Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith, Arkansas
Downtown Fort Smith
Downtown Fort Smith
Flag of Fort Smith, Arkansas
Official seal of Fort Smith, Arkansas
Logo image shows a red building with flag on top and the words "The City of Fort Smith, Arkansas" in blue
Location of Fort Smith in Sebastian County, Arkansas.
Location of Fort Smith in Sebastian County, Arkansas.
Fort Smith is located in Arkansas
Fort Smith
Fort Smith
Fort Smith is located in the United States
Fort Smith
Fort Smith
Coordinates: 35°22′7″N 94°23′55″W / 35.36861°N 94.39861°W / 35.36861; -94.39861
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountySebastian
Founded1817
IncorporatedDecember 24, 1842
Government
 • MayorGeorge B. McGill (D)
 • Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Area
 • City68.23 sq mi (176.72 km2)
 • Land63.99 sq mi (165.74 km2)
 • Water4.24 sq mi (10.98 km2)
Elevation
463 ft (141.1 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City89,142
 • Density1,392.97/sq mi (537.83/km2)
 • Urban
122,947 (US: 257th)
 • Metro
279,974 (US: 165th)
GDP
 • Metro$12.024 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
72901-72906, 72908, 72913-72914, 72916-72919
Area code479
FIPS code05-24550
GNIS feature ID0076952
Interstate HighwaysI-40, I-49, I-540
Other major highwaysUS 64, US 71, US 271
Websitefortsmithar.gov

Fort Smith is the third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County.[3] As of the 2020 census, the population was 89,142.[4] It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents that encompasses the Arkansas counties of Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian, and the Oklahoma counties of LeFlore and Sequoyah.

Fort Smith lies on the Arkansas–Oklahoma state border, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, also known as Belle Point. Fort Smith was established as a western frontier military post in 1817, when it was also a center of fur trading. The city developed there. It became well known as a base for migrants' settling of the "Wild West" and for its law enforcement heritage, as it was the hub for white law enforcement of the adjacent Indian Territory.

The city government is led by Mayor George McGill (D), who in 2018 was elected as the city's mayor (the first African American in its history),[5] and a city Board of Directors composed of three members elected at-large and four members elected by ward.

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Fort Smith, AR-OK (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "U.S. Census website". Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Watson-Fisher, Jadyn. "George McGill introduced as city's first black mayor". Southwest Times Record. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2020.

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