Ozark Plateau

Natural Beauty

Hawksbill Crag, Buffalo State Park

Buffalo River•America’s first national river•Renowned for its beauty and Limestone bluffs•Over 150 miles long

Buffalo River State Park•Home to Arkansas’ tallest waterfall, Hemmed-In Hollow at 204 ft!•Hundreds of miles of trails•Popular destination for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing

Beaver Lake•Located in Benton County•487 miles of shoreline

Bull ShoalsLake•Located in North Central AR•Almost 1,000 miles of shoreline

CavesCosmic Cavern in Berryville

Mystic Caverns in Berryville

Ozark Culture

Art•Alive and well in the Ozarks!•Crystal Bridges art museum in Bentonville coming in 2010•Down home paintings, rugs, and crafts from Mountain Home’s Ozark Folk Center

MusicMountain View Bluegrass FestivalMar 12th-14th

Mulberry Mountain Music FestivalAug 13th-15th

Arkansas Music PavilionAll Summer

Bikes, Blues, and BBQ•10 years and growing!•Over 400,000 people attended in 2008!•Over 40 bands played•Over 100,000 bikes•$500,000 raised for local charities since the year 2000

University of Arkansas•Main campus in Fayetteville•Established in 1871•19,194 students in 2008

Arkansas Razorbacks•44 National Titles (4th most in nation)•17 Sports (10 women, 7 men)

•GO HOGS!!

Bud Walton Arena voted top 15 toughest place to play

Razorback Stadium voted top 25 toughest place to play

Business in the Ozarks

300 of the Fortune 500 companies are located in Northwest Arkansas.

Wal-Mart•Started in 1962 in Rogers, AR by Sam Walton•$10,000 invested in 1972 would be $10,186,000 today•In 2009, Wal-Mart is the world’s largest company with over $400 billion in sales•If Wal-Mart we’re a country, it would 23th richest in the world!

Tyson Foods•Started in 1931 in Springdale, AR by John Tyson

•One of the 100 largest companies in America

•World’s largest processor of chicken and pork

J.B. Hunt•Started in 1969 in Lowell, AR by Johnnie Bryan Hunt

•One of the largest trucking companies in the U.S.

•Over 12,000 semi trucks

•Over 47,000 semi trailers

Entrepreneurs in the Ozarks

Sam Walton•Born March 29, 1918 •Attended college at the University of Missouri in 1936•He worked for J.C. Penny and the U.S. Army before running a variety store in Newport, AR•The Newport store led the way for the Walton Five and Dime and then ultimately the Wal-Mart discount store

Sam Walton•Sam was 44 years old when the first Wal-Mart store opened in Rogers, AR•Sam and, wife, Helen had 4 children•In 1992, President H.W. Bush presented Sam with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor