Little Rock, Arkansas

Pulaski County

05-41000

Little Rock is the capital of the U.S. state of Arkansas with 195 314 inhabitants. (Estimate 2011) It is the county seat of Pulaski County Arkansas River and core city of a metropolitan Little Rock. The parliament building in Little Rock is a smaller copy of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.

7.1 street
7.2 flight, train, bus
7.3 Public Transportation

Geography

Little Rock is located on the south bank of the Arkansas River. Meanwhile, inflows Fourche Creek and Rock Creek also flow through the city. The western part of the city is located in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Located northwest of the city lie the mountain, Pinnacle Mountain and Lake Maumelle, which provides the city with drinking water. North of the Arkansas River is the city of North Little Rock.

Rivers of the City

Arkansas River
Crooked Creek
Fourche Creek
Jimerson Creek
Little Maumelle River
McHenry Creek
Owen Creek
Panther Branch
Payne Branch
Rock Creek

History

History and city foundation

The story of Little Rocks begins with the construction of a trading post by the French explorer Bernard de la Harpe in 1722. The name comes from a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River, at the foot of the station was built. De la Harpe called the formation of La Petite Roche ( to German: Little Rock, English: little rock ). The Quapaw Indians lived at this time also in the field. Built in 1812 William Lewis, a fur hunter, his house next to the Little Rock, the beginning of the settlement Little Rock. 1820 Little Rock was mapped. 1821 Little Rock received the status of the capital of the Arkansas Territory, which had been founded only two years earlier. It was not until ten years later, Little Rock received its town charter.

Development in the 19th century

1833 Territorial Capitol was (now the Old State House ) was built, which was finally completed in 1842 and used until 1911 as the State Capitol. 1836 Arkansas was officially elevated to the 25 state and Little Rock thereof for capital. After joining Arkansas ' to the Confederacy ( the so-called Confederate States) 1861 Little Rock was occupied during the Civil War in 1863 by Union troops (mostly states from the northern U.S. ). 1874, the Brooks - Baxter War played out in and around Little Rock. On January 26, 1880 saw General Douglas MacArthur in the Little Rock Barracks the light of day. His birthplace serves as a museum ( MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History ). 1881 decided the legislature " arkansaw " as the official pronunciation of the state name.

20th century

In 1911, the current state capitol building was completed. By following Pulaski Heights, one of the first suburbs of Little Rock in 1916 the city began a steady growth to the west. 1957 and 1958 there were significant race riots in Little Rock. Nine African-American students who were known as the Little Rock Nine, called 1957 her fundamental right to be allowed to visit the Little Rock's Central High School. The National Guard prevented the young people in their first try it, to enroll as a student at the high school. After violent clashes between whites and blacks put the federal government's army to calm the situation. As a result of riots all three public high schools in Little Rock was closed for one year by Governor Orval Faubus in the following year.

1978 Bill Clinton was elected with 32 years the youngest governor of Arkansas and 14 years later, this was chosen as the first man from Arkansas to the President of the United States. On the 40th anniversary of the Central High Crisis (Little Rock Nine ) the opening of a visitor center of the National Park Service was celebrated. Was opened in 2004 in Little Rock, the Clinton Library in the presence of George W. Bush, George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter.

Origins of the city and various facts

Many items were found, suggesting that Native populated for millennia before European settlers Central Arkansas. These natives could include the peoples of Folsom, Bluff Dwellers, Mound Builders, Caddo, Quapaws, Osage, Choctaw and Cherokee belong. Arkansas was untouched by Europeans until the Spaniards Hernado de Soto traveled through the area in 1541.

La Petite Roche, like the rock, is founded on the Little Rock, was named by the French, marks the transition of the shallow Lower Mississippi Delta region to the Ouachita Mountains.

The city of North Little Rock was once the 8th district of Little Rock., Allowed the district to unite a decision of the Arkansas Supreme Court on February 6, 1904 with the surrounding village of North Little Rock. The village was quickly renamed in Argenta, but already in 1917 the name change has been undone.

The company Federal Express was founded in 1971 by Frederick W. Smith in Little Rock, Arkansas, moved its corporate headquarters but already two years later to Memphis, Tennessee, as the officers of the Little Rock National Airport would provide the airline with the company no infrastructure available. The company is now known as FedEx Corporation.

According to the Forbes list of the most dangerous cities in the United States from 2009 Little Rock is one of the ten most dangerous cities in the United States.

History of the Little Rock Nine

On the evening of September 2, 1957 was Orval Faubus, governor of Arkansas, to march in front of Little Rock Central High School some of his under -standing National Guard, nine black students to refuse admission to school for the start of school the following day. On the second day of school failed to attend school, later known under the name Little Rock Nine. On September 24, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent 1,000 soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division to allow the children to attend school. At this time, the prohibition of racial segregation in the schools was by the American Supreme Court already back five years.

The Little Rock Nine, 40 years later honored by U.S. President Bill Clinton for their courage in asserting their rights.

Economy

Little Rock is the headquarters of several major companies such as Alltel, Acxiom and Dillard's. More companies are Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Metropolitan National Bank, Rose Law Firm, Stephens Inc. and Nuvell Financial Services (part of GMAC ). Little Rock was also former headquarters of FedEx, Jacuzzi and TCBY.

Among the so-called non-profit organizations include Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, Heifer International, Lions World Services for the Blind, William J. Clinton Foundation, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and Winrock International.

Major employers in Little Rock Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue are Shield, Entergy, Raytheon, The Sharper Image, Siemens, and Timex.

One of the largest public employers in the state of Arkansas, with nearly 9,000 employees, the UAMS ( University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) and their departments (Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System). Together they have a total economic impact in Arkansas of about 4.1 billion U.S. dollars per year. The UAMS covers their costs only 11% of state funds; most of the money comes from clinic fees ( 64%), other contracts and grants ( 18%), donations ( 5%) and tuition fees ( 2%).

Economic momentum is also from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In Little Rock is also the also the University of Arkansas system connected Clinton School of Public Service, in which a master 's degree in Public Administration ( Public Service ) can be purchased.

Two other smaller private universities are the Philander Smith College and Arkansas Baptist College, both of which were visited in the past mainly by African Americans.

Traffic

Road

Little Rock has a very good connection to the different highways ( Interstate Highway). These include U.S. Highway 65, U.S. 67, U.S. 167, Interstate 30, Interstate 40, Interstate 430, Interstate 440, Interstate 530, Interstate 630

Air, rail, bus

Furthermore it has a Little Rock National Airport, the Little Rock National Airport. The airport is served by nine major airlines and has links to 18 other airports in the United States. In addition to the airport but there are also connections to the railroad (Amtrak ) and for cross-country Greyhound bus.

Public transport

Within the city, the residents can use the public transport system of the Central Arkansas Transit Authority ( CATA ). These include buses, and since November 2004, a tram ( River Rail Electric Streetcar ). As so often in rural areas of the U.S., it is however not comparable with European urban transport systems. The transport is mainly used by elderly and low-income people.

Sports

The city has several sports clubs such as the Arkansas Travelers ( minor league baseball team ), the Arkansas River Blades ( minor league hockey team).

Culture

The Arkansas Arts Center has an especially extensive collection of drawings.

Climate

Meteorological data for the Greater Little Rock

Average monthly precipitation

Humidity

Wind speeds

Average Snowfall

Average percentage of sunshine ( day)

Sons and daughters of the town

Margot Adler, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess, a radio journalist and correspondent for National Public Radio
Michael Aschbacher, mathematicians
Rebecca Balding, Actress
Scoops Carry, jazz musician
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton
Derek Fisher, basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers
Gil Gerard, Actor
Alex Hill, jazz pianist and arranger
Joe Johnson, basketball player
Ken Kavanaugh, American football player and coach
John Kocinski, motorcycle world champion
Muna Lee, athlete
Josh Lucas, actor
Douglas MacArthur, Army General
Sonny Liston, boxing champion
Sidney Moncrief, was active in the professional basketball league NBA
Ben Moody, songwriter, producer and guitarist
Amy Lee, songwriter, singer
Charlotte Moorman, Musician
Snub Mosley, jazz trombonist and bandleader
Ralph Neely, American football player
Corin Nemec, actor
Art Porter Jr., jazz saxophonist
Art Porter Sr., a jazz musician and music teacher
Florence Price, Composer
Brooks Robinson, Baseball Player
Pharoah Sanders, jazz musician
Charlotte Andrews Stephens, the first African- American teacher in the school district in Little Rock
Jermain Taylor boxing champion
Charles Willeford, literary critic and crime writer
John Merritt Young jazz pianist and arranger

Impressions

Little Rock, Central High School

Town hall

526367