Washington County is a regional economic, educational, and cultural hub in the Northwest Arkansas region. Created as Arkansas's 17th county on November 30, 1848, Washington County has 13 incorporated municipalities, including Fayetteville, the county seat, and Springdale. The county is also the site of small towns, bedroom communities, and unincorporated places. The county is named for George Washington, the first President of the United States. Located within the Ozark Mountains, the county is roughly divided into two halves: the rolling Springfield Plateau in the more populous north of the county and the steeper, forested Boston Mountains in the much less populated south. It contains three segments of the Ozark National Forest, two state parks, two Wildlife Management Areas, the Garrett Hollow Natural Area, and dozens of city parks. Other historical features such as Civil War battlefields, log cabins, one-room school houses, community centers, and museums describe the history and culture of Washington County. Washington County occupies 951.72 square miles and contained a population of 245,871 people in 89,249 households as of the 2020 Census, ranking it 4th in size and 3rd in population among the state's 75 counties. The economy is largely based on the business/management, education, sales, office/administration, and poultry production industries. Poverty rates, median household income, and unemployment rates best state averages, but lag national trends. Washington County has long had a reputation for education in the state. The University of Arkansas, the largest four-year college in the state, was established in Fayetteville in 1871. A Washington County campus of the Northwest Arkansas Community College was opened in 2019 in Springdale. Today, Washington County contains eight public school districts, including two of the largest districts in the state and two private schools. It is included in the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Fayetteville is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city had a population of 93,949 as of the 2020 census, which was estimated to have increased to 101,680 by 2023. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, within the Ozarks. It was named after Fayetteville, Tennessee, from which many settlers had come, and was incorporated on November 3, 1836. Fayetteville is included in the three-county Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers metropolitan statistical area, with 576,403 residents in 2020.
Historic Washington State Park is a 101-acre (41 ha) Arkansas state park in Hempstead County, Arkansas in the United States. The museum village contains a collection of pioneer artifacts from the town of Washington, Arkansas, which is a former pioneer settlement along the Southwest Trail. Walking interpretive tours are available throughout the 54 buildings. Washington served as a major trading point along the Southwest Trail, evolving into the Hempstead county seat and later the capital of Arkansas from 1863 to 1865 when Little Rock was threatened during the Civil War. The original plat of Washington was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 as the Washington Historic District.
The West Dickson Street Commercial Historic District, known as Dickson Street, is an area in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas just off the University of Arkansas campus. It is lined with multiple bars, restaurants, and shops unique to the area. Many large condo projects are now under construction as well. JJ's Bar and Grill also has the best catfish nuggets in town. Dickson Street is home to the Walton Arts Center and is widely considered one of the two most popular entertainment districts in the state, along with the River Market District in downtown Little Rock.
This is an incomplete list of historic properties and districts at United States colleges and universities that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This includes National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) and other National Register of Historic Places listings. It includes listings at current and former educational institutions.
Arkansas Highway 45 is a designation for three state highways in Northwest Arkansas. One segment of 26.97 miles (43.40 km) runs from Highway 96 north to Interstate 540 (I-540) in Fort Smith. A second segment of 10.64 miles (17.12 km) runs from Highway 59 north of Dutch Mills north to U.S. Route 62 (US 62) east of Lincoln. A third segment of 25.42 miles (40.91 km) runs from College Avenue in Fayetteville north to Highway 12 west of Clifty. These routes were formerly connected until a portion of approximately 50 miles (80 km) was redesignated Highway 59 and many United States highways were rerouted through Fayetteville.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Arkansas.
The University of Arkansas Campus Historic District is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 23, 2009. The district covers the historic core of the University of Arkansas campus, including 25 buildings.
The Washington County Courthouse is the name of a current courthouse and that of a historic one in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County. The historic building, built in 1905, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The historic courthouse is the fifth building to serve Washington County, with the prior buildings located on the Historic Square where the Old Post Office is today. The building is one of the prominent historic buildings that compose the Fayetteville skyline, in addition to Old Main.
The Fayetteville Historic Square, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, includes the original Fayetteville post office, the Old Bank of Fayetteville Building, the Lewis Brothers Building, the Mrs. Young Building, and the Guisinger Building. These buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There are several more recent buildings located on the Square.
The Frisco Depot in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is a railroad depot built in 1925. The last passenger trains left Frisco Depot in 1965, and starting in 2011, the depot's interior houses a Chipotle Mexican Grill. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 1988.
The Wilson Park Historic District is a historic district in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, located just northeast of the University of Arkansas. The district consists of several residential buildings that developed during the late 19th and early 20th Century near Wilson Park just north of Dickson Street, the city's primary entertainment district. Wilson Park Historic District includes 47 contributing buildings.
The Battle of Fayetteville, also known as the Action at Fayetteville, took place during the American Civil War on April 18, 1863, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Headquarters House, also known as the Colonel Tebbetts place, is a historic house museum at 118 East Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Built in 1850, it saw action in the American Civil War, serving as a headquarters for both the Union and Confederacy. During the action at Fayetteville, the house was attacked by Confederate troops while serving as a Union outpost. The building was donated to the Washington County Historical Society as a museum in 1967 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Mount Nord Historic District is a historic district in Fayetteville, Arkansas encompassing one city block with five properties. The district lies atop a rise of about 140 feet (43 m) above the surrounding area. The properties were built between 1901 and 1925 in various architectural styles, and the area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Wilson-Pittman-Campbell-Gregory House is a historic house at 405 East Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is a two-story brick structure, with a late 19th-century two-story kitchen addition to the rear, and a modern single-story ell. Its current west-facing front dates stylistically to the 1870s, with Italianate brackets, engaged posts, and balustrade, but is a 1930s reconstruction of the original. Prominent local owners of the building include James Pittman, a Civil War colonel, Benjamin F. Campbell, a businessman, and James Gregory, a local politician.
The Lafayette Street Overpass is a historic bridge in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is a three-span reinforced concrete girder structure, carrying Lafayette Street over the tracks of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. The bridge is about 120 feet (37 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, and consists of reinforced concrete spans resting on concrete abutments. It features an Art Deco railing, with a metal balustrade covering concrete piers with inset light fixtures. The bridge was built in 1938 by Edward B. Mooney, Inc.
The Boone–Murphy House is a historic house located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
The Freedman's Bank Building, previously known as the Treasury Annex, is a historic office building located on the corner of Madison Place and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. It sits on the east side of Lafayette Square, a public park on the north side of the White House, and across from the Treasury Building. The adjoining properties include the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building to the north and the former Riggs National Bank to the east.
