Fort Smith is the second largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats in Sebastian Region. At the Census 2010, the population was 86,209. With an estimated population of 87,443 in 2012, it is the main town of Fort Smith, the Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, an area of ​​298,592 inhabitants covering the Arkansas region of Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian, and the counties of Oklahoma Le Flore and Sequoyah.
Fort Smith has sister city relations with Cisterna, Italy, the site of the World War II Battle of Cisterna, fought by the United States Army Rangers commanded by the original Fort Smith of William O. Darby. The city also has a mutually-friendly city-friendship relationship with Jining, Tiongkok.
Fort Smith is located on the border of the state of Arkansas-Oklahoma, located at the confluence of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, also known as Belle Point . Fort Smith was established as a western frontier military outpost in 1817, when it was also a feather trading center. City flourished there. He became famous as a base for migrants from the "Wild West" and to his law enforcement legacy.
In 2007, the city of Fort Smith was selected by the US Department of State as the site of the new National Museum of Marshall Services, which will open in 2019.
Video Fort Smith, Arkansas
History
This area was occupied for thousands of years by indigenous peoples, attracted to a favorable location near the river. They use waterways for transportation and trade, and to supply fish and water for their villages. France claims this area as part of the New France and La Louisiane. Some colonial fur traders travel to Arkansas and other rivers to trade with Native American tribes.
The United States acquired this area and large areas west of the Mississippi River from France in Louisiana Purchase (1803). Soon after, the government sent Pike Expedition (1806) to explore the areas along the Arkansas River. The US founded Fort Smith in 1817 as a military post. It was named after General Thomas Adams Smith (1781-1844), who headed the Armed Forces Rifle Regiment of the United States in 1817, headquartered near St. Petersburg. Louis. General Smith had ordered Army topographic engineer Stephen H. Long (1784-1864) to find a suitable location on the Arkansas River for a fortress. General Smith never visited this town or the fortress that contained his name.
A fort was built and occupied from 1817 until 1822 by a small regular army commanded by Major William Bradford. A small settlement began to form around the fort, but the Army left its first Fort Smith in 1824 and moved 80 miles further west to Fort Gibson. John Rogers, an Army director and land speculator, bought government-owned land at this location and promoted the growth of Fort Smith's new civilian city. (Some genealogists claim him as the ancestor of the 20th century Oklahoma comedian, Will Rogers.)
Due to the strategic location of the site, the federal government re-established a military presence in Fort Smith during the Indian Deletion 1830s, primarily from tribes from Southeast America to the west of the Mississippi River in the Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma.
In 1838, the Army moved back to the old military post near Belle Point, and expanded its base. They used troops to escort Choctaw and Cherokee, from their ancestral lands in the Southeast; they are the last remaining tribe. Remnants of the five Civilized Tribes are left in the southeast, and their offspring in some cases have been rearranged and recognized federally. The Cherokee family called a forced march, Trail of Tears, because many of their men and African-American slaves died along the way. Soldiers forced the transfer of these people to the Protected Territory of India, where the federal government gave them land. Many Native Americans fell from the parade and settled in Fort Smith and side by side with Van Buren, Arkansas on the other side of the river.
The US Army also used Fort Smith as a base during the Mexican War (1846-1848). As a result, the United States acquired a large area in the Southwest, and later annexed the Republic of Texas, which had been independent for several years.
Sebastian County was formed in 1851, separate from Crawford County north of the Arkansas River. In 1858, Fort Smith was designated the Division Center of the 7th Division route at the Butterfield Overland Mail across the Indian Territory from Fort Smith to Texas and as a crossroads with a postal route from Memphis, Tennessee, an important port on the east side of the Mississippi River.
During the early years of the US Civil War, the fort was occupied by the Confederate Army. The union troops under General Steele took over Fort Smith on September 1, 1863. Small battles broke out there on July 31, 1864, but Union troops retained command in the area until the war ended in 1865. As a result, many refugee slaves, orphans, South Unionis , and others came here to escape the raging guerrilla warfare in Arkansas, Missouri, and the Frontier State. Slaves were freed under the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. The federal forces abandoned Fort Smith's post for the last time in 1871. The city continues to grow even though there are no federal forces.
Two of Fort Smith's most famous historic figures are Judge Isaac Parker and William Henry Harrison Clayton, sometimes referred to as W.H.H. Clayton. In 1874, William Henry Harrison Clayton was appointed United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas by President Ulysses S. Grant. Fort Smith is a bustling community filled with brothels, salons and criminals, just across the river from the Indian Territory. William Clayton realized that a strong judge would be needed to bring law and order to the region. He knew that Isaac Parker was a strong judge. But Judge Parker has been appointed as Supreme Court Justice of the Utah Territory and confirmed by the US Senate. With the help of President Grant and US Senator Powell Clayton, former Arkansas governor William Clayton was able to obtain the appointment of Judge Parker in the Fort Smith district.
Judge Isaac Parker served as US District Judge 1875-1896. He was nicknamed "Hanging Judge": in his first term after taking office, he tried 18 people for killing, convicting 15 people, and executing eight people. Six of these people were then hanged on the same day. During his career at Fort Smith, Parker sentenced 160 people to death. Of them, 79 were executed at the gallows. The courthouse is now marked as a National Historic Site, where "more people are sentenced to death by the US Government... than elsewhere in American history."
William Clayton served as US Attorney under four different presidents and was later appointed as Chief Justice of the Indian Territory. He was instrumental in achieving statehood for Oklahoma in 1907, after the Native Americans claim was suppressed by the distribution of communal land under the Dawes Act and the outbreak of tribal government. Together with Territorial Governor Frank Frantz, Clayton took a copy of the Oklahoma Constitution to President Theodore Roosevelt after it was accepted at Union in 1907. Governor Frantz and Judge Clayton both lost their territorial position when Oklahoma became a state; a new governor was elected and the Roosevelt government appointed a new judge.
During the military investment before World War II, the Army returned to Fort Smith in 1941. It established Fort Chaffee Military Reservation east of the city.
On April 21, 1996, a large tornado, part of the April 1996 Tornado Epidemic, destroyed and destroyed much of Fort Smith's historic town center around Garrison Avenue Bridge. The storm traces from eastern Pittsburg County, Oklahoma to Fort Smith and Van Buren, Arkansas. The tornado left four people dead in western Arkansas. A few days later, the damaged Eads Brothers Furniture building in downtown Fort Smith was destroyed by one of the biggest fires in the city's history.
Maps Fort Smith, Arkansas
Geography
Fort Smith is located on 35Ã, Â ° 22? 7? N 94 Â ° 23? 55? W (35.368691, -94.398737).
According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ​​64.6 square miles (167Ã, km 2 ), of which 61.7 square miles (160 km 2 ) is ground and 3.9 square miles (10 km 2 ) (6.3%) are water.
Climate
Fort Smith generally has mild winters and hot, humid summers. The average monthly temperature ranges from 39.4 ° F (4.1 ° C) in January to 82.3 ° F (27.9 ° C) in July; on average, the height remained at or below freezing on five days, reaching 90 ° F, 32 ° C at 74.7 days, and 100 ° F, 38 ° C, at 10 ° C , 7 days every year. The average of the first and last occurrences for freezing temperatures were November 5 and March 29 respectively. The extreme temperatures range from -15 Â ° F (-26 Â ° C) on February 12, 1899 to 115 Â ° F (46 Â ° C) on August 3, 2011. Fort Smith is located near an area known as Tornado Alley in America Central union. The city has been hit by three major tornadoes, which occurred in 1898, 1927 and 1996.
Demographics
At the 2010 census, there were 86,209 people, 34,352 households, and 21,367 families living in the city. Population density was 1,391.2 people per square mile (537.2/km ²). There are 37,899 housing units with an average density of 612.3 per square mile (236.4/km²). City's racial makeup is 69.3% White, 9.0% Black or African American, 1.8% Native Americans, 5.3% Asian (2.2% Vietnamese, 1.7% Laotian, 0.3% Indian Asia, 0.2% Philippines, 0.1% Korea, 0.1% China, 0.1% Hmong, 0.1% Pakistan), 0.1% Pacific Island, 10.3% of other races, and 4 , 2% of two or more races. 16.5% of Hispanic or Latino populations of any race (11.6% Mexico, 2.2% Salvador, 0.4% Guatemala, 0.3% Puerto Rico, 0.2% Honduras, 0.1% Cuba, 0.1% Peru, 0.1% Colombia).
In language, Fort Smith has more than ten Asian languages ​​spoken by more than two percent of the population. Also, the increase in immigration from Latin American countries in the late 20th century increased the number of people speaking Spanish. 7.10% reported speaking Spanish at home, while 3.38% spoke Vietnamese and Lao, and 2.50% spoke Tagalog.
In 2000 there were 32,398 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had non-husbands female households, and 36.3 % is not family. 30.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.9% have someone living alone 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population is spread by 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% years or more. The average age is 35 years. For every 100 women, there are 94.1 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there are 91.0 men.
The average income for households in the city is $ 32,157, and the average income for families is $ 41,012. Men have an average income of $ 29,799 compared to $ 22,276 for women. The per capita income for the city is $ 18,994. Approximately 12.1% of families and 15.8% of the population are below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under the age of 18 and 9.6% of those aged 65 and older.
Economy
Fort Smith has long been a regional manufacturing center, with large factories located in a city operated by Rheem, Trane, Georgia-Pacific, Gerber, Planters Peanuts, Mars Petcare, Umarex USA, Graphic Packaging, Pernod Ricard-USA, and many others.
Fort Smith is home to several companies including Baldor Electric Company, a member of the ABB Group, ArcBest Corporation, and the poultry company OK Foods.
According to the 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top companies in the city are:
Culture
Various films have been taken in Fort Smith, including A Soldier's Story (1984) and Biloxi Blues (1988).
Museum
- The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum is open to the public on January 19, 2013.
- Fort Smith Museum of History, located almost adjacent to the National Historic Site. The museum contains many exhibits, exhibits and artifacts that tell the story of Fort Smith's history - from the first fort in 1817, through westward expansion, and to the Civil War, Gay Nineties, Fort Chaffee, and the emergence of a modern city.
- The Fort Smith Trolley Museum is a railroad museum featuring a number of antique trolleys and related items. One of the trolley cars and three locomotives in his collection are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- The Fort Smith Air Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of aviation developments in Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.
- The Clayton House Museum is the original home of William H.H. Clayton. It is open for tours and rentals for weddings, meetings, events, and more. The house holds many Clayton artifacts, and boldly tells the history of Mr. Clayton. Clayton as well as the western border.
Music
Fort Smith has an active music. There are often live performances in the city center by local, national Jazz, Blues, Country, and Rock bands. Local bands regularly frequent the river areas highlighting the best river valleys.
- Fort Smith Symphony, the oldest orchestra in the state. Symphony is a professional per-service orchestra consisting of musicians from Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springfield, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Norman, Dallas, Little Rock, New York, Florida, and other communities. The Fort Smith Symphony, performed by John Jeter, regularly performs at the Arkansas Best Performing Arts Center.
- Ã, "Fort Smith". The New Encyclopedia of Collier . 1921.
Dance and theater
- Western Arkansas Ballet, a regional dance company that regularly presents programs at local schools and Performing Arts Centers. Their main annual event is a presentation from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet.
- The McCafferty School of Irish Dance offers instruction in Irish Traditional Dance. School dancers have competed at local, regional, national and world competition levels, and some have performed professionally in international performances such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. Dancers perform at many local events. The Fort Smith branch of the school is supported by the Fort Smith Irish Dance Council, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization founded to provide support and facilities for dancers.
Attractions
As the largest city in western Arkansas, Fort Smith offers many activities and attractions. Fort Smith's theaters and event venues regularly host major concerts and theater company tours.
Event locations
- Riverfront Amphitheater - Located next to the Arkansas River, the Riverfront Amphitheater represents a third of the River Park Complex.
- The Fort Smith Convention Center, with an area of ​​140,000 square feet, is one of the largest convention centers in the region, second only to the Little Rock Statehouse Convention Center, with an area of ​​225,000 square feet. The Fort Smith Convention Center has over 40,000 square feet (3,700 m m 2 ) exhibit space. Many trade shows, conventions, and other events are held here every year. The performing arts theater is home to Fort Smith Symphony and has seating for 1,331 people.
- Kay Rodgers Park - Expo Center site, with 24,000 square feet (2,200 m 2 ) meeting and exhibition halls, and Harper Arena, which is a closed open stadium can accommodate 7,000 to 14,000 attendees for various event.
- Second Street Live - The Center for Performing and Visual Arts has a 250 seat seating theater and a 1,500 square foot Art Gallery (100 m 2 ).
Shopping
Fort Smith is a major shopping destination in Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. Central Mall is the largest indoor shopping center in the state in terms of area. Retailers in the city include Dillard, J. C. Penney, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, The Home Depot, Lowe, and Kohl's. Some small and small retailers can also be found throughout the city as well.
Some of the famous shopping locations in Fort Smith city are:
- Rogers Avenue
- Central Mall
- GreenPointe Shopping Center
- Massard Crossing
- Stonewall Village
- Williamsburg Square
- Phoenix Avenue/Greenwood Ave.
- Fort Smith Pavilion
- Maybranch Square
- Phoenix Center
Landmarks
- Fort Smith National Historic Site, the most prominent landmark, which includes the remains of an original fort in 1817 on the Arkansas River. Inside was a restored courtroom of the famous "Judge Hangin" of Isaac C. Parker, and a dreary border prison called "Hell on the Border. "Finally, this will be an unofficial nickname for all Fort Smith.
- The Belle Grove Historic District, a 22-block area in downtown Fort Smith consists of nearly 25 refurbished homes spanning 130 years in various architectural styles. Miss Luc's Social Club, the former brothel and the only remaining building of The Row, is home to the Convention and Bureau of Visitors of the city and the only former brothel in the National Register of Historic Places.
- Fort Chaffee, mainly used as a training facility by National Guard units and the Regional Reserve Corps as well as active military units from other installations. In 1958, entertainer Elvis Presley stopped at Fort Chaffee on the way to basic training in Texas. This is where the public information officer John J. Mawn told a press conference that Presley would accept the standard "G.I haircut" and would resemble "peeled onion".
Annual attractions
Old Fort Days Rodeo - Fort Smith The Old Fort Days Rodeo and the annual Barrel-Racing Futurity offer nearly ten days of Wild West activity. It has been held every May since the mid-1930s and is now rated as one of the top all-around rodeos in the country.
Recreation and sports
In addition to sports teams sponsored by schools and UA Fort Smith, Fort Smith has several independent leisure sports programs run by local organizations.
Education
postsecondary Education
The city has one large university that is part of the Arkansas University System. The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith was founded in 1928 as an extension of the Fort Smith Public School system, with the inspector, James William Ramsey, acting as president of college and headmaster as a dean. Known initially as Fort Smith Junior College , it operated in the Fort Smith public school system until 1950, when it was founded as a private, non-profit, self-governing body. In September 1952, Higher Education moved from a loan facility in high school to its current site, initially occupying 15 hectares (6.07 hectares).
During the era of private colleges, enrollment increased, as did course offerings, number of faculties, and facilities. A vocational-technical division was added in 1960. During this period, colleges began to develop programs and characters from a comprehensive community college - a new concept in Arkansas and across the nation.
In the fall of 1965, Sebastian County voters approved the establishment of the Junior College District of Sebastian County Community, along with a tax levy on the county's original and private property. The governor appoints the Supervisory Board, and the school again becomes a public institution.
In 1966, the name of the institution was changed from Fort Smith Junior College to Westark Junior College and in 1972, its name was changed to Westark Community College , indicating a larger area to be served and reflect a more comprehensive mission.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, colleges developed and made changes in the context of their mission as a 2-year institution. A significant development in 1989 was the establishment of the University Center. Five state universities partner with the institute to offer six undergraduate programs and seven masters degrees on campus. Between 1989 and 2002, 1,788 students graduated with a bachelor's degree through a University Center.
In 1997, the Arkansas Legislative Council passed a law that gave Westark the authority to offer in itself up to nine applied degrees, developed in response to the identified needs of industry in the region served.
The name of the college was changed again in February 1998 to Westark College , more accurately describing the role and scope of the institution.
On December 15, 2000, the Westark College Board of Trustees entered into an agreement with the Arkansas University Supervisory Board to join the University of Arkansas System as a four-year institution. In 2001, Sebastian County voters voted to support the merger. The official request to change the status of an affiliate to a bachelor's degree institution under the name of Arkansas University at Fort Smith was submitted to the Higher Learning Commission in August 2001 and approved by the Institutional Councils Act of 19 November 2001.
The merger, which became official on 1 January 2002, supports the concept of UA Fort Smith as a unique university, offering traditional and applied baccalaureate degree programs, associate and technical programs one and two years, and noncredit businesses and industries. Exercise program. While the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is the only state supported institution supported by higher education, Webster University and John Brown University each have a satellite campus located in the city.
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, a nonprofit private institution, welcomes its first class in August 2017. ARCOM graduates will receive a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree.
Primary and secondary education
The public schools in Fort Smith and Barling are operated by the Fort Smith School District. Currently, the district includes 26 schools. In the 2009-2010 school year, districts have more than 14,010 registrations. It has 2 secondary schools, 4 junior high schools, 19 primary schools, and 1 alternative learning center. The Fort Smith public school provides education from kindergarten to 12th grade, as do some private Protestant schools. Catholic parochial schools offer education up to the ninth grade.
The first high school in Fort Smith includes Chaffin Secondary School, Ramsey Junior High School, Kimmons Junior High School and Darby Junior High School. Private schools that include the same classes include Trinity Catholic Junior High School and Union Christian Academy.
Fort Smith's high schools include the Northside High School and Southside High School, along with the private Christian Union Academy.
Fort Smith previously had a Catholic elementary school for black children, St. John the Baptist School; closed in 1968.
Media
The Southwest Times Record is the largest newspaper in the city, as well as the region. Owned by Stephens Media LLC. The Hispanos Unidos is the only Spanish-language publication in the region. Other publications in the Fort Smith area include Entertainment Fort Smith and Do South Magazine . Radio
AM radio stations in Fort Smith include:
FM Radio stations in the Fort Smith area include:
Television
Television stations in the Fort Smith area include:
Infrastructure
Transportation
Fort Smith is a major transportation hub for the surrounding area. It sits at the intersection of two major interstate highways, surrounded on three sides by the Arkansas River, serviced by 1 large company and 2 regional/railway switches, and is home of a regional airport.
The city is located southwest of Interstate 40 and Interstate 49 intersections in the future as it extends southward to meet Interstate 30 in Texarkana, Texas. US 71 and US 64 are also run through the community.
Fort Smith is served by Fort Smith Regional Airport (FSM), used for military aviation for Fort Chaffee and Fighter Wing 188 homes from Arkansas Air National Guard, but also served by two commercial airlines with flights to Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta.
The Jefferson Lines bus service also connects Fort Smith with other communities such as Little Rock, Kansas City, and Oklahoma City, as well as intermediary points, with many connections to other cities and towns.
It is located on the Arkansas River, part of the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System and served by Fort Smith Harbor.
Fort Smith is served by the Kansas City South Railroad from a branch connection on the main line in Poteau, Oklahoma, and connects to other railroads in Kansas City, Missouri, and in New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition, the regional railway company, Arkansas and Missouri Railroad directly serves Fort Smith and provides connections through St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis to the east. Fort Smith Railroad provides local switching services to businesses as well as provides transport for the Union Pacific Railway linking it in Van Buren, Arkansas. At this time, there is no direct passenger service from Amtrak. The closest point to the service is Little Rock.
Inside the city, a public bus service is provided by Fort Smith Transit (FST). Starting January 2015, FST operates 6 fixed routes, as well as paratransit services for people with disabilities and Demand Bus.
The trolley-replica bus operates downtown, providing transportation between the Belle Grove Historic District and the Fort Smith National Historic Site. The Fort Smith Trolley Museum operates the original trolley, but as a historic attraction, not as a transport.
Utilities
Fort Smith uses two water treatment plants (IPA) for drinking water; one near Fort Smith Lake in Mountainburg and one on Lee Creek.
Health care
Hospitals in the Fort Smith area include:
- Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
- Sparks Regional Medical Center
- Sparks Medical Center Van Buren (Previously Summit Medical Center )
- Hospital of South Health Rehabilitation
- Valley Behavior Health System
- Mercy Orthopedic Hospital
Accolades
- Fort Smith is named by Forbes because it has the lowest living cost in the United States.
- Fort Smith is also ranked sixth on the "City in America for Business Doing" list.
- The bathroom at Fort Smith Regional Airport was chosen as the best public toilet in the United States in 2005.
Famous people
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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