The New Northwest: The Transformation of Small-Town Economies in Northwest Arkansas Since 1960
Open Access
- Author:
- Hagge, Patrick David
- Graduate Program:
- Geography
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- None
- Committee Members:
- Deryck William Holdsworth, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Deryck William Holdsworth, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- highways
urban
Arkansas
northwest
historical geography
Wal-mart
Tyson
1960s-2000s
population
economic - Abstract:
- Major population growth in the recent past of the United States has occurred in metropolitan areas of the South and West. However, northwest Arkansas, neither an urban region nor a suburb of another urban area, has experienced remarkable population growth and economic expansion since the 1960s. Populations of Benton County and Washington County have exploded three- and five-fold. The peripheral hill towns of Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville have morphed into a thirty-five mile long mini-megalopolis home to the Fortune 500 companies of Wal-Mart and Tyson. The recent growth of northwest Arkansas is examined to assess how and why the region grew so quickly, and how the region achieved such economic transformation. In addition, this pattern of development is scrutinized to determine if a general “blueprint for urbanization” for similar geographic regions actually exists. Corporate histories and census data are used to compile a statistical and historical analysis of the development of northwest Arkansas. Specific attention is paid to the geographical decision-making processes of the local corporate entities (Wal-Mart, Tyson, J.B. Hunt), transportation systems (interstate highway systems, railroads), and labor class (imported foreign workers, graduates from nearby universities). Additionally, pre-existing layers of local culture, quality of life issues, regional politics, and regional macroeconomic structure are examined. Creating an urban growth model for northwest Arkansas establishes a benchmark to compare the possible future development of historically rural areas. Additionally, this model will help detect future challenges for the region through a geographic lens.