Springdale, Arkansas, United States

🇺🇸 Springdale is the fourth-largest city in Arkansas, United States. It is located in both Washington and Benton counties in Northwest Arkansas. Located on the Springfield Plateau deep in the Ozark Mountains, Springdale has long been an important industrial city for the region. In addition to several trucking companies, the city is home to the world headquarters of Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat producing company. Originally named Shiloh, the city changed its name to Springdale when applying for a post office in 1872. It is included in the four-county Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ranked 102nd in terms of population in the United States.

Springdale has been experiencing a population boom in recent years, as indicated by a 133% growth in population between the 1990 and 2010 censuses. During this period of rapid growth, the city has seen a new Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, the establishment of a Springdale campus of Northwest Arkansas Community College and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals minor league baseball team move into Arvest Ballpark. Tyson remains the city's top employer, and is visible throughout the city. Many public features bear the Tyson name, including the Randal Tyson Recreational Complex, Don Tyson Parkway, Helen Tyson Middle School, John Tyson Elementary and Don Tyson School of Innovation. Governor Mike Beebe signed an act into law recognizing Springdale as "The Poultry Capital Of The World" in 2013.

History Springdale was formerly called "Shiloh", after the local Shiloh church, and was platted under that original name in 1866. In 1878, the town was incorporated with the name of Springdale.

An intense EF3 tornado struck the town on March 30, 2022, heavily damaging or destroying several structures and injuring seven people.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 108.9 square miles (282 km²), of which, 108.3 square miles (280 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it, or 0.62%, is water. The city limits extend north into southern Benton County. Springdale is bordered by the cities of Cave Springs, Lowell, and Bethel Heights to the north, by Elm Springs and Tontitown to the west, and by Johnson and Fayetteville to the south.

The city is located in both Benton and Washington counties along Interstate 49/US Highway 62/US Highway 71 (I-49/US 62/US 71). This is the only fully controlled access route through the area, which replaced the winding US 71 (now US 71B) in the 1990s. An interstate connection with Fort Smith to the south and Kansas City, Missouri, to the north has greatly helped to grow Springdale. Within Washington County, Springdale is bordered along the south by Fayetteville and Johnson. In some locations, this transition is seamless. The city extends west and east along Highway 412 toward Tontitown and Beaver Lake, respectively.

Geology Springdale is located on the Springfield Plateau, a subset of The Ozarks which run through north-west Arkansas, southern Missouri, and Northeastern Oklahoma. In the Springdale area, sandstone and shale were deposited on top of the Springfield Plateau during the Pennsylvanian Period. These were eroded after the Ouachita orogeny and uplift, exposing Mississippian limestone formations of the Springfield Plateau visible today.

Metropolitan area The Northwest Arkansas region consists of three Arkansas counties: Benton, Madison, and Washington. The area had a population of 347,045 at the 2000 census which had increased to 463,204 by the 2010 Census (an increase of 33.47 per cent). The Metropolitan Statistical Area does not consist of the usual principal-city-with-suburbs morphology; instead Springdale is bordered to the north by Rogers, the south by Fayetteville, and the north-west by Bentonville, with smaller cities like Lowell and Johnson in between.

Marshallese population The city is home to the largest community of Marshall Islanders in the United States, which dates to the 1980s, when one Marshall Islander arrived in the city to work for Tyson Foods and subsequently spread word of plentiful jobs to others in the islands. The Marshall Islands opened a consulate in the city in 2008. The Marshallese could easily settle in the U.S. as their country is in a free association with the United States. Photographer Lawrence Sumulong stated that this is the largest concentration of ethnic Marshallese in the United States.

Economy: Top Employers Springdale Chamber of Commerce

1 Tyson Foods; 2 George's; 3 Springdale Public Schools; 4 Cargill Meat Solutions; 5 Northwest Medical Center-Springdale; 6 Rockline Industries; 7 A.E.R.T.; 8 Harps Food Stores; 9 Kawneer; 10 Multi-Craft Contractors.

Economy: Region The economy of Northwest Arkansas was historically based upon agriculture and poultry. In recent decades, Northwest Arkansas has seen rapid growth and diversification of its economy based upon the three Fortune 500 companies based there—Walmart, Tyson Foods, and J.B. Hunt—while also seeing a growing University of Arkansas and cultural amenities sector. Although impacted by the Great Recession, Northwest Arkansas' economy fared better than most peer metropolitan areas, the state of Arkansas and the United States overall. Between 2007 and 2013, the region saw unemployment rates significantly below those of peer regions and the national average, while also seeing a 1% net growth of jobs. The region's gross domestic product grew 7.0% over the aforementioned time period and bankruptcies, building permits, and per capita incomes are returning to pre-Recession rates.

The professional, education, and health care sectors of Northwest Arkansas' economy have been growing steadily since 2007. Between 2007 and 2013, the region has seen a growth of 8,300 jobs in the region, with 6,100 added in education and health professions and 4,300 jobs added in the leisure and hospitality jobs related to the region's cultural amenities. The government and transportation sectors have remained relatively constant between 2007 and 2013, however the manufacturing sector has seen steady decline, mirroring national averages. The construction and real estate sectors saw large declines attributable to the poor housing market during the economic downturn.

Economy: City Springdale has a robust poultry processing industry, including large hatcheries and/or processing plants owned and operated by Tyson Foods, Cargill, and George's throughout the city. Since Tyson Foods and George's are based in the city, a host of administrative/executive/support staff is also employed in Springdale to support these large operations. Springdale also has a variety of industrial/manufacturing employers present in the city, including Apex Tool Group, Ball Corporation, Brunner & Lay, Dayco Products, and Pratt & Whitney. This strong industrial sector differentiates the city among the four large principal cities of Northwest Arkansas.

Education: University The Northwest Technical Institute (NWTI) provides occupational training for residents of Springdale and Northwest Arkansas. NWTI also has an Adult Education Center where students earn GEDs, study English as a foreign language, and study to apply for US citizenship.

Springdale has a campus of the Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC). This two-year public community college provides associate degrees and non-credit courses. Ecclesia College is a small religious work college accredited through the Association for Biblical Higher Education located in western Springdale.

South of Springdale in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is the University of Arkansas. The flagship institution of the University of Arkansas System, it is the largest degree-granting institution in Arkansas, with over 200 degree programs. John Brown University, a private interdenominational Christian liberal arts college, is west of Springdale in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

Public safety The Springdale Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in the city. As of 2017, Springdale had 208 police department employees, including civilian and support staff. The Springdale Fire Department is a career fire service providing emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and rescue services. Springdale has been listed as an ISO Class 1 city since 2017.

Citizen boards, commissions, and committees Citizen input is welcomed through the use of various specialized groups. Positions are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. Commissions include: • Springdale Advertising and Promotion Commission • Springdale Airport Commission • Springdale Civil Service Commission • Springdale Planning Commission • Springdale Water and Sewer Commission

The Springdale Housing Authority and Springdale Public Facilities Board also help direct the City of Springdale on matters within their purview.

Points of interest • Arts Center of the Ozarks • Arvest Ballpark • Fitzgerald Station and Farmstead • Shiloh Historic District • Shiloh Museum of Ozark History • Springdale Poultry Industry Historic District • The Springdale Post Office contains a 1939 Natalie Smith Henry mural, titled Local Industries, commissioned by the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. Depictions of poultry and fruit farmers reflected the early industries of Tyson Foods and Welch's Grape Juice Company. Springdale was the south-west regional headquarters of the Welch's company.

Annual cultural events Parsons Stadium in eastern Springdale is host to many events throughout the year, most notably the Rodeo of the Ozarks. This four-day event began in Springdale in 1944 and brings professional cowboys and cowgirls to the city for one of the nation's top outdoor rodeos. Always hosted on Independence Day weekend, the event brings a parade, the Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks Pageant, and the Grand Entrance to the stadium. It also hosts Buckin' in the Ozarks (a Professional Bull Riders [PBR] event), Arenacross (a motocross competition with professional and amateur exhibitions) during Bikes Blues and BBQ weekend and other motorized exhibitions.

Sport Springdale is home to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the minor league baseball team of the Texas League. The team, formerly known as the Wichita Wranglers, relocated in 2008 upon completion of Arvest Ballpark. The stadium has 6,500 seats and additional grass berm seating as well as suites and event space for private events. Approximately 70 Naturals home games are played in the stadium every year. In 2013, Arvest Ballpark hosted the 77th annual Texas League All-Star Game.

Transport: Air The Springdale Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport located near downtown Springdale. Commercial air service in Northwest Arkansas is available from Northwest Arkansas National Airport in Highfill.

Major highways • Interstate 49 • US Route 62 • US Route 71 • US Route 412 Business • US Route 71 Business • Highway 112 • Highway 264 • Highway 265.

The major through route in Springdale is Interstate 49/US 71/US 62 (the concurrent routes are unsigned and thus the route is simply known as I-49 in Springdale). This fully controlled access, four-lane expressway is a discontinuous piece of a route ultimately planned to connect Kansas City, Missouri to New Orleans, Louisiana. Formerly designated as Interstate 540 with the re-designation as Interstate 49 being granted by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration in 2014, the highway became the first freeway in the area when it was completed in the 1990s to relieve the former US 71 (now US 71B) of a much-increased demand of through travelers following the unanticipated and rapid growth of Northwest Arkansas. Future plans for the I-49 corridor include completion of a freeway segment through the Ouachita Mountains to Texarkana and completion of a Bella Vista Bypass to the north.

Major north–south routes, from west to east: • Highway 112 - This route serves as the western boundary of Springdale along much of its routing. Connecting Fayetteville to the south and Bentonville to the north while also passing through Elm Springs, the state highway is commonly used as an alternative to I-49. • Gene George Boulevard - This road connects Don Tyson Parkway and Arvest Ballpark in south-west Springdale to Elm Springs Road • I-49 - This Interstate is the primary route through NWA. Springdale exits include Don Tyson Parkway, Sunset Avenue (US 412), Elm Springs Road and Wagon Wheel Road. • 40th Street - Slightly east of I-49, this surface street is used as an alternative to I-49 for local traffic. • Carley Road - This road runs south from Sunset Ave to Johnson. • Gutensohn Road/Silent Grove Road - This road begins at Sunset Ave and runs north as Gutensohn Road until meeting Huntsville Ave, when it changes names to Silent Grove Road and continues north to Lowell • Johnson Road - This road begins at Sunset Ave and runs south to Johnson. • Thompson Street - Known as US 71B, which was the predecessor to I-49/US 71/US 62. This route is a main commercial thoroughfare as well as an unofficial neighborhood boundary in Springdale. • Arkansas Highway 265/Old Missouri Road - This route first was used by Native Americans as the Great Osage Trail, followed by Civil War troops bound for Fort Smith, Arkansas, the Trail of Tears, the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route, and later still the telegraph.

Major east–west routes, listed from south to north: • Don Tyson Parkway - The major southern corridor in Springdale, this four-lane road was built in sections and completed in 2007. An interchange with I-49 was completed in 2014. • US 412/Sunset Avenue/Robinson Ave - The only through east–west road in Springdale, this state highway connects Siloam Springs to the west with Huntsville in the east. Sunset Ave is the principal commercial avenue in Springdale, with dozens of hotels, restaurants and offices along the road. US 412 intersects Thompson Ave (US 71B) in midtown Springdale, and the routes briefly overlap. Following this overlap, US 412 continues east as Robinson Avenue toward Beaver Lake. • Emma Avenue - The primary east–west street in downtown Springdale, portions are designated as historic districts. The road was formerly a through street but was broken into two segments by the construction of a new Springdale High School in 2009. • Elm Springs Road/Huntsville Avenue - Known as Elm Springs Road near I-49, this road becomes Huntsville Road in midtown Springdale and passes through a primary industrial area. • Backus Avenue - Connects 40th Street and Thompson Ave through a residential area. • Randall Wobbe Lane - A short street connecting Thompson Avenue and Old Missouri Road through an industrial area. • Wagon Wheel Road - This road is a four-lane road beginning at I-49 that runs east to the former Bethel Heights. East of Thompson Ave it is a state highway (Highway 264). • Highway 612 - Completed in 2018 and known as the Springdale Northern Bypass, this fully controlled access highway connects Highway 112 with I-49; future plans include a full bypass of the city

Public transit The City of Springdale's major provider of public transportation is Ozark Regional Transit. The bus-based regional transit system runs throughout Washington and Benton Counties and is administrated by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD).