the Walton Arts Center, the Bikes, Blues, and BBQ Festival, and many parades.

[edit] Sports

View of Razorback Stadium during a visit from ESPN's College Gameday

The sporting scene is large in Northwest Arkansas, primarily due to the presence of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks and (to a lesser extent) Lady'Backs, Arkansas’ most successful, followed, and loved sports teams. ("Razorbacks" is used exclusively to refer to the school's men's teams.) The Razorbacks have a huge economic impact on the area, drawing fans from every corner of the state during football, basketball, and baseball seasons.

The Razorbacks and Lady'Backs currently field 19 total varsity teams (8 men's and 11 women's) in 13 sports. The men's varsity teams are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field; the 11 women's varsity teams are basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and diving, indoor and outdoor track, tennis, softball and volleyball. The Razorbacks and Lady'Backs compete in the NCAA's Division I (Division I FBS in football) and are currently members of the Southeastern Conference (Western Division).

The University of Arkansas also boasts some of the finest, and most widely recognized collegiate sporting facilities in the nation. State of the art facilities include: Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Bud Walton Arena, Baum Stadium, Randel Tyson Indoor Track Center, and the John McDonnell Outdoor Track.

In early 2008, Northwest Arkansas welcomed a Double-A minor league baseball team, formerly known as the Wichita Wranglers, to Springdale, where they became the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The Naturals play at the newly completed Arvest Ballpark.

[edit] Festivals

View of Dickson Street during Bikes, Blues, and BBQ.

Depending on the source, Fayetteville’s Bikes, Blues, and BBQ Festival is the third to fifth largest motorcycle rally in the United States. The relatively new festival, which is based around the famous Dickson Street and held each fall, drew 350,000 visitors in 2006 and 75,000-100,000 bikes. The festival includes live bands, a parade, bike show, bike giveaway, and barbecue contest, among other events.[13]

Since 1974, the Dogwood Festival has brought around 30,000 people to Siloam Springs and its parks for this 3-day event. Food, crafts, entertainment, flea market items and KidZone activities make for a fun day for all ages. Held the weekend of the last Sunday in April each year.[14]

[edit] Education

Northwest Arkansas is home to a wide variety of public and private schools, as well as a few institutions of higher learning, including Arkansas's flagship university, the University of Arkansas. Known for their state-of-the-art facilities, the area's public schools are also widely seen as some of the finest in the state, measured by academic and athletic success.

[edit] Institutes of Higher Education

Old Main, original University of Arkansas building.

Entrance of the nationally recognized Fayetteville Public Library.

University of Arkansas
- The University of Arkansas, known also as the U of A or UA, is a public co-educational land-grant university. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is noted for its strong architecture, agriculture (particularly poultry science), creative writing and business programs. Sports are also important to the university, as they are home to the state's beloved Arkansas Razorbacks.[15]
John Brown University
Northwest Arkansas Community College

[edit] Primary and Secondary Education

[edit] Public Schools

Prominently include the following:

Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
- Fayetteville, Arkansas is the home of the Fayetteville High. In 2006 the Fayetteville Bulldogs/Lady Bulldogs were ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the nation's Top 20 High School Athletic Programs having won 24 state-titles in ten sports in 10 years.
Springdale High School, Springdale
- Faced with an overbuilt public school system, the Springdale school district has reversed its previous policy of generously allowing students to transfer to other school districts in the middle of the school year. Sprindale schools are crafting a policy to limit out-of-district student transfers to retain the state revenue students bring with them.[12]
Har-Ber High School, Springdale
Bentonville High School, Bentonville
- Perhaps the most distinguished public school in the state, Bentonville High was one of only 37 public high schools in the nation to be named to the US Department of Education’s list of Blue Ribbon Schools [16]. Additionally, in 2003, 2005, and 2006 Bentonville High School has been ranked in the top 1000[1] best high schools in the nation according to the Newsweek magazine's Top 1200 US Schools, and in April 2007, Bentonville High School was approved as an International Baccalaureate World School. As of 2007 BHS ranked 597 out of 1200 high schools by Newsweek. Another public high school is now being planned for the city. Conservative projection costs for the school are now pushing $100 million. Along with the high school, another six to eleven public schools are being planned for the district. Costs for these schools could push $250 million.[17]
Rogers High School, Rogers
- The original Rogers Mounties High School. Rated by Newsweek as being one of the top 1300 high schools in the country. ^[1]
Rogers Heritage High, Rogers
- The 2nd high school in Rogers, opening for the 2008-2009 school year.^[2]
Farmington High School, Farmington
Siloam Springs High School, Siloam Springs
Pea Ridge High School, Pea Ridge

[edit] Private Schools

Prominently include the following:

Shiloh Christian School, Springdale
Ozark Adventist Academy, Gentry
Haas Hall, Farmington

[edit] Transportation

The region is served almost solely by the undersized interstate highway Interstate 540. The interstate has been the cause of much frustration in the area due to traffic jams and accidents caused by the sudden astronomical growth of the area. Expansion of the interstate is currently in the planning stages. [18]

Air traffic in the area relies on the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport for all commercial passengers. The airport provides nonstop service to seventeen US cities, and is currently planning a large expansion. The airport has seen a consistent rise in usage, with over 50,000 passenger emplanements per month.[19] Most charter flights are served by the municipal airports of Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville.