Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. According to the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, it is the 33rd most populous state with inhabitants and the 27th largest by land area spanning of land. Arkansas is divided into 75

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

and contains 501

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

consisting of cities and towns as of the 2020 United States census. Arkansas municipalities are divided into three categories based on population. Usually, cities of the first class have a population over 2,500, cities of the second class have between 500 and 2,499 people, and incorporated towns have 499 or fewer people; state law, however, provides mechanisms for a municipality to increase or decrease its classification despite not meeting the usual population requirement. There are differences in responsibilities between classes of Arkansas municipalities with incorporated towns generally having fewer municipal responsibilities. The largest municipality by population is the state capital of

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

with 202,591 residents while the smallest by population is

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

with 20 residents. The largest municipality by land area is Little Rock, which spans , while the smallest is Oakhaven at .

Classification of municipalities

Arkansas municipalities are divided into three categories based on population according to the laws in the 2020 Arkansas Code Title 14. The state does not use

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

s or

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to ref ...

s as possible designations for its minor civil divisions.

City (first class)

Cities of the first class have a population over 2,500 and elect two council members per

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

(elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

or by ward, or both). Any municipal expense over $20,000 goes to bidding by default in cities of the first class only. Only cities of the first class must hold elections for vacant mayoralty lasting more than one year, and must elect a city attorney to a four-year term. Cities of the first class must have a city clerk and may have a treasurer elected for a four-year term (or the role combined with city clerk). Cities of the first class must create a planning commission with at least five members and may have a police department superintended by a mayor. There are retirement benefits available if certain conditions are met for mayors and city clerks or treasurers.

City (second class)

Cities of the second class have a population between 500 and 2,499 people and elect two council members per ward (elected at-large or by ward, or both). A city of the second class must have a recorder and may have a treasurer elected for a four-year term (or the role combined with city clerk). Cities of the second class do not need to create create a separate planning commission and may allow city councilors to serve as the planning commission. Cities of the second class may have a police department, a marshal or a department of public safety. There are retirement benefits available if certain conditions are met for mayors and city clerks or treasurers.

Town

Towns have a population of 499 or fewer people and elect five council members at-large with no wards. Towns must have a treasurer-recorder as a single position. Towns may have a police department, a marshal or a department of public safety. No prescribed retirement benefits are available for mayors and clerks or treasurers of towns.

List of municipalities

Littlerock.JPG, alt=Skyline of Little Rock,

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

is Arkansas's state capital and most populous city. Block Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas.jpg, alt=Downtown street in Fayetteville, Fayetteville is Arkansas's second most populous municipality. GarrisonFSM.jpg, alt=Downtown street in Fort Smith, The third most populous municipality in Arkansas is Fort Smith. Turnbow_Park.jpg, alt=Spring Creek runs through Turnbow Park in downtown Springdale, Springdale is Arkansas's fourth largest municipality by population. ChrisLitherlandJonesboroARk.jpg, alt=Downtown street in Jonesboro, Jonesboro is the fifth most populous municipality in Arkansas. Downtown Rogers.jpg, alt=Row of buildings in downtown Rogers, The sixth most populous municipality in Arkansas is

Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) *Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated community ...

. Downtown North Little Rock.jpg, alt=Street in downtown North Little Rock,

North Little Rock North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...

is part of the Little Rock metropolitan area and is the seventh largest municipality in Arkansas by population. EM Downtown shot.jpg, alt=Downtown street in Conway, Conway is Arkansas's eighth largest municipality by population. File:Central Avenue at night.jpg, alt=Downtown street in Bentonville, Arkansas' ninth largest municipality by population is Bentonville. Pine Bluff AR - main street and courthouse.jpg, alt=Downtown street in Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff is the tenth largest municipality by population in Arkansas.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cities And Towns In Arkansas

Cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...