Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock | |
|---|---|
| Nicknames: The Rock, Rock Town, LR | |
Interactive map of Little Rock | |
| Coordinates: 34°44′40″N 92°17′17″W / 34.74444°N 92.28806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Pulaski |
| Founded | June 1, 1821 |
| Incorporated (town) | November 7, 1831 |
| Incorporated (city) | November 2, 1835 |
| Named after | The Little Rock |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Body | Little Rock Board of Directors |
| • Mayor | Frank Scott Jr. (D) |
| Area | |
| 123.00 sq mi (318.58 km2) | |
| • Land | 120.05 sq mi (310.92 km2) |
| • Water | 2.96 sq mi (7.66 km2) |
| • Metro | 4,090.34 sq mi (10,593.94 km2) |
| Elevation | 279 ft (85 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 202,591 | |
| • Rank | US: 121st |
| • Density | 1,687.60/sq mi (651.58/km2) |
| • Urban | 461,864 (US: 87th) |
| • Urban density | 1,724.6/sq mi (665.9/km2) |
| • Metro | 748,031 (US: 81st) |
| Demonym | Little Rocker |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−05:00 (CDT) |
| ZIP code(s) | 72201-72207, 72209-72212, 72214-72217, 72219, 72221-72223, 72225, 72227, 72231, 72255, 72260, 72295 |
| Area code | 501 |
| FIPS code | 05-41000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404939 |
| Website | www |
Little Rock is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Little Rock metropolitan area is the 81st-most populous in the United States with 748,031 residents according to the 2020 census.
As the county seat of Pulaski County, the city was incorporated on November 7, 1831, on the south bank of the Arkansas River close to the state's geographic center in Central Arkansas. The city derived its name from a rock formation along the river, named the "Little Rock" by the French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe in 1722. The capital of the Arkansas Territory was moved to Little Rock from Arkansas Post in 1821.
Little Rock is a cultural, economic, government, and transportation center within Arkansas and the American South. Several cultural institutions are in Little Rock, such as the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, in addition to hiking, boating, and other outdoor recreational opportunities. Little Rock's history is available through history museums, historic districts or neighborhoods of Little Rock like the Quapaw Quarter, and historic sites such as Little Rock Central High School and West Ninth Street. The city is the headquarters of Dillard's, Windstream Communications, Stephens Inc., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Heifer International, Winrock International, the Clinton Foundation, and the Rose Law Firm.