| Capital city | Little Rock |
| Population | 3,013,756 (2020) |
| Surface | 137,733 km² |
| Governor | Asa Hutchinson (R) |
| Member of the US since | 1836 |
Arkansas (pronounced ar-ken-saw) is an American state. The state is located in the south of the country. Arkansas borders the states of Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The state abbreviation is AR and its nicknames are ‘The Land of Opportunity’ and ‘The Natural State’. The capital of Arkansas is Little Rock.
Towns
There are not many major cities in Arkansas. Here are the five largest.
Largest Cities in Arkansas
| Name | Inhabitants | County | |
| 1. | Little Rock | 183.133 | Pulaski County |
| 2. | Fort Smith | 83.461 | Sebastian County |
| 3. | Fayetteville | 68,726 | Washington County |
| 4. | Springdale | 63,082 | Washington & Benton County |
| 5. | Jonesboro | 60,489 | Craighead County |
Jonesboro
How many counties in Arkansas? Jonesboro is a major county seat in Craighead County and the largest city in northeast Arkansas. The entire metropolitan area covers an area of 207.2 km2 and currently has about 65,000 inhabitants. Jonesboro is a center of education, commerce, agriculture and medicine. Jonesboro is home to Arkansas State University. It is also interesting in that there are over seventy-five churches – thanks to them, the city is also nicknamed the “City of Churches”.
Jonesboro was selected as a county seat in 1859, at the time Craighead County was established. The county is named after Senator Thomas Craighead. The establishment of this region was mainly supported by Senator William A. Jones, after whom the county town was eventually named. In 1881 a railway was introduced here. Jonesboro is the birthplace of the prominent American novelist John Grisham.
The tragedy that took place at the local school also entered the modern history of the town. On March 24, 1998, an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old student shot four of their classmates and a teacher here and injured 10 other people.
Little Rock
Little Rock is the capital and largest city of the US state of Arkansas. It is the seat of Pulaski County and is located at an altitude of 102 meters. It occupies an area of 302.5 km2 and today has about 200,000 inhabitants. The entire metropolitan area, which includes other cities and towns in the vicinity, has a total population of almost 900,000.
The town of Little Rock is located almost in the geographical center of the state of Arkansas. Its name is derived from a small rock formation located on the south bank of the Arkansas River, which is called “La Petite Roche” in French – “Little Rock” in English. The city was founded in 1831.
Memphis & Arkansas Bridge
| Memphis & Arkansas Bridge | |
| Spans | Mississippi River |
| Lanes | 2×2 |
| Total length | 1,592 meters |
| Main span | 235 meters |
| Bridge deck height | 34 meters |
| Opening | 17-12-1949 |
| Traffic intensity | 54,700 mvt/day |
| Location | Map |
The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge is a truss bridge in the United States, located on the border of the states of Arkansas and Tennessee. The bridge spans the Mississippi River at Memphis.
Characteristics
The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge is a standard steel cantilever truss bridge with a total length of 1,592 meters. The main span is 235 meters. The bridge deck is 34 meters above the river and is only 16 meters wide, with 2×2 lanes, but no emergency lanes. There are also footpaths on both sides of the bridge. Crossing the bridge are Interstate 55, US 61, US 64, US 70 and US 79. It is the southernmost road bridge near Memphis and stands next to two railroad bridges. The bridge is toll-free.
History
The first bridge over the Mississippi at Memphis was the Frisco Bridge, a railroad bridge from 1892. In 1916 the Harahan Bridge was opened next to it, which was also used by road traffic between 1917 and 1949. On the outside of the bridge, a narrow lane in each direction was made for motorized traffic.
The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge was built shortly after World War II and was the second road bridge over the Mississippi River near Memphis. The bridge opened to traffic on December 17, 1949. The bridge was not built according to Interstate Highway design requirements, for example, the bridge did not have a lane separation, which was added later. The bridge is therefore quite narrow.
The bridge was relieved by the opening of the Hernando de Soto Bridge in 1973, eliminating east-west traffic over the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge. Regional traffic was then better spread over both bridges.
The bridge is located in an area of seismic history, the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where very powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 to 8.6 occurred in 1811-1812. In the 1990s, the need for a seismic retrofit was studied, but it was decided that priority should be given to the Hernando de Soto Bridge.
Traffic intensities
In 2012, 54,700 vehicles crossed the bridge every day. The bridge is therefore not overloaded, but the dated design plays a negative role in the traffic flow.
Talimena Scenic Drive
The Talimena Scenic Drive is a scenic byway and tourist highway in the United States, located in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The 87-mile road runs from Talihina, Oklahoma, to Mena, Arkansas (from which the name is derived). The road is also known as Skyline Drive.
Travel directions
The Talimena Scenic Drive.
In Oklahoma, the Talimena Scenic Drive follows State Route 1. The road runs over a wooded ridge with stunning views of the area. In many places the road is about 400 – 500 meters higher than the surrounding terrain. There are no places on the route in Oklahoma except the starting point Talihina. In Arkansas, the road is numbered State Route 88. The road rises to a maximum altitude of about 800 meters, and then descends to Mena.
History
The route was opened in 1969 and officially opened on June 7, 1970 by Lucy Baines Johnson-Nugent, the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The road was numbered State Route 1 in Oklahoma because of its tourist value. The road became a National Forest Scenic Byway in 1989 and an Arkansas Scenic Byway in 1998. Since 2002, the part in Oklahoma has also been a Scenic Byway. It has been a National Scenic Byway since 2005.
Characteristics
The Talimena Scenic Drive has hardly any connections with other roads because few roads cross the ridge north-south, the main one being US 259 in Oklahoma. The road contrasts sharply with the stereotypical image of Oklahoma as a flat, dull state with prairies.
The woods through which the road runs have never been interesting for forestry, so they are still in original condition. The road is two-lane and has picnic areas at 22 spots. The steepest slopes are 13%. There are no gas stations or facilities directly along Talimena Scenic Drive.
