Little Rock Arkansas
Community | Education | Cultural Attractions | Outdoor Beauty & Recreation
Interesting Sites | Sports and Events Highlights | Health Care | Arkansas Climate
FUN LITTLE FACTS
- Little Rock got its name, "La Petite Roche," from French settlers who roamed the Arkansas River and made a settlement near a rock on the bank of that stream.
- Little Rock is the capital and largest city of Arkansas.
- The Arkansas State Capitol is the only scaled replica of the National Capitol in the United States.
- Little Rock employs more than 500 police officers and a special crime prevention unit.
- The State Bird is the Mockingbird.
- The State Flower is the Apple Blossom.
- The State Tree is the Pine Tree.
- Arkansas has the smallest number of business failures in the southeast.
COMMUNITY
Because
of its scenic beauty, Arkansas is known throughout the world as "The
Natural State." It is only natural that the gem of "The Natural State"
would be its capital, Little Rock. A city of more than 176,000 people,
serving as hub of a metropolitan area of more than l million people in
Central Arkansas, Little Rock got its name, "La Petite Roche," from
French settlers who roamed the Arkansas River and made a settlement
near a rock on the bank of that stream.
Arkansas and Little Rock
have gained much national prominence since 1992 when William Jefferson
Clinton (Bill to his friends) was elected 42nd president of the United
States. President Clinton is a native Arkansan and resided in the
Governor's Mansion in Little Rock for 12 years.
Long known as
the "City of Roses," Little Rock is also famous for its beautiful
azaleas and dogwood trees. But even these attractions have strong
competition from the stately pines and majestic oaks that are abundant
in beautiful lawns throughout the city. Little Rock's charm is also
enhanced by the fact the city is located in the foothills of the
Ouachita Mountains.
However, the state and city's obsession with
maintaining its natural beauty have not kept Little Rock from becoming
a modern city of commerce, industry and finance. Indeed, Little Rock is
home to Stephen's Inc., one of the nation's largest private investment
firms off Wall Street, and is headquarters for one of the country's
largest retailers, Dillards Department Stores. Other industrial
attractions include a national watch manufacturer and one of the
world's largest private aircraft modification plants.
Little
Rock is the headquarters for one of the country's largest electronic
data systems serving the banking and financial industry. Located in
suburban North Little Rock is the nation's largest cosmetic
manufacturing plant. About 30 miles north of the capital city are one
of the largest bus manufacturers and the leading information management
company for the direct marketing industry.
Little Rock is
Arkansas' transportation hub, with major interstate highways, rail
centers, a busy airport and an Arkansas River port for barge traffic
that links with the Mississippi River and on to the New Orleans
international port. Little Rock is the medical center for the state and
has two nationally recognized facilities:Arkansas Children's Hospital
and UAMS Medical Center. Central Arkansas' nine medical centers and
hospitals are enhanced by other outstanding medical treatment
facilities including a heart hospital, psychiatric hospitals and
several sports medicine complexes.
Here is other interesting information about Little Rock, conveniently grouped for you by these subjects.
EDUCATION
Central Arkansas boasts many fine schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to graduate levels.
Children
in Little Rock are provided with three separate public school
districts, the Little Rock School District, the North Little Rock
School District, and the Pulaski County Special School District. In
addition, there are over 25 private and parochial schools which offer
fully accredited educational programs from pre-kindergarten through
high school levels.
Pulaski County Special School District – As
a result of an act of the Arkansas State Legislature in 1927, a total
of 38 independent school districts consolidated to form this one
"special" district. Seven decades later, this district remains as
strong as ever. Geographically, the district serves a 729 square mile
area, making it the second largest school system in the state.
North
Little Rock School District – The NLRSD is the fourth largest district
in Arkansas. There are 13 elementary schools (grades K - 5), one
central location for grade 6, three junior high schools (grades 7 - 8),
two senior high schools (grades 9 - 12th), and three specialty programs.
Little
Rock School District – The LRSD operates 35 elementary schools (grades
K - 5), eight middle schools (grades 6 - 8), five senior high schools
(grades 9 -12), a vocational-technical center, and an alternative
learning school.
Little Rock also offers outstanding institutions of higher learning which include:
University
of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) – This 150-acre campus is growing to
keep pace with the metropolitan area it serves. UALR has more than
11,000 students and features a wide range of undergraduate and graduate
degrees in both arts and sciences. Doctoral degrees also are conferred.
UALR also has an excellent law school. While UALR is primarily a
metropolitan university, on-campus housing is available.
UALR
School of Law –The University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law
is one of seven colleges that form UALR. The School of Law was recently
chosen among the top ten schools in the country in student
satisfaction. The facilities, instructors, and curriculum are some of
the best in the nation.
University
of Arkansas for Medical Sciences – UAMS is the state's only
comprehensive academic health-sciences campus. The University offers
degrees in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and other health sciences.
Physicians and scientists on the staff are world renown for their
research work in cancer, orthopedics, eye disease, neurosurgery and
neuroscience. There are four outstanding research centers, as well as
major patient-care hospital on the campus, which is located in the
heart of Little Rock.
Hendrix College and the University of
Central Arkansas – Both of these institutions are located in nearby
Conway, which is 30 miles northwest of Little Rock. Hendrix College is
nationally acclaimed as one of this country’s best four-year colleges.
It offers programs in conjunction with The American University,
Washington, DC; Oxford, England; Washington University, St. Louis, MO;
and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. The University of Central
Arkansas (UCA) has five colleges that offer a wide range of degree
programs in both arts and sciences.
Other outstanding colleges
and universities in the Little Rock area include Philander Smith
College and Webster University, Little Rock; Shorter College, North
Little Rock; and Central Baptist College, Conway.
CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS
Arkansas
Arts Center – Founded by an endowment from the late Winthrop
Rockefeller, the Arkansas Arts Center is one of the country’s
outstanding museums of both fine and contemporary art. The Arts Center
Museum School offers a full schedule of classes in painting, sculpture,
pottery, photography, and other arts. The Center houses the Arkansas
Arts Center Children’s Theatre where a professional performing arts
group stages productions for children and their parents and also holds
a summer acting academy for children.
Arkansas Repertory Theatre
– Located in downtown Little Rock, "the Rep" entertains more than
100,000 theatre goers each year with musical, drama and comedy
productions.
Little Rock RiverMarket – The Market District is
more than just a beautiful area of the city. This new district provides
plenty of shopping, dining and night life. The city's excitement
continues to grow as the new arena and expanded convention center and
other major projects get underway as part of the overall River Project.
Museum
of Discovery – This hands-on, high energy museum is located in the
heart of the River Market District. The interactive exhibits cover a
wide variety of topics, which are designed to spark the imagination of
all ages. You’ll marvel at the wonders of nature, science and history
in this informative, entertaining and curious land.
Wildwood
Park – Located on a 105-acre site in wooded west Little Rock, Wildwood
Park is the largest performing arts park in the South and attracts a
wide range of entertainment from opera to country hoe-downs, and
chamber music to Broadway musicals. Under development is a 10,000 seat
amphitheater to accompany the new 700 seat state-of-the-art enclosed
theater. There are 20 acres of garden in this cultural mecca.
Arkansas
Symphony Orchestra and Ballet Arkansas – In addition to full orchestra
concerts that include a "Masterworks" series and a "Pops Live" series,
the Arkansas Symphony has concerts with guest artists, and the smaller
chamber orchestra performs twice each year. Ballet Arkansas offers a
full season of dance each year, including the favorite holiday fantasy,
"The Nutcracker" and an outdoor extravaganza "Ballet Under The Stars"
performed on the main stage in the RiverMarket area.
IMAX
Theatre & Aerospace Education Center – This museum is one of Little
Rock’s most recent additions. It is dedicated to the history of
aviation and has many interesting exhibits. The center also houses a
250-seat IMAX theatre with a six-story projection screen and
six-channel audio system which combines to make movies more realistic
than any you’ve ever seen.
Broadway Theatre Series – Professional touring companies bring the best of Broadway to Robinson Auditorium each year.
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
OUTDOOR BEAUTY & RECREATION
It's
no wonder Arkansas is a favorite tourist destination with more than 50
parks in the Little Rock area. There are also numerous lakes close by
that offer outstanding fishing, sailing, skiing, and other outdoor
recreations. These gorgeous outdoor areas can be enjoyed many months of
the year.
Pinnacle Mountain State Park – The highest peak in the
Little Rock area is the centerpiece of this park that has picnic
facilities and excellent hiking trails. During celestial occurrences,
Pinnacle Mountain becomes a popular spot for star-gazing.
Emerald
Park – Located near I-40 in North Little Rock, Emerald Park is one of
the most panoramic parks in the Greater Little Rock Area. The park
contains 135 acres along the bluff overlooking the Arkansas River. It
features a one mile walking trail and four scenic overlooks. The park
is designed to be accessible to the elderly and disabled.
War
Memorial Park – This park is one of Little Rock's oldest and most
popular. This outstanding facility is near downtown Little Rock, but
still far enough from the brick and mortar to include an 18-hole public
golf course, amusement park, city zoo, and indoor health training
center and public swimming pool. This park also is home to two of the
state’s outstanding athletic facilities, War Memorial Stadium and Ray
Winder Field.
Julius Breckling Park – Located on the banks of
the Arkansas River in downtown Little Rock, this park is on the north
side of the State House Convention Center. It is the home of Riverfest,
the Memorial Day festival that attracts over 200,000 people annually.
Burns
Park – Located in nearby North Little Rock off Interstate I-40, Burns
Park is the second largest public park in the United States,
encompassing more than 1,500 acres, including some beautiful wooded
areas. It contains two golf courses (disc and miniature), tennis and
racquetball courts, a state-of-the-art softball complex, playgrounds, a
water slide, an amusement park, and camping areas.
INTERESTING SITES
Arkansas
State Capitol - Designed as a smaller replica of the United States
capitol building, the greater part is constructed of limestone which
was quarried in the state. Located on the west end of downtown Little
Rock, the state capitol houses the chambers of the state legislature,
the governor’s office and other key executive quarters.
The Old
State House - Built in 1836 to house the first meetings of the Arkansas
state governing bodies, this building features Greek Revival
architecture and has recently been extensively renovated. The building
took the national and world spotlight on November 3, 1992, when
President-elect Clinton chose this location to make his acceptance
speech. Rooms in the building feature decor of eras between 1750 and
1906. A popular new exhibit shows the inaugural gowns of recent
Arkansas governors’ wives.
Arkansas Territorial Restoration -
This downtown area features buildings and other structures preserved
from Arkansas’ frontier days. Among many exhibits, you can see one of
James Bowie’s famous knives and the press that printed the first
newspaper west of the Mississippi River. On special occasions, actors
and actresses don period costumes to reenact famous events in the
state’s history.
Decorative Arts Museum - This museum is housed
in one of the South’s most beautiful ante-bellum homes, the restored
Pike-Fletcher-Terry mansion in the historic Quapaw Quarters of downtown
Little Rock. There are eight rooms devoted to changing exhibitions and
there are permanent displays of 17th and 18th Century Oriental
porcelain, 19th Century pressed glass and other crafts. In an upstairs
room, the museum staff has assembled a fantasy of "Toys Designed by
Artists."
Old Mill - Located in North Little Rock, it is an
exact replica of a water-powered grist mill. It was featured in the
opening scenes of the classical motion picture, "Gone With The Wind."
War
Memorial Stadium – Located in War Memorial Park, this stadium seats
about 55,000 people for football games and is used for concerts and
other meetings where large crowds can be accommodated outdoors. The
University of Arkansas Razorbacks from Fayetteville play half of their
home football games at War Memorial Stadium and the city’s Catholic
High School plays its home games there. Other colleges, such as
Arkansas State University and the University at Arkansas at Pine Bluff,
also schedule football games in this stadium.
Ray Winder Field –
Also located in War Memorial Park, this stadium is the home field for
the Arkansas Travelers, an AA professional baseball team that plays in
the Texas League. The Travelers are affiliated with the Anaheim Angels
and their general manager is famous for his claim, "It never rains at
Ray Winder Field." The stadium is nationally- known for its ambiance
and hot dogs.
Barton Coliseum – This arena is located on the
Arkansas State Fairgrounds and is the home court for the UALR Trojans
basketball team until a new sports arena, now under construction, is
completed. This arena is also home to the Arkansas GlacierCats, a team
in the Western Professional Hockey League, which was started in the
Fall of 1998. Barton Coliseum hosts the Arkansas State Fair rodeo each
year, as well as numerous concerts, circuses, ice shows and other
events.
Susan G. Komen Race for The Cure® – Held in 86 cities
across the country each year with over 500,000 participants expected,
this series of races has become the largest of 5K runs in the nation.
Last year more than 20,000 people participated in the race in Little
Rock, making the Arkansas Race For The Cure rank among the top in the
country. Proceeds from the races fund both national research efforts
and local breast cancer initiatives.
Oaklawn Park – One of the
nation’s finest Thoroughbred racing parks is located an hour southwest
of Little Rock in Hot Springs National Park. Oaklawn’s live season of
racing runs from late January until mid April and culminates with the
Racing Festival of the South, which includes the Arkansas Derby.
Other
Exciting Activities – The new multi-purpose Alltel Arena is under
construction in North Little Rock. This arena will house 18 - 20,000
seats for basketball games, hockey games and other events. In addition,
Little Rock boasts several outstanding private golf clubs and top-notch
public links, and many facilities throughout the city for Little League
sports, tennis and other activities.
Little
Rock is the medical center for the entire state of Arkansas and boasts
many fine healthcare facilities of all kinds. In addition to the
following medical centers and hospitals, Little Rock and North Little
Rock are also home to a heart hospital, psychiatric hospitals and
several outstanding sports medicine complexes.
Hospitals and Medical Centers:
- St. Vincent Health System
- Baptist Medical Center
- St. Vincent Doctors Hospital
- Southwest Hospital
- John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital
- Saline Memorial Hospital (Benton)
- Baptist Memorial Medical Center (North Little Rock)
- Conway Regional Medical Center (Conway)
- Rebsamen Regional Medical Center (Jacksonville)
Arkansas Children’s Hospital – This facility is one of the nation’s largest pediatric medical centers. The hospital’s burn center is considered among the best in the world and the research center is equally internationally famous for work in development pediatrics, pediatric radiology and lung functions of critically-ill newborns. The hospital’s transport system includes two helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft.
UAMS Medical Center – The teaching and research hospital of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is a major referral center for patients from all over the state, the nation, and the world. Its many courses include the University Hospital of Arkansas, The Arkansas Cancer Research Center, The Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, and many other associated clinics with a wide array of expertise.
Other specialty centers include:
Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute (CARTI) – This non- profit radiation therapy center features some of the most advanced technology for cancer treatment. It was the first in the nation to be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Arkansas Heart Hospital – This specialized hospital opened in early 1997 as the state's first specialty hospital dedicated to treating heart disease. It manages in partnership with Arkansas' leading cardiac specialists. The patient-focused design provides the most appropriate setting for delivery of the highest possible cardiovascular care.
- Summers can be hot, but rarely top 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
- A typical Little Rock summer runs from early June through early September.
- Fall brings a change in foliage but temperatures rarely go below the 40’s or above the low 70’s.
- Winter is short and National Weather Service records show temperatures get below 32 degrees on only an average of 62 days during the year.
- The average spring temperature, which usually starts in early March, is around 65 degrees.