Conway, Arkansas 作者：  来源：  发布时间：2021-07-19

I.Population and Area

₋Area

 Land: 45.95 sq mi (119.02 km2)

₋Population

 Total: 67,638

 Density:  1,471.86/sq mi (568.29/km2) 

II.Natural Geography

₋Conway is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, located in the state's most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. Conway is unusual in that the majority of its residents do not commute out of the city to work. The city also serves as a regional shopping, educational, work, healthcare, sports, and cultural hub for Faulkner County and surrounding areas. Conway's growth can be attributed to its jobs in technology and higher education with its largest employers being Acxiom, the University of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College, Insight Enterprises, and many technology start up companies. Conway is home to three post-secondary educational institutions, earning it the nickname "T he City of Colleges".

₋As of the 2010 census, the city proper had a total population of 58,908, making Conway the eighth-largest city in Arkansas. Central Arkansas, the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area, is ranked 75th largest in the United States with 734,622 people in 2016. Conway is part of the larger Little Rock–North Little Rock, AR Combined Statistical Area, which in 2016 had a population of 905,847, and ranked the country's 60th largest CSA

III.GDP

₋The average salary in Conway, AR is $14.64. Trends in wages increased by 2.3 percent in Q1 2020. The cost of living in Conway, AR is 22 percent higher than the national average. The most popular occupations in Conway, AR are Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), Registered Nurse (RN), and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) which pay between $9.62 and $25.28 per year. The most popular employers in Conway, AR are Conway Regional Medical Center, Centennial Bank, and Baptist Health.

₋Website: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Location=Conway-AR/Salary

IV.Industrial Characteristics

₋Conway was home to one of the world's largest school bus manufacturers, IC Corporation. The Conway plant was one of only two IC manufacturing plants; the other is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. IC Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Navistar International Corporation of Lisle, Illinois. IC was previously known as American Transportation (AmTran) Corporation and Ward Body Works. The company was founded in 1933. IC Corporation closed its plant and moved all bus manufacturing operations to their Tulsa plant in 2010, largely due to incentives offered by the city of Tulsa.

₋R. D. "Bob" Nabholz founded Nabholz Construction in Conway in 1949. It currently employs over 800 people and has been listed by Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine as one of the Top 400 General Contractors every year since 1986. Currently the company is ranked #161.

₋Conway Corporation handles the local utilities (cable TV, Internet, and telephone services, in addition to electricity and water) for the city of Conway.

₋Acxiom Corporation, an interactive marketing services company, was founded in 1969 in Conway.

₋On June 19, 2008, Hewlett-Packard announced it would be opening a 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) facility with 1,200 employees in 2009. The building, which will be owned by the Conway Development Corporation and leased to HP, will be located in The Meadows Office and Technology Park – on the southern outskirts of town, and is built by Nabholz Construction.

V.Attractions

1.Cadron Settlement Park 

₋Cadron Settlement Park is a 150-acre (61 ha) public park located in Conway, Arkansas. The park is operated by the city of Conway under a lease from the United States Army Corps of Engineers. It was established on October 14, 1979, and features a reconstructed blockhouse, a boat launching ramp, hiking trails, restrooms, picnic areas, pavilion, handicapped trails and parking areas, and interpretive signs. The Faulkner County Historical Society hosts public events in the blockhouse.

₋Address: 6200 Hwy 319 W, Conway, AR 72034, United States

₋Phone: +1 501-450-6186

₋Website: https://www.arkansas.com/conway/outdoors-nature/cadron-settlement-park

2.Lake Conway

₋Lake Conway is a 6,700-acre (27 km2) lake in Arkansas. Lake Conway is the largest lake ever created by a state wildlife commission and the first to be created by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Lake Conway is located directly east of Mayflower, Arkansas, and just a few miles southeast of Conway, Arkansas. Lake Conway is home to many major sportfish such as bass, bluegill, crappie, blue catfish, and flathead catfish. Lake Conway's average depth is 4.5 ft and at its deepest point 16 ft. Lake Conway was constructed in 1948.The lake was created by damming Palarm Creek.

₋Residents of Faulkner County were aggressive to have the construction of Lake Conway done. Over three dozen court cases had to be won, and over fifty thousand dollars to buy the land to construct the lake. The land was purchased at four dollars an acre to make Lake Conway. It was considered poor land due to being mostly swamp, and useless to farm on. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission was intrigued by promoters for the lake to be constructed and committed to building a dam if the residents of Faulkner County paid for the land.

₋After word of the construction of the lake was found out by residents, land soared in price to up to as much as one hundred dollars an acre. An original estimate of twenty thousand dollars was nowhere close to the actual cost of the land. A state wide campaign was started, and over fifty thousand people donated for funds to construct Lake Conway. Many disputes were settled in court, but a few land owners refused to sell their land for the lake's construction. Amendment 35 was passed in 1945 that required these land owners to sell their land to the state government. Eminent domain was the reasoning for the law and if the state paid a reasonable amount for the land then it was legal. Amendment 35 was brought before the Arkansas Supreme Court and upheld.

₋Construction of Lake Conway's dam was offered to R. W. Hammock Construction Company for sixty five thousand dollars and was accepted. The size of the lake was described as, "The completed lake is approximately eight miles long and has a shore-line of fifty two miles." Lake Conway was celebrated and opened on July 4, 1951 by over 18,000 residents of Arkansas visiting the lake. Early estimations of economic impact for the area was 51,000 annual visitors, and a dollar value of over $1,000,000 in 2019 due to inflation. Original stockings in the lake included: bream, bass, crappie, and 200 frogs.

₋Website: https://www.arkansas.com/conway/outdoors-nature/lake-conway

3.Faulkner County Museum

₋The Faulkner County Museum is located in the former Faulkner County Jail, on Courthouse Square in the center of Conway, the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas. It is a two-story masonry structure, built out of stone and brick with a stuccoed finish. A three-story square tower projects from one corner, topped by a pyramidal roof. It was built in 1895, and converted to the county library in 1934. It housed that library until 1995, after which it was converted into the county museum.

₋Founded in 1992 and opened in 1997, the museum focuses on the prehistory, history and culture of Faulkner County. Displays include photos, historic artifacts and equipment, household items, clothing, and art and crafts by area artists. The museum also houses area history and archival collections.

₋The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

₋Address: 801 Locust St, Conway, AR 72034, United States

₋Opened: 1896

₋Phone: +1 501-329-5918

₋Website: http://www.faulknercounty.org/faulknercountymuseum.org/

VI.History

₋The city of Conway was founded by Asa P. Robinson, who came to the area shortly after the Civil War. Robinson was the chief engineer for the Little Rock-Fort Smith Railroad (now the Union Pacific). Part of his compensation was the deed to a tract of land, one square mile, located near the old settlement of Cadron. When the railroad came through, Robinson deeded a small tract of his land back to the railroad for a depot site. He laid off a town site around the depot and named it "Conway Station", in honor of a famous Arkansas family. Conway Station contained two small stores, two saloons, a depot, some temporary housing and a post office. Despite being founded as a railroad town, there currently exists no passenger service. The disappearance of passenger rail service in the region is attributed to the emphasis placed on the automobile.

₋In 1878, Father Joseph Strub, a priest in the Roman Catholic Holy Ghost Fathers, arrived in Arkansas. A native of Alsace-Lorraine, Strub was expelled from Prussia during the Kulturkampf in 1872. He moved to the United States, settling in Pittsburgh, where he founded Duquesne University in October 1878. Difficulties with Bishop John Tuigg led Strub to leave Pittsburgh in late October 1878 to travel to Conway. In 1879, Strub convinced the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad to deed 200,000 acres (810 km2) along the northern side of the Arkansas River to the Holy Ghost Fathers in order to found the St. Joseph Colony. This included land on which Father Strub founded and built St. Joseph Catholic Church of Conway. As part of the land deal, the railroad offered land at 20 cents per acre to every German immigrant. In order to attract Roman Catholic Germans to Conway and the surrounding areas, Father Strub wrote The Guiding Star for the St. Joseph Colony. In addition to extolling the qualities of Conway and the surrounding area, Father Strub provided information on how best to travel from Europe to Conway. By 1889, over 100 German families had settled in Conway, giving the town many of its distinctively German street and business names.

₋Conway was long the home of the late Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice James D. Johnson (1924– 2010), who ran unsuccessful races for governor in 1956 against incumbent Orval Eugene Faubus and in 1966 against the Republican Winthrop Rockefeller. Johnson, a leading segregation activist during the confrontation over integration at Little Rock Central High School, switched affiliation to the Republican Party in the 1980s, after the death of his nemesis Rockefeller. Johnson also lost a race in 1968 for the United States Senate against the incumbent James William Fulbright. His wife, the late Virginia Johnson (1928– 2007), ran for governor in 1968, while he was running for U.S. Senate.

₋On April 10, 1965, an F4 tornado struck Conway, causing six deaths and 200 injuries.

VII.Other Information

₋Arts and culture

₋The Conway Symphony Orchestra performs many times throughout the year, and the Conway Community Arts Association has been presenting theatre and other art opportunities to the community for over 40 years. The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, based in Conway, is the state's only professional Shakespeare theater. It holds an annual summer festival in June.

₋There are also art, music and theater opportunities provided by Conway's three colleges. The University of Central Arkansas's Public Appearances program provides dance, music, and theater offerings each year.

₋The national award-winning community theatre, The Lantern Theatre, is located downtown and offers a wide variety of plays and musicals year round.

₋Conway Public Schools has theater and music programs, with large concert and marching bands that consistently receive high marks in regional competitions.

₋One of the city's largest annual events, Toad Suck Daze, has been held since 1982. The three-day community festival incorporates live music, food and craft vendors, and amusement rides during the first weekend of May. Proceeds from the festival fund college scholarships for local students.

₋Conway is a popular sport-fishing destination and is home to largest man-made Game and Fish commission lake in the United States. Lake Conway, home to largemouth bass, crappie, gar, catfish, bream, bowfin, etc. The Arkansas Crappie Masters state tournament is held here every year.

₋The city held its first ever EcoFest September 12, 2009, in Laurel Park. EcoFest included exhibits and events relating to "green" and sustainable initiatives, including a cardboard car derby and an alleycat bicycle ride. According to organizers led by Debbie Plopper, the event was a success. Mayor Tab Townsell said the event indicated to him that "interest in sustainability is flourishing in this community."

₋Libraries

₋The city is served by the Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library System, a two county library system formed in 1954. Originally the city was served by the Conway Library from 1935 until the merger into the current system. Today the Conway Library serves as the headquarters for the eight library regional system.

₋In addition to this, the students of UCA and Hendrix have free access to both the Torreyson Library at the University of Central Arkansas, and the Bailey Library at Hendrix College by showing a current student ID from their respective college.

VIII.Contact Information

₋Government

 Type: Mayor-Council

 Mayor: Bart Castleberry (I)

₋City Hall

₋Website: https://conwayarkansas.gov/departments/