Who will reach 100,000 first?

[Aporkalypse]

Yeah, but the problem with extending 67/167 north is that it is NOT slated to go through Jonesboro if you can believe that. You can credit a powerful state senator from Pocahontas.

Wow, I never knew that. Someone needs to change that.

[skirby]

Yeah, but the problem with extending 67/167 north is that it is NOT slated to go through Jonesboro if you can believe that. You can credit a powerful state senator from Pocahontas.

167 turns north just past Searcy and heads to Batesville. I don't think US 67 was ever intended to go through Jonesboro. US 67 is on the west of Crowley's Ridge and the north/south highway on the east side is US 49. There will have to be some other highway built to 4 lanes to connect Jonesboro to US 67. A good example would be 226. It is a straight east/west highway between US 67 and Jonesboro.

[vbfl85]

I doubt the routing will change. A limited access bypass already exist around Hoxie and Walnut Ridge. However Ar 226 is going to eventually be changed to I-730? I believe.

Edited July 30, 2007 by vbfl85

[skirby]

I doubt the routing will change. A limited access bypass already exist around Hoxie and Walnut Ridge. However Ar 226 is going to eventually be changed to I-730? I believe.

226 is also known as Corridor 52 a 12 mile connector between 67 and 49. It is one of the Congressionally-designated high priority corridors in the state.

[tim2462]

The Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce suggested that 226 be developed into I-730. That is something only talked about by the Jonesboro Chamber, as far as the designation. For many reasons, 67/167 will not and cannot become an extension of I-30. The most logical and most talked about designation for it is I-57, which is a north-south interstate running from Chicago to Sikeston, MO...very close to the bootheel. That would create an interstate from Little Rock to Chicago. Maybe the 226 connector will become some I-X57 interstate, but certainly not an I-730. I cannot imagine an east-west interstate running from Fort Worth, Texas, to Southern Missouri.

Edited August 6, 2007 by tim2462

[Architect]

There is a "rumor" that NLR and Sherwood are cozying up...you couldn't rule that out if they were to merge. Sherwood is experiencing a renewed growth spurt (it was the fastest growing city in Arkansas at the 1990 census).

[Aporkalypse]

There is a "rumor" that NLR and Sherwood are cozying up...you couldn't rule that out if they were to merge. Sherwood is experiencing a renewed growth spurt (it was the fastest growing city in Arkansas at the 1990 census).

Well, Sherwood is in the process of annexing a bunch of land and NLR has been stagnant for a while but finally has found new land to develop along I-440.

Were they to merge they would have a population of 84,000. If they do merge they would have my vote.

[Architect]

Well, Sherwood is in the process of annexing a bunch of land and NLR has been stagnant for a while but finally has found new land to develop along I-440.

Were they to merge they would have a population of 84,000. If they do merge they would have my vote.

I agree. The bottleneck would be broken. Too bad you can't throw the 20,000 (and growing) Maumelle into the mix, but admittedly, it is pretty autonomous physically and psychologically, whereas Sherwood is entirely continguous (and dare I say irrelevant?...sort of?).

[Sammy00]

Wow.

That means if NLR and LR ever merge, they will be pushing 280,000.

[skirby]

I agree. The bottleneck would be broken. Too bad you can't throw the 20,000 (and growing) Maumelle into the mix, but admittedly, it is pretty autonomous physically and psychologically, whereas Sherwood is entirely continguous (and dare I say irrelevant?...sort of?).

I agree that Sherwood is irrelevant. They don't have their own school district. It is a bedroom community where the people have to either go to NLR to shop and work or pass through NLR to shop and work. Future growth for Sherwood will be restricted because of its location.

[totheskies]

I think Jonesboro is well on its way to reaching the 100k mark. Infrastructure is an issue, but not as much as one might think. The city is well-known to those who go/went to college there, and has a good business climate. As mentioned earlier in the thread, Jonesboro is also undergoing some important internal improvements to make it a more livable city for its residents... this will continue to foster a strong growth pool based on regional leadership. From a sociological perspective, Memphis and Jonesboro appeal to different types of people for different reasons, which means Jonesboro will continue to grow from its current population set (those who prefer a mid-sized city with decent jobs, and might be intimidated by a larger city like Memphis).

In reference to the next city to reach 100k, most definitely Ft. Smith. It's not growing at the same rate as Fayetteville or Conway, but Ft. Smith is gaining more population within its city limits. Conway has Little Rock, Maumelle, and everything else to compete with, and Fayetteville has to compete with Rogers and Springdale for new residents. Ft. Smith only has Van Buren, so more people are settling in the larger city. Also, NWArkansas is beginning to level off from the ridiculous boom years, and Ft. Smith remains steady in growth.

[totheskies]

double post

Edited August 25, 2008 by totheskies

[edensfall]

double post

Fort Smith is dying. It's maufacturing base is falling apart and will eventualy become non existent. I say Springdale over Fayetteville within 15 years, easy. Highest growth rate, cheapest housing and cost of living, and new high traffic corridors ready for development, plenty of flat land and more readily available for annexation, as well as a planned 412 bypass around the northern part of the city, how could you not say Springdale?

[Mith242]

Fort Smith is dying. It's maufacturing base is falling apart and will eventualy become non existent. I say Springdale over Fayetteville within 15 years, easy. Highest growth rate, cheapest housing and cost of living, and new high traffic corridors ready for development, plenty of flat land and more readily available for annexation, as well as a planned 412 bypass around the northern part of the city, how could you not say Springdale?

I'd say the point against Springdale is that it's had some pretty rapid growth that wasn't very well planned. I think it's possible that Springdale has more rapidly outgrown it's infrastructure and will have to slow down at some point. But you never know. It might also depend on whether the 412 bypass is done in 15 years. Unless things change things could drag out longer like they did for I-540.

[totheskies]

I'd say the point against Springdale is that it's had some pretty rapid growth that wasn't very well planned. I think it's possible that Springdale has more rapidly outgrown it's infrastructure and will have to slow down at some point. But you never know. It might also depend on whether the 412 bypass is done in 15 years. Unless things change things could drag out longer like they did for I-540.

I'm still willing to go with Ft. Smith, especially considering the current economic climate. GenY is a completely different ballgame from GenX and the Babyboomers. They have an interest in inner cities and older areas, and don't mind a little "grit" as the trade-off for access to amenities. Springdale's growth model has worked well for most of the aughts, but with the 2008/2009 Recession, suburbs everywhere are in trouble.

[Mith242]

I'm still willing to go with Ft. Smith, especially considering the current economic climate. GenY is a completely different ballgame from GenX and the Babyboomers. They have an interest in inner cities and older areas, and don't mind a little "grit" as the trade-off for access to amenities. Springdale's growth model has worked well for most of the aughts, but with the 2008/2009 Recession, suburbs everywhere are in trouble.

You could be right. Ft Smith is better set up to grow. Most of the other cities on the list have had sudden rapid growth in the past decade or so. Ft Smith's infrastructure is probably in better shape for growth than the other cities. I think the one problem I see with Ft Smith is it's work force. It relies a lot on manufacturing jobs and those same jobs seem to be moving away. If there's not enough job growth there's no reason for people to move in.

[RussVegas]

It will be interesting to see the new 2010 census as to how far these cities have come along... I seen some people commenting on the whole I-40 situation from Conway to Little Rock, and I thought I would add in that this had been resolved..construction on a 6 Lane highway is slated to begin in 2012

[theman]

It will be interesting to see the new 2010 census as to how far these cities have come along... I seen some people commenting on the whole I-40 situation from Conway to Little Rock, and I thought I would add in that this had been resolved..construction on a 6 Lane highway is slated to begin in 2012

That's good to know. It only makes sense. They have added lanes to interstates between Little Rock and Benton and now North Little Rock and Jacksonville. The next logical step would be between North Little Rock and Conway with the growth of that city. The new census numbers will probably bear that out more.

[Mith242]

Yeah I think we're all curious to see how the census numbers play out. Just to see where everyone is at and if the current economic downturn slowed things down a bit. With the exception of maybe Texarkana and Jonesboro expect central Arkansas and NWA to pick up good numbers while the rest of the state overall goes down.

[cdj00]

While I believe Fayetteville will be the second town to reach 100,000 in Ar.  I see Conway moving in close in the next 15-30 years. The amount of young people, ages 18-30, moving to Conway is unreal. Most of them aren't students, but people moving out of the small towns in north central Arkansas. I hope Little Rock breaks 200,000, Fayetteville 80,000, Springdale 75,000, and Ft. Smith +/- 90,000 by 2025.

[Mith242]

While I believe Fayetteville will be the second town to reach 100,000 in Ar.  I see Conway moving in close in the next 15-30 years. The amount of young people, ages 18-30, moving to Conway is unreal. Most of them aren't students, but people moving out of the small towns in north central Arkansas. I hope Little Rock breaks 200,000, Fayetteville 80,000, Springdale 75,000, and Ft. Smith +/- 90,000 by 2025.

I think Fayetteville and Springdale will easily beat those numbers before 2025.  Springdale has also been growing faster than Fayetteville.  I think there's a good chance Springdale becomes the biggest city in the metro before the next census.  Springdale has typically been cheaper to live than Fayetteville.  That and Fayetteville has been following the 'smart growth' model which has actually pushed some it's growth to other areas of NWA. 

[burnz34]

Cool

[Allen Alexander]

This thread hasn't been talked in in a while, but as of now, it seems like Fayetteville or Springdale would be the first to hit the 100,000 mark. What do others think?

[ArkansasTraveler]

For what it's worth, the 2017 Census Bureau estimates show Fayetteville at 85,257, while Springdale clocked in at 79,599. The Springdale Chamber of Commerce website shows further growth as of 2019, to 81,552.