GEOGRAPHIC:
Located on the border of Arkansas and Oklahoma, the Bi-State Area
is nearly equidistant from the major metropolitan areas of Memphis,
Kansas City, and Dallas. Each of these metropolitan areas is within
five hours driving time or approximately 320 miles. Little Rock,
Arkansas lies approximately 150 miles east and Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma lies approximately 180 miles west. The Fort Smith Metropolitan
Statistical Area, MSA, is a regional trade center for over 280,000
persons who reside in a total of 10 counties found in both states.
PHYSICAL: The Bi-State Area encompasses 545 square miles
in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. It embraces 230 square
miles of eastern Sequoyah County and northeastern LeFlore County
in Oklahoma and approximately 315 square miles of southwestern
Crawford County and northwestern Sebastian County in Arkansas.
The Arkansas River, flowing eastward through a relatively flat
and narrow valley, bisects the area. The central cities of Fort
Smith and Van Buren exhibit a rather flat topography adjacent
to the Arkansas River and a rolling to hilly topography away from
the River valley. The lands outside of the two central cities
becomes more mountainous with elevations reaching 2,600 feet separated
by narrow wooded valleys and small mountain streams.
Population: The Bi-State Area has a population of 154,640
persons. This represents an increase of 4.1% over the 1995 population
estimate of 148,500. The highest growth rates have been in the
smaller cities and unincorporated areas which lie immediately
outside of the two largest communities of Fort Smith and Van
Buren. The Bi-State population is projected to increase 60%
between 2000 and 2030.
County
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
Crawford
27,910
36,378
46,150
53,265
62,596
Sebastian
86,491
101,586
112,582
128,954
135,935
Arkansas Total
114,401
137,964
158,732
182,219
198,531
Leflore
8,804
9,151
20,960
23,935
25,820
Sequoyah
6,589
7,525
17,155
18,255
22,750
Oklahoma Total
15,393
16,676
38,115
42,190
48,570
Bi-State
Total
129,794
154,640
196,847
224,409
247,101
Economic:
The Bi-State Area is located within the Fort Smith metropolitan
area with a regional market area of over 280,000 people. The local
economies of the cities and counties within the Bi-State/Fort
Smith metropolitan area rely to a large degree upon the City of
Fort Smith for employment, commercial services, health care services,
government services, and educational opportunities.
The principal occupation for workers within the Bi-State Area
is in sales; administrative support, including clerical; precision
production, craft, and repair; machine operators, assemblers,
and inspectors; and professional specialty occupations. The three
largest industrial categories of workers and their respective
percentages of the total workers within the Bi-State area are:
manufacturing (26.6%); retail trade (19.8%); and health services
(11.2%).
