Rogers, Arkansas

History

Rogers was named after Captain Charles Warrington Rogers, who was vice-president and general manager of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway, also known as the Frisco. The town was established in 1881, the year the Frisco line arrived; it was at this time the area residents honored Captain Rogers by naming it for him. The community was incorporated on June 6, 1881.

Rogers was the location of the first Wal-Mart store, whose corporate headquarters is located in neighboring Bentonville, Arkansas. Daisy Outdoor Products, known for its air rifles, has both its headquarters and its Air Rifle Museum in Rogers. In June 2007, BusinessWeek magazine ranked Rogers as 18th in its list of the 25 best affordable suburbs in the American South. And in 2010, CNN Money ranked Rogers # 10 on their list of 100 Best Places to Live.

Historic commerce

The first retail business owned by the Stroud family was a store in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, which was co-owned by Allen Bryant Stroud (1831–1914) and his son Harlan Lafayette (H.L.) Stroud (1858–1950). That business was established prior to 1879 and Allen Stroud also served as postmaster at Pea Ridge for a time. In 1884, H.L. Stroud sold his interest in the Stroud store in Pea Ridge and purchased a dry goods store at the corner of First and Walnut Streets in Rogers which he named Stroud's Mercantile.

In 1887 he brought in his brother Evan Giesen (1868–1952) to serve as manager of his new business. In 1891 H.L. Stroud moved his business into a storefront on the north side of the 100 block of Walnut Street. Stroud's continued to prosper, and in 1899 H.L. built the brick building at 114–116 West Walnut Street. Stroud's continued to be the leading retail business in Rogers up into the 1960s, when in 1962 Sam Walton opened the first location of what would become the retail giant Walmart just seven blocks away. Walton's new store combined with the nationwide movement of retail centers from aged downtowns to malls and shopping centers slowly eroded Stroud's customer base, leading the locally beloved retailer to permanently close in 1993 after 109 years in business. In 1912 the city council formed a commission of local businessmen to facilitate the paving of downtown Rogers. Despite the constant complaints of dusty and muddy streets, and the enthusiastic support of prominent citizens such as Coin Harvey, bickering over the cost and method of paving delayed the start of the project until July, 1924. The downtown area was paved with concrete and overlaid with bricks in rows, changing to a basket weave pattern at the intersections of streets. The work was completed in December, 1924, and the brick pavement remains today, with renovations done to the streets in 2010.

Geography

Rogers is located at 36°19′46″N 94°8′29″W (36.329388, −94.141372). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.6 square miles (87 km²), of which 33.5 square miles (87 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.15%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by warm, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Rogers has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of 2010 Rogers had a population of 55,964. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 62.0% non-Hispanic white, 1.3% non-Hispanic black, 1.0% Native American, 1.0% Asian Indian, 1.6% other Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.1% non-Hispanics of some other race, 3.0% from two or more races and 31.5% Hispanic or Latino.

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,829 people, 14,005 households, and 10,209 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,158.0 people per square mile (447.1/km²). There were 14,836 housing units at an average density of 442.4 per square mile (170.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.75% White, 0.47% Black or African American, 1.05% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 9.43% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. 19.29% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,005 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city, the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,474, and the median income for a family was $45,876. Males had a median income of $30,911 versus $22,020 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,761. About 9.4% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

In addition to the Rogers Commercial Historic District, Rogers has numerous properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the oldest being the Pea Ridge National Military Park.

Retail

Rogers has two shopping malls: Frisco Station Mall and Pinnacle Hills Promenade.

Sports

Since 2007, Rogers has hosted the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. The 54-hole event is held at Pinnacle Country Club in late June.

Dock Wheeler Park in Rogers houses the largest softball program in the state of Arkansas, while Foerester Park is home to the largest soccer program in the state.

Rogers is also host to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the United States.

Parks and recreation

Rogers has five large sports parks, 14 neighborhood parks along with a swimming pool, a skateboard and splash park, 26 athletic fields, an activity center, a YMC, and two lakes, along with five golf courses and a trail system totaling over 23 miles (37 km). The NWA Razorback Regional Greenway is a 36-mile (58 km) primarily off-road shared-use trail that connects the region's trail systems to various community attractions. There is also the Rogers Family Aquatic Center.

Other recreational attractions in the surrounding area includes Beaver Lake, Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area and War Eagle Mill & Cavern to the east of Rogers, as well as historical Civil War battlefield, Pea Ridge National Military Park, about 10 miles outside of Rogers.

Government

The mayor of Rogers since 2011 is Greg Hines. The previous mayor, Steve Womack, won election to the United States House of Representatives in 2010 for the seat vacated by John Boozman, now a U.S. senator.

Secondary education

Rogers is home to several public and private school districts and schools including:

Postsecondary education

The city has local campuses of the University of Phoenix, Bryan College, University of Arkansas, Harding University, and John Brown University.

Other nearby schools and campuses include the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), Northwest Arkansas Community College (Bentonville), and John Brown University (a Christian school in Siloam Springs).

Television

Rogers is served by the television market based out of Fort Smith and Fayetteville, Arkansas. The big four television stations are KFSM (CBS), KFTA (Fox), KHOG (ABC), and KNWA (NBC).

Radio

Radio stations in the city include:

Print

The daily paper in Rogers is the Rogers Morning News, with a special "A section" dedicated to news just for Rogers and surrounding cities. The rest of the newspaper is the Northwest Arkansas edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (the "B section" is the regular Democrat-Gazette "A section," complete with front page and masthead).

Highways

Airports

Rogers Municipal Airport (ROG), also known as Carter Field, is home to Wal-Mart's air fleet. All commercial aviation, however, goes through the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA), located about 15 miles west of Rogers in Highfill, Arkansas.

Notable people