Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith, situated at the junction of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, is a city and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 80,268. There are only two high schools in the city of Fort Smith (leading to quite a rivalry), Northside High School (the Grizzlies) and Southside High School (the Rebels).

Other Information

• Home of the Fort Smith campus of the University of Arkansas, which was formerly the WestArk Community College campus.
• Served by Fort Smith Regional Airport, having the FAA designation of FSM (from its former name: Fort Smith Municipal Airport).
• The historic downtown suffered major damage due to a tornado on April 21, 1996. Reconstruction went on over a span of five years (and in some cases, longer).
• During its days as a fort, for a brief time Zachary Taylor was commander.
• Fort Smith's Riverfront Hotel, popularly named "Miss Laura's" as the local brothel, became the city's Visitors Center in 1992. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reportedly the only brothel so designated.
• Fort Smith National Historic Site is down-town near where the Poteau River goes into the Arkansas River.