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.
ARKANSAS CLIMATE
- 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.
