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What You Should Know about Fort Smith

• Fort Smith is located on the Arkansas River. From downtown, Oklahoma is just across the river.

• Fort Smith’s population is approximately 85,000. The daytime work force population is estimated to be well above 100,000.

• The Greater Fort Smith Region is comprised of six counties in Arkansas and Oklahoma with a population of more than 300,000.

• Fort Smith is in Sebastian County. Greenwood and Fort Smith each serve as county seats.

• Fort Smith is served by Interstate 40, running east-west across the continental United States, and by Interstate 49, a north-south corridor under construction, which will eventually connect New Orleans to Kansas City and north to the Canadian border.

• Slightly more than 2.6 million people live in Fort Smith and neighboring metro areas (those within a half-day’s drive or less).

• The City of Fort Smith operates under a city administrator form of government. The mayor presides over a seven-member board of directors elected by citizens. The mayor also performs ceremonial duties. The city administrator acts as the city’s chief executive and implements policy decisions as determined by the board of directors.

• Fort Smith is home to Arkansas Best, Baldor and privately-held Golden Ventures. The region is also home to Van Buren-based USA Truck.

• Trane, Rheem, Hiram Walker, Gerber, Whirlpool, Planters Peanuts and Graphic Packaging have major manufacturing presences in the Greater Fort Smith Region.

• The Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra is the oldest continually operating symphony in Arkansas, now in its 83rd season.

• The Fort Smith Regional Landfill is projected to have a 50 to 75-year capacity.

• A recently completed $80 million dam at Lake Fort Smith is projected to provide an adequate water supply for the entire region through the planning period beginning in 2050.

• Fort Smith is home to the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Fighter Wing. Known as the “Flying Razorbacks,” the unit is transitioning from F-16s to A-10 Warthogs. Threatened with realignment in 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission ruled against the Pentagon and determined that our nation is safer when aircraft are on the runways in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In its more than 50 years, the unit has deployed numerous times, most recently to Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.

Fort Smith is perhaps best known for:
• Judge Isaac C. Parker, who presided over Fort Smith and Indian Territory in the late 1800s. Parker, known as the “hanging judge,” sent more than 80 convicted criminals to the gallows during his tenure.
• Elvis Presley’s famous military haircut which took place at a barracks building on Fort Chaffee, a nearby Army post.
• The 1960s film, True Grit¸ based on the novel by Arkansas writer Charles Portis and starring John Wayne as Deputy U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn.
• Fort Chaffee’s role in the relocation of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s.
• Fort Chaffee’s role in the relocation of Cuban refugees in the 1980s.
• Fort Chaffee’s role in the temporary relocation of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Events in Fort Smith include:
• Old Fort Days Rodeo
• Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair
• Riverfront Blues Festival
• Fort Smith Air Show (bi-annual)

• The Fort Smith Regional Airport is served by commercial air service daily to Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta. The passenger terminal was constructed in 2000 and in 2005 was recognized by Cintas as having the best public restroom facility in the nation.

• Fort Smith Public High Schools are consistently champions in academic and athletic competition. In 2007, Southside High School won its sixth consecutive Arkansas Quiz Bowl championship. Also in the 2006-2007 term, Fort Smith high schools brought home four athletic championships from Arkansas’ top division: football, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball.

• The University of Arkansas—Fort Smith is among the most gorgeous campuses in the nation. The institution has been a four-year university since 2004 and offers both two-year degree tracks and four-year degree tracks.