Has NWA superseded Little Rock? (Fort Smith, Fayetteville: 2014, crime, living in)

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Has northwestern Arkansas superseded Little Rock as the state’s financial engine?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

Has northwestern Arkansas superseded Little Rock as the state’s financial engine?

In my opinion yes, for certain but I am sure others will disagree

This might get a better response if it was on the AR forum and not just NWA

[thewizard16]

No, it hasn't, at least not in any objective way. It's almost a bit surprising considering the Walmart/Tyson/etc. concentration up there, but as far as actual economic impact, most people go off of GDP. Little Rock's GDP is around $38.8 billion a year. NWA metro is $25.3 billion.

Objective data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (published by the Fed):

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RGMP22220

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP30780

[Snaple4]

LR has some very good assets. It will take us a long time before we actually match LR in Financial and political power. LR is an actual city and we are just a group of towns (which I think is better for us). B/c we do have certain major businesses here, the UofA, and a few other key asset we are able to hold our own within the state.

[sub]

No.
Not saying the OP is implying it, but there seems to be this impression that Little Rock is a stagnant, crime ridden city, which is an exaggeration.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Snaple4

LR has some very good assets. It will take us a long time before we actually match LR in Financial and political power. LR is an actual city and we are just a group of towns (which I think is better for us). B/c we do have certain major businesses here, the UofA, and a few other key asset we are able to hold our own within the state.

I see what you are saying, but it is an interesting discussion. I think of AR as being very unusual. Most states have more than one major city, but we only have LR and yet the growth is in NWA. As you say, lots of small towns all merging into one large region.

[thewizard16]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I see what you are saying, but it is an interesting discussion. I think of AR as being very unusual. Most states have more than one major city, but we only have LR and yet the growth is in NWA. As you say, lots of small towns all merging into one large region.

Arkansas definitely is a little unusual in that aspect that its fastest growth is in an area that arguably doesn't have a true city/urban core.

I love NWA and am biased to thinking Fayetteville was the cultural epicenter of the "metro" when I lived there but as it grows the region becomes less centered around any one city. It will be interesting to see what things look like there in 20 years.

That said, the Little Rock metro is growing as well and just because NWA boomed the last 15-20 years doesn't mean LR was stagnant or shrinking. Little Rock itself was booming in the 70s and 80s, and although at a slower rate, still grew by 4-10% a decade since. It's still growing at an estimated 4% rate within the city and the burbs are growing much faster. The Little Rock Metro grew from ~610,000 in 2000 to an estimated 730,000 in 2014. Not a minor amount of growth either. The Benton/Bryant and Conway areas have grown just as rapidly as a lot of cities in NWA.

I think this mis-perception among some people living in NWA that all the growth in the state is up there and is because 20 years ago NWA was much smaller and it became significantly more important to the state as a population center and an economic and cultural engine very rapidly, whereas Little Rock was always considered the default center of those things up to that point. NWA is very important and a great asset to the state, and very different than Little Rock, but the reality is that Little Rock has been growing steadily too.

[case44]

It's great seeing Northwest Arkansas and all that's in that region blossoming into a dynamic metro area. They've got new roads going in, along with the expansion of the ever-growing Interstate 49, not to mention two of Arkansas' fastest-growing cities (Fayetteville and Rogers). With that will come more tourists who want to see the Ozarks. Bigger than Little Rock? Perhaps eventually, but Little Rock's northern suburbs are keeping that metro on its feet.

And although Fort Smith is not directly tied to Fayetteville as one area, it should be considered as a complement to that NWA corridor. Chaffee Crossing gives them reason for optimism.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by case44

It's great seeing Northwest Arkansas and all that's in that region blossoming into a dynamic metro area. They've got new roads going in, along with the expansion of the ever-growing Interstate 49, not to mention two of Arkansas' fastest-growing cities (Fayetteville and Rogers). With that will come more tourists who want to see the Ozarks. Bigger than Little Rock? Perhaps eventually, but Little Rock's northern suburbs are keeping that metro on its feet.

And although Fort Smith is not directly tied to Fayetteville as one area, it should be considered as a complement to that NWA corridor. Chaffee Crossing gives them reason for optimism.

Whether FT Smith is or isn't part of the NW region is something that seems to be debated all the time. I am on the fence about that, but can see where people do consider it part of the region.

thewizard16: your post does make good sense and points out things many of us do not consider

[duke944]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Whether FT Smith is or isn't part of the NW region is something that seems to be debated all the time. I am on the fence about that, but can see where people do consider it part of the region.

thewizard16: your post does make good sense and points out things many of us do not consider

Fort Smith to Fayetteville is about twice the distance of Fayetteville to Bella Vista, which is generally considered the south to north edges of NWA. So geographically I wouldn't think it would be included as part of the region.