Fayetteville is the second-most populous city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until 1829, the city was named after Fayetteville, Tennessee, from which many of the settlers had come. It was incorporated on November 3, 1836, and was rechartered in 1867. Fayetteville is included in the three-county Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ranked 100th in terms of population in the United States with 576,403 in 2022 according to the United States Census Bureau. The city had a population of 99,285 in 2022.
Fayetteville, c. 1887
"Colonel Tebbetts place" served as U.S. forces headquarters during the Battle of Fayetteville and is operated today as a museum about the conflict.
The split between the Springfield Plateau and the Boston Mountains occurs in the center of Washington County, Arkansas, very near Fayetteville. The rough, mountainous terrain south of Fayetteville is the Boston Mountains while the more-habitable Springfield Plateau contains the cities of Springdale, Bentonville and Rogers to the north.
Mount Sequoyah rises above Fayetteville on the city's eastern side
Washington County, Arkansas
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.
Historic Washington County Courthouse, Fayetteville
The site of the Civil War battle at Prairie Grove is now a state park.
Heritage apple tree near Woolsey farmstead, Fayetteville
Cane Hill College was founded in Cane Hill one day after Arkansas College in Fayetteville. It was in operation from 1834 to 1891.