Arkansas

The Natural State

Arkansas is in the Southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. It comes from the same root as the name for the state of Kansas. The Kansa tribe of Native Americans are closely associated with the Sioux tribes of the Great Plains. The word “Arkansas” itself is a French pronunciation (“Arcansas”) of a Quapaw word, akakaze, meaning “land of downriver people” or the Sioux word akakaze meaning “people of the south wind”.

The state’s diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and the Ouachita Mountains to the densely forested land in the south to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta. Known as “the Natural State”, the diverse regions of Arkansas offer residents and tourists a variety of opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The capital is Little Rock, located in the central portion of the state. The Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15, 1836.

Arkansas has been pronounced and spelled in a variety of fashions. The region was organized as the Territory of Arkansaw on July 4, 1819, but the territory was admitted to the United States as the state of Arkansas on June 15, 1836. The name was historically /ˈɑrkənsɔː/, /ɑrˈkænzəs/, and several other variants. Historically and modernly, the people of Arkansas call themselves either “Arkansans” or “Arkansawyers”.

The pronunciation of Arkansas was made official by an act of the state legislature in 1881, partially quoted below:

Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final “s” silent, the “a” in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. The pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of “a” in “man” and the sounding of the terminal “s” is an innovation to be discouraged.

So, the official way to pronounce Arkansas is AR-kən-saw. 🙂

Other places and informational links for Arkansas:

Travel:

Transportation in Arkansas is overseen by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD). Several main corridors pass through Arkansas. Interstate 40 goes east and west. Interstate 30 comes southwest from Texas. In northeast Arkansas, Interstate 55 runs from Memphis to Missouri, with a new spur to Jonesboro (Interstate 555). Northwest Arkansas is served by Interstate 540 from Fort Smith to Bella Vista, a segment of future Interstate 49.

Arkansas is served by 2,750 miles (4,430 km) of railroad track. The Texas Eagle, an Amtrak passenger train, serves the state.

Arkansas also benefits from the use of its rivers for commerce. The Mississippi River and Arkansas River are both major rivers. The United States Army Corps of Engineers maintains the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, allowing barge traffic up the Arkansas River to the Port of Catoosa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

There are four airports with commercial service: Little Rock National Airport, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, Fort Smith Regional Airport, and Texarkana Regional Airport, with dozens of smaller airports in the state.

Public transit and community transport services for the elderly or those with developmental disabilities are provided by agencies such as the Central Arkansas Transit Authority and the Ozark Regional Transit, organizations that are part of the Arkansas Transit Association.

Arkansas is home to many areas protected by the National Park System. These include the Arkansas State Capitol Building as well as:

Counties:

There are 75 Counties in Arkansas. There are also these former Counties:

Lovely County (1827–1828)

Created on October 13, 1827, partitioned from Crawford County. The Treaty of Washington, 1828 ceded most of its territory to Indian Territory. Abolished October 17, 1828 with the remaining portion becoming Washington County.

Miller County, Arkansas Territory (1820-38)

Created from Hempstead County. Most of its northern portion was actually in Choctaw Nation (now part of Oklahoma); rest of northern portion was dissolved into Sevier County in 1828. All of its southern portion was actually in Texas, and was nominally dissolved into Lafayette County in 1838.

Current counties: