With nearly 205,000 residents, Little Rock is the largest city in Arkansas. It sits on the Arkansas River and was named the state capital in 1820, only 10 months after the city’s first permanent settlement was created. The city was named by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe in 1722 when he saw a small but prominent outcropping of rock. That rock was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Nature, especially access to mountains and water, is a defining feature of Little Rock. “It’s big-city living for outdoors enthusiasts,” says Corina Jordan, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty. “Downtown executives will even bike to work. There are trails connecting everything.” Little Rock is also where former United States President Bill Clinton spent time as the state’s attorney general and governor; he would later select the city to be the place of his Clinton Presidential Center. The city’s population has risen by more than 10,000 people since 2010 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About 25% of residents are 18 years or younger, while around 15% are 65 years or older. The city and state governments are Little Rock’s largest employers, followed by The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Baptist Health and the Little Rock Air Force Base. The city is across the river from North Little Rock, and residents of both venture back and forth for shopping and recreation. Other cities in the Little Rock orbit include Conway, Hot Springs and Benton.
Visitors to Downtown Little Rock enjoy the beauty of the Arkansas River.
Downtown Little Rock is home to the State Capitol of Arkansas.
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Colonial Revival homes downtown and New Traditional homes out west
The median price of a Little Rock home is $250,000, lower than the national average but higher than in recent years. The city’s homes stay on the market for an average of 39 days. Jordan says homes in western Little Rock, in neighborhoods like Robinwood and Chenal Valley, are New Traditional and tend to be more expensive. Neighborhoods like Hillcrest and Heights have older homes with Craftsman and Colonial Revival architecture.
Craftsman styles homes in downtown Little Rock come in all shapes and sizes, offering something for everyone.
In western Little Rock, neighborhoods like Chenal Valley offer large new traditional home styles.
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The Metro Streetcar is public downtown transportation
Interstates 630 and 30 meet in the downtown Hanger Hill neighborhood, while I-630 and I-430 merge in the western Birchwood neighborhood. These roads lead to several others branching out from the city. It is across the river from North Little Rock, about 55 miles from the resort city of Hot Springs and around 140 miles from Memphis. In the downtown areas of the city, biking and walking to work is a common practice. The Metro Streetcar is a fare-free service that runs through both Little Rock and North Little Rock, stopping at popular locations. The service’s trolleys are painted a distinctive yellow. Rock Region Metro, which operates the streetcars, also operates bus and paratransit systems. The Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, in the East Little Rock district, has nonstop domestic flights to 15 destinations.
Highly ranked private schools and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Most Little Rock grade school students are served by the Little Rock School District, which has a B Niche grade, though students on the city’s outer edges are served by the Pulaski County Special School District, which has a B-minus grade. The districts combine to serve about 33,000 students across 69 schools. In the Little Rock School District, Don Roberts Elementary School and Little Rock Central High School have A grades. Pulaski Academy and The Episcopal Collegiate School, private schools in the city, earn A-plus grades. The city is home to several colleges including the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, commonly known as UAMS.
Little Rock Central High School serves over 2,000 students grades 9-12 in Little Rock, AR.
The city is home to several colleges including the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
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The Arkansas River Trail is a haven for bike riders
Little Rock has 92 parks totaling around 5,700 acres. According to the Trust for Public Land, 43% of city residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, lower than the U.S. urban median of 55%. According to the city’s downtown master plan, its future goals include opening new parks downtown and creating an active urban waterfront along the Arkansas River within four to eight years. The green spaces that exist now are popular with residents. The Arkansas River Trail Grand Loop is an 88-mile walking and biking trail that runs through Little Rock and the surrounding area. An additional 15.6-mile loop of the trail goes over the Big Dam Bridge, which at 4,226 feet is the longest North American bridge build specifically for pedestrians and bike riders. Pinnacle Mountain State Park, just west of the city, has nearly 2,400 acres and provides access to the Big Maumelle and Little Maumelle rivers as well as the Arkansas Arboretum, a space filled with flora native to the state. Riverfront Park is 33 acres and contains a sculpture garden and La Petite Roche, the little rock that gave the city its name.
The Little Rock Zoo was created in 1924 after a brown bear and a timber wolf were abandoned in the city by a traveling circus. It now is home to more than 400 animals and gets more than 200,000 annual visitors. The zoo’s 100-year-old Over-the-Jumps Carousel, which sees the entire carousel spin instead of just the horses, is the last known carousel of its kind in the world. The edge of Ouachita National Forest sits about 40 miles outside of the city. The forest’s 1.8 million acres stretch into Oklahoma and contain opportunities for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking among other activities.
Riverfront Park is 33 acres and contains a sculpture garden and the Arkansas River Trail.
Pinnacle Mountain State Park provides access to the Big Maumelle and Little Maumelle rivers just outside Little Rock.
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The Clinton Presidential Center promotes democracy and leadership
The city’s cultural hubs are the River Market and MacArthur Park districts. The Clinton Presidential Center, which contains the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum, tells the story of the 42nd U.S. President’s life, from his childhood in Arkansas to his days in the White House and beyond. The Center also offers free educational and cultural programming for students and teachers. Ben Thielemier, the senior manager of communications for the Clinton Foundation, says the Center's main goal is to promote democracy and leadership development by using the legacy of Clinton's presidential administration. The Center constantly has new exhibits, he says, so there is always something to learn about.
The Arkansas State Capitol was built to be a replica of the U.S. Capitol. On its grounds is Testaments, a Civil Rights Memorial sculpture of the Little Rock Nine, the first Black students to attend Little Rock Central High in 1957. The students faced harassment and became the faces of the school desegregation movement. The capitol is also home to the city’s Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. According to its downtown master plan, the city aims to create a “cultural loop” connecting many of these attractions within four to eight years.
The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in MacArthur Park has free admission and more than 14,000 pieces of two- and three-dimensional art in its permanent collection. The Museum of Discovery is a kid-friendly science center with interactive exhibits. The Robinson Center holds concerts and other live performances in a space with around 2,200 seats.
The city holds two annual Mardi Gras-inspired events each spring. SoMardi Gras is South Main Street’s take on a holiday float parade. There is an afterparty at Bernice Garden, which, among other events, includes a beard-growing competition. The second event, Barkus on Main, is a parade and trick contest for dogs — one that comes with a beer garden and food stations for humans. The Little Rock Marathon is known for its medals, which get bigger each year and weigh nearly three pounds. The race has a different theme each year, with past themes including the 1980s, pirates and outer space.
War Memorial Stadium hosts occasional University of Arkansas football games alongside other events. While Little Rock is not home to any professional sports teams, the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team plays in North Little Rock at Dickey-Stephens Park. The team is a Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
Downtown Little Rock is home to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.
War Memorial Stadium hosts University of Arkansas football games and many other events in Little Rock.
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The World Cheese Dip Championships are held here
Arkansas is believed to be the birthplace of cheese dip in the United States, and Little Rock upholds that tradition, with restaurants across the city serving the dish. The city even holds the World Cheese Dip Championships, where guests are encouraged to bring muffin tins to hold all of their sample cups. The River Market District is the city’s focal point for food, and the district’s star attraction is Ottenheimer Market Hall, home to American and international food vendors. Specialty groceries are available for purchase. Thai, Indian, Japanese and American barbecue restaurants are also in the district, as is the Little Rock Farmers Market, which fills two pavilions overlooking the Arkansas River.
The Hillcrest and Heights neighborhoods are filled with small boutiques. The Outlets of Little Rock and the Park Plaza mall have name-brand stores and dining options. The Promenade at Chenal, in the Chenal Valley neighborhood, has higher-end stores.
River Market in Downtown Little Rock is home to regular events throughout the year.
The Promenade at Chenal is an upscale, open-air lifestyle center in Little Rock Arkansas.
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Tornadoes are a common occurrence
According to data gathered by the Little Rock Police Department, violent crime rates have dropped by 6% in recent years, while property crime rates have dropped 4%. The city’s violent and property crime rates remain higher than state and national averages, according to FBI crime data.
The city experiences four seasons, with muggy summers and shorter winters. Little Rock sits close to Tornado Alley and often experiences strong winds, so residents will sometimes have to seek shelter. Pulaski County has a high risk of cold and heat waves compared to the rest of the country, according to FEMA data.
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