Норт-Ли́ттл-Рок, А́рканзас: исто́рия и современность

City in Arkansas, USA

North Little Rock (often abbreviated "NLR") is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. It is the twin city of Little Rock. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 Census, making it the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. The city has been experiencing significant beautification efforts over the past few years, resulting in renewed interest from young families and professionals. Areas such as the Argenta Historic District in Downtown have turned into thriving entertainment districts offering theaters, fine dining, bars, gastropubs, and boutiques. It is also home to Dickey Stephens Park, which hosts the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team, and Simmons Bank Arena, the metropolitan area's main entertainment venue. Farther west is Burns Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the United States.

Originally named Argenta, Arkansas, it was founded on April 18, 1871. In 1890, the city of Little Rock annexed Argenta as part of its eighth ward, preempting a competing petition to incorporate. As part of a plan to reclaim its independence, Argenta was incorporated on July 17, 1901, as the town of "North Little Rock". By 1904, the state's supreme court allowed North Little Rock to annex what was left of the ward. It readopted the name Argenta in 1906, only to revert to North Little Rock in October 1917. Evidence of the old town can still be found in the North Little Rock City Hall (built in 1914) which contains plaques referring to Argenta, and incorporates "C of A" (i. e. City of Argenta) ornamental features.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 47.0 square miles (122 km2), of which 44.8 square miles (116 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (6 km2) (4.58%) is water.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, North Little Rock has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. North Little Rock has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot, and sunny summers and mild, wet winters with little snow. January on average is the coldest month, while July is typically the warmest, though occasionally August can claim the distinction. The overall yearly average temperature is 62.5 degrees. Precipitation averages 45.79 inches a year, with winter and spring tending to be wetter than summer and autumn. Severe thunderstorms can occur, especially during the Spring, on April 25, 2011, a possible tornado struck the air force base in the city.

Dickey Stephens Park is the location of the Arkansas Travelers baseball team.

The City of North Little Rock elected officials are a mayor, city council of city council members (eight total, with two from each of the four wards), city clerk/treasurer, city attorney, and two judges. This is supplemented by a number of boards and commissions composed of city officials and residents.

North Little Rock is home to the headquarters of the Arkansas Municipal League (AML), the state's only municipal representation organization. AML prides itself on providing leadership to each city or town before the state and federal governments. It is also a place for discussion and sharing of mutual concerns.

The North Little Rock Public Library System has two branches: the Argenta Branch Library and the William F. Laman branch, which was named after a former mayor.

North Little Rock is also the eastern terminus of Interstate 30 and southern terminus of the Arkansas designated portion of Interstate 57. Interstate 40, US 65, US 67, and US 167 all run through the city.

North Little Rock is home to the headquarters of Rock Region Metro, Arkansas's largest transit agency. Before 2015, it was known as CATA (Central Arkansas Transit Authority). That same year, all of CATA's former buses were retrofitted to be energy efficient. Rock Region's main bus terminal is located in Little Rock nearby the city's River Market. Rock Region also has the Metro Rail streetcars, which are a group of classic black and yellow streetcars that can be seen in Little Rock’s River Market and North Little Rock’s Argenta.

In the city's northern part is the North Little Rock Municipal Airport. It has several hangars and is frequented by people who fly biplanes. It is a reliever airport for Clinton National Airport. It is also home to the National Weather Service North Little Rock, Arkansas. This is a major weather service authority in the region and frequently works with major media platforms to inform Arkansans of weather patterns in the state.

The North Little Rock Police Department operates unmanned aerial vehicles and has been working with a small pilotless helicopter since 2008.

In addition to fire and EMS calls, the North Little Rock Fire Department (NLRFD) responds to calls for their Special Operations Response Team, Haz Mat Response Team, and Water Rescue for the Arkansas River.