Fort Smith: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents (MSA)

1980: 203,511

1990: 175,911

2000: 207,290

Percent change, 1990–2000: 17.8%

U.S. rank in 2000: 162nd

City Residents

1980: 72,734

1990: 73,511

2000: 80,268

2003 estimate: 81,562

Percent change, 1990–2000: 9.2%

U.S. rank in 2000: 363rd

Density: 1,594.2 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 63,868

Black or African American: 7,548

American Indian and Alaska Native: 2,541

Asian: 4,101

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 105

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 7,048

Other: 4,040

Percent of residents born in state: 56.1%

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 6,083

Population 5 to 9 years old: 5,581

Population 10 to 14 years old: 5,363

Population 15 to 19 years old: 5,586

Population 20 to 24 years old: 5,681

Population 25 to 34 years old: 11,454

Population 35 to 44 years old: 12,040

Population 45 to 54 years old: 10,513

Population 55 to 59 years old: 3,884

Population 60 to 64 years old: 3,082

Population 65 to 74 years old: 5,376

Population 75 to 84 years old: 4,113

Population 85 years and over: 1,512

Median age: 35.3

Births (Sebastian County; 2001)

Total number: 1,827

Deaths (Sebastian County; 2001)

Total number: 1,134

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $18,994

Median household income: $32,157

Total households: 32,398

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 4,095

$10,000 to $14,999: 2,887

$15,000 to $24,999: 5,374

$25,000 to $34,999: 5,092

$35,000 to $49,999: 5,054

$50,000 to $74,999: 5,233

$75,000 to $99,999: 2,092

$100,000 to $149,999: 1,537

$150,000 to $199,999: 405

$200,000 or more: 676

Percent of families below poverty level: 12.1% (59.7% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 7,498

Fort Smith: Transportation

Approaching the City

The Fort Smith Regional Airport is located just outside the city limits to the south, at 6700 McKennon Blvd., and is served by American and Northwest Airlines. In 2002, the airport completed a new terminal complex with improved accommodations for waiting passengers. This effort was to be followed in 2004 by the construction of two new jet bridges that would allow passengers to avoid inclement weather when boarding planes. Car rental services are available at the airport terminal, which is also the site of an aviation museum.

Vehicle traffic enters and exits Fort Smith via a network of interstate, national and state highways, including Interstates 40 and 540, State highway 22, and U.S. Highways 71 and 64. Greyhound Bus service operates a terminal in Fort Smith, which is located at 116 N. 6th St.

Aside from rail service linked to the Port of Fort Smith, there is no passenger train route through the vicinity.

Traveling in the City

Streets in the downtown area of Fort Smith are laid out in a grid pattern with somewhat of a northeastern orientation. U.S. Highway 64 and State Highway 22 intersect in the heart of Fort Smith, while Interstate 540 provides a bypass around the downtown area. The Fort Smith Transit Department provides daytime and nighttime bus service to most parts of the city, and specialized services are available for community members and visitors with disabilities. The Fort Smith Trolley offers limited transportation between some downtown attractions.

Fort Smith: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

The city of Fort Smith's local daily paper, the Times Record is circulated throughout the Fort Smith metropolitan area and Sebastian County. A magazine detailing local events, Entertainment Fort Smith, is also published locally.

Television and Radio

Fort Smith is served by seven television stations, with four representing the major networks, one Fox affiliate, one UPN affiliate and independent station KFSM-TV. Approximately 33 radio stations broadcast in the Fort Smith metro area, running the gamut from alternative rock to talk radio.

Media Information: Times Record, 3600 Wheeler Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72901; telephone (479)785-7700

Fort Smith Online

City of Fort Smith. Available www.fsark.com

Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau. Available www.fortsmith.org

Fort Smith National Historical Site. Available www.nps.gov/fosm

Fort Smith Public Library. Available www.fspl.lib.ar.us

Fort Smith Public Schools. Available www.fssc.k12.ar.us

Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce. Available www.fschamber.com

Times Record. Available www.swtimes.com

Western Arkansas Planning and Development District. Available www.wapdd.org

Selected Bibliography

Bears, Edwin C. and Arrell M. Gibson, Fort Smith: Little Gibraltar on the Arkansas, Second Edition University of Oklahoma Press, 1979

Fort Smith: Convention Facilities

Central to the Belle Grove Historic District, the U.S. National Cemetery, the Riverfront Park, and other downtown attractions is the Fort Smith Convention Center. The facility was completed in 2001 and features 40,000 feet of open space that can be subdivided, 8 conference rooms, theater-style seating for up to 5,200 people, banquet-style seating for 2,700 people, room for 231 exhibit booths, and a performing arts theater that can seat up to 1,331 in the audience.

Slightly north and east of the downtown Fort Smith area is Kay Rodgers Park, which annually hosts the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair and the Old Fort Rodeo and Barrel Racing Futurity. Kay Rodgers Park is home to the Expo Center, with 24,000 feet of meeting and exhibition space, and the Harper Arena. The Harper Arena is a covered open-air stadium that can seat 7,000 to 14,000 attendees for a variety of events. Barns and a smaller arena are also available. Plentiful parking accommodates RVs and smaller vehicles.

Meeting rooms and pavilions can be reserved through the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Fort Smith.

Fort Smith: Geography and Climate

Fort Smith is located on the Arkansas-Oklahoma border, where it is bisected by the Arkansas River and sandwiched between the Ouachita and Ozark national forests. Built on the flats left by the meandering river, the city is level and green but enjoys easy access to mountains. Fort Smith sees the sun more than 200 days out of the year and experiences temperate weather during most months. The winters are generally mild, with less than seven inches of snow on average, while the summers are warm and often humid. Fort Smith sits at the edge of the reputed "Tornado Alley," and in spring of 1996 its downtown was devastated by a class F2 (on the Fujita scale based on damage, with F1 being lowest to F5 being highest) twister.

Area: 52.94 square miles (2000)

Elevation: Approximately 463 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures: January, 36.1° F; July, 81.5° F; annual average, 61° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 40.9 total inches of precipitation; 6.2 inches of snow

Fort Smith: Municipal Government

Fort Smith operates under a city administrator form of government in which the governing body is composed of a mayor and seven board directors. Four of the directors represent wards of the City of Fort Smith, while the mayor and the other three directors are elected by the broader population of the city. Terms of service are four years in duration, with off-set elections. The Board of Directors is chaired by the mayor and oversees matters of policy and budget. The board employs a city administrator to oversee daily operations for the city.

Head Official: Mayor C. Ray Baker, Jr. (unaffiliated) (since 1991; current term expires 2006)

Total Number of City Employees: 850 (2005)

City Information: City of Fort Smith, 623 Garrison Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72901; mailing address PO Box 1908, Fort Smith, AR 72902; telephone (479)785-2801