Wayne Wheelwright - 50 Quick Facts about Arkansas

Title Page

50 QUICK FACTS ABOUT ARKANSAS

By

Wayne Wheelwright

Publisher Information

50 Quick Facts about Arkansas

Published in 2013 by Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Copyright 2013 Wayne Wheelwright

The right of Wayne Wheelwright to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Facts

1. The name Arkansas originates from the same place as the state of Kansas. It all comes from the Kansa tribe of Native Americans. More precisely from the French pronunciation of the native american tribe Quapaw word akakaze. Akakaze in Quapaw means land of downriver people or in Sioux means people of the south wind.
2. The pronunciation of the state of Arkansas has been a cause of debate for some time. In 1881 the pronunciation was made official by an act of the state legislature following a disagreement of the two Arkansas state senators at the time. One wanted it to be pronounced Arkansas and the other wanted it to be pronounced Arkensaw. In 2007 a non binding resolution was passed declaring the possessive form of the state name to be Arkansas.
3. Arkansas is bordered by five other states. The state of Louisiana on its south, Oklahoma to the west, Texas on its southwest, Missouri to its north with Tennessee and Mississippi to its east. Arkansas is classified as a southern state. Most of its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi river. Due to Mississippi river drifting from its original position the state line is relatively indeterminate.
4. Topographically the state of Arkansas can be split in two. The northwestern portion of Arkansas is full of highlands whilst the southwestern portion comprises of mainly lowlands. The highlands of Arkansas are part of the Southern Interior Highlands which include The Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains and the southern lowlands include the Gulf Coastal Plain and the Arkansas Delta.
5. Arkansas is littered with rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Many of these are tributaries of the Mississippi river and include the Arkansas River, White River and St. Francis River. The Ouachita River is south Arkansas has tributaries including the Saline River, Little Missouri River and the Caddo River. Arkansas border with Texas is for a portion defined by the Red River. Arkansas has a a sparing number of natural lakes but many reservoirs including Bull Shoals Lake, Beaver Lake and Lake Conway.
6. Generally the climate of Arkansas would be defined as a humid subtropical climate. Despite not actually bordering the Gulf of Mexico it is close enough that the weather of the state is heavily influenced by the large body of water. The average yearly rainfall varies between 40 and 60 inches with the south of the state being wetter than the north.
7. In 1803 Arkansas was sold to the United States by Napoleon Bonaparte and France as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Following the sale for a time French soldiers remained at Arkansas Post. However following the Louisiana Purchase the amiable give and take relationship between the European settlers and the Native Americans began to change.
8. Washington DC had some issues when Arkansas applied for statehood following some issues regarding Arkansas position on slavery. After a last minute session Arkansas was admitted to the Union on June 15 th ,1836 and became the 25 th state. Immediately following its admission to the Union Arkansas struggled with taxation to support its new government which was not helped by a banking scandal and by the major recession that would become known as the Panic of 1837.
9. During the time of the Civil War Arkansas did not secede from the Union until President Abraham Lincoln ordered that Arkansas troops be sent to Fort Sumter to quell a rebellion. A month later a state convention decided Arkansas should join the Confederate States of America. Little Rock was captured in 1863 which forced the Confederate capital to move to the Arkansas city of Hot Springs and then later to the city of Washington, Arkansas.
10. Congress declared that Arkansas be readmitted to the Union in June of 1968 under the Military Reconstruction Act. Arkansas soon came under the control of the Radical Republicans led by Governor Powell Clayton who became the first Reconstruction Republican governor of Arkansas. The people that moved to Arkansas from the North were mockingly referred to as carpetbaggers to describe their opportunism and exploitation of the region.
11. The state capital of Arkansas is Little Rock. Little Rock is the largest city in the state with of population of just under 200,000 people. The city is located near the center of the state and gets its name from a small rock formation on the Arkansas Rivers southern bank which in French is known as la Petite Roche. The United States has had two ships named after the Arkansas state capital including USS Little Rock (LCS-9), a Freedom class littoral combat ship.
12. Hot Springs is the county seat of Garland County and is the 11 th most populous city in the state of Arkansas. The population of the city is just over 35,000 people. The name Hot Springs comes from the natural hot springs of the area. Hot Springs National Park is the oldest federal reserve in the country. The town is also famous for being the birthplace of President Bill Clinton.
13. The second largest city in the state of Arkansas is Fort Smith. Fort Smith is one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. The city has a population of just over 87,000 people and lies on the border of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The city is well known as a major part of the wild west and is the location of the United States Marshall Service National Museum.
14. Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County. It is the third largest city in the state of Arkansas and has a population of just over 73,000 people. Fayetteville is home to the University of Arkansas and the city was known as Washington until 1829. The city was named after Fayetteville in Tennessee due to that being where most of the settlers of the area had come from.
15. According to the United States Census Bureau the population of Arkansas is just under 3 million people. In 1820 the population was around 15,000 people but during a census in 1835 as part of the process for Arkansas application to become a state the population was found to have risen to over 52,000 people, far beyond the 40,000 needed to become a state.
16. The state of Arkansas gross domestic product is $105 million. Six of the Fortune 500 companies are based in Arkansas including the worldd largest retailer Walmart. Arkansas income per capita is $36,027 which places it 45 th in the United States. Arkansas has mines which produce natural gas and oil. Arkansas has the countries 2 nd lowest cost of doing business and the 5 th lowest cost of living.
17. The University of Arkansas is the flagship camps of the University of Arkansas system which comprises of six campuses spread throughout the state. It was founded in 1871 under the name of Arkansas Industrial University. Total enrolment for the 2012 fall semester was just under 25,000 students and the university has a student to faculty ratio of 17:1.
18. Arkansas State university is the flagship famous of the Arkansas State University System and is the states second largest college system. The institution has an alumni of over 55,000 people. The main famous is located on Crowley Ridge in Jonesboro and marked its centennial year in 2009.
19. Billy Bob Thornton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on August 4 th , 1955. Thornton is an actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Billy Bob Thornton won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the independent movie Sling Blade. Thornton was married for a time to fellow Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie. He has appeared in many movies including Armageddon, Love Actually where he played the U.S. President and the critically acclaimed movie A Simple Plan.