Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock (Quapaw: I’i-zhinka, lit. 'Little rock') is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 204,405 in 2022. 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.
Little Rock | |
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Flag Coat of arms Logo | |
Nicknames: The Rock, Rock Town, LR | |
Interactive map of Little Rock | |
Little Rock Location within Arkansas Little Rock Location within the United States Little Rock Little Rock (North America) | |
Coordinates: 34°44′10″N 92°19′52″W | |
Country | United States |
State | Arkansas |
County | Pulaski |
Founded | June 1, 1821 |
Incorporated (town) | November 7, 1831 |
Incorporated (city) | November 2, 1835 |
Named for | The Little Rock |
Government | |
• Type | Council–manager |
• Body | Little Rock Board of Directors |
• Mayor | Frank Scott Jr. (D) |
Area | |
• State capital city | 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 | 335 ft (102 m) |
Population (2022) | |
• State capital city | 204,405 |
• Rank | US: 118th |
• 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 | 83350 |
Website | www |
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.