City Town Info

Fort Smith, AR


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Introduction to Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith is situated in the River Valley in northwest Arkansas in Sebastian County. It's near the junction of Arkansas and the Poteau rivers and is close to the border with Oklahoma. The city is known for having been a significant factor in the settling of the "Wild West."

History

Fort Smith was established in 1817 as a military base to watch over the nearby Indian Territory. In 1824 the fort was no longer utilized, however a community established by John Rogers had grown and thrived near the fort. It was once again occupied and then abandoned but the city continued to flourish without the active fort. In 1874 William Henry Harrison Clayton was given the title of United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Fort Smith was well known as a town filled with brothels, criminals and saloons. William Clayton brought in Judge Isaac Parker to establish law and order for the area. He soon became known as the "Hanging Judge" due to hanging six people he convicted of murder in one day. During his career he sentenced 160 convicted people to die by hanging. However, 79 of the group were actually hanged.

Transportation

The city is home to the Fort Smith Regional Airport. Bus transportation is provided by Fort Smith Transit.

Attractions

  • The Vaughn-Schapp House showcases paintings, sculptures and other types of art.
  • Fort Smith Riverfront Blues Fest is a noteworthy event featuring prominent musicians.
  • Fort Smith Symphony.
  • Riverfront Amphitheater.
  • Fort Smith Convention Center.
  • Fort Smith Jazz Festival.
  • Old Fort Days Rodeo is one of the prominent rodeos in the country.
  • Fort Smith Air show.

Sites

  • Fort Smith National Historic Site includes the restored courtroom of the famous Hanging Judge Isaac Parker and the local jail.
  • Fort Smith Museum of History has noteworthy exhibits.
  • Belle Grove Historic District contains numerous historic homes featuring a variety of architectural styles.
  • Miss Laura's Social Club was formerly a brothel and is included in the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Fort Chaffee.
  • Ed Walker's Restaurant.
  • Fort Smith Trolley Museum.
  • The Darby House.
  • Fort Smith Air Museum.
  • Clayton House.
  • Bonneville House.
  • Alfonso Trent House.
  • John Rogers Home.

Activities

White water rafting is popular in the numerous mountain streams. Excellent fishing opportunities are available in the nearby streams and lakes. Hiking enthusiasts will enjoy the White Rock area and Mount Magazine. The Fort Smith region is notable for bird watching.

Higher Education

The city is home to the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Satellite campuses of John Brown University and Webster University are located in the city.

High Points

Fort Smith strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Arkansas):

CategoryTrophy
Affordability of Rents
(vs. Peers)		Top 5%trophyFort Smith Affordability of Rents
Public Transportation Use
(vs. State)		Top 6%Fort Smith Public Transportation Use
Affordability of Property Taxes
(vs. Peers)		Top 6%Fort Smith Affordability of Property Taxes
Racial Diversity
(vs. State)		Top 8%Fort Smith Racial Diversity
Well-Paid Single Men
(vs. State)		Top 9%Fort Smith Well-Paid Single Men
Short Commute Times
(vs. Peers)		Top 10%Fort Smith Short Commute Times
College Educated Adults
(vs. State)		Top 11%Fort Smith College Educated Adults
Well-Paid Single Women
(vs. State)		Top 13%Fort Smith Well-Paid Single Women
Walking and Biking to Work
(vs. State)		Top 14%Fort Smith Walking and Biking to Work
Median Family Income
(vs. State)		Top 18%Fort Smith Median Family Income

Comparative Profile of Fort Smith, AR

Comparing Fort Smith to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Arkansas (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Children Under 5 Years Old87
Senior Citizens75
Racial Diversity610
Female Share of the Population64
Age of the Population65
Male Share of the Population57
Well-Paid Single Men310
Well-Paid Single Women39

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Portion of People Married44
Average Household Size44

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
College Educated Adults49
People Above Poverty37
People in Middle Class or Better38
Median Family Income39

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Short Commute Times109
Walking and Biking to Work59
Public Transportation Use410
Working at Home35

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Affordability of Rents104
Affordability of Property Taxes102
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals810
People Living Alone87
Seasonal and Vacation Housing74
Housing Recently Built63

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Low Violent Crime22
Low Property Crime11

Detailed pages on related topics: Fort Smith colleges • Fort Smith travel • Fort Smith mortgage and property.

You are visiting:
All States > Arkansas > Fort Smith

Additional Details

Fort Smith CareersFort Smith Careers
Fort Smith career and employment information.
Fort Smith CollegesFort Smith Colleges
Fort Smith colleges and trade schools.
Fort Smith Hotels & TravelFort Smith Hotels & Travel
Fort Smith hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.
Fort Smith MortgageFort Smith Mortgage
Fort Smith property, mortgage, and real estate.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Fort Smith

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Fort Smith

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Fort Smith Government Officials

Are you an official in the Fort Smith government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Fort Smith. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2009, Moving Traffic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.