TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) - Hot Springs, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff and Texarkana are among 144 cities that the federal government is proposing to downgrade from the metropolitan statistical area designation and it could be more than just a matter of semantics.
Officials in affected cities elsewhere in the country said they worry that the change could have adverse implications for federal funding and economic development.
Under the new proposal, a metro area would have to have at least 100,000 people in its core city to count as an MSA, double the 50,000-person threshold that has been in place for the past 70 years. Cities formerly designated as metros with core populations between 50,000 and 100,000 people, like Bismarck and Sheboygan, would be changed to âmicropolitanâ statistical areas instead.
Hot Springs National Park Turns 100 TodayâThe Oldest Protected Land in America
Mar 4, 2021
On the slopes of Hot Springs Mountain in the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, the first-ever piece of United States land was protected foreverâ40 years before Yellowstone became the first national park.
NPS/Mitch Smith
Today, Hot Springs National Park will celebrate its centennial: having been converted from a Reservation (its 1832 designation, which âreservedâ it as a recreation area, closed to development) to a National Park in 1921âabout a hundred years after the Quapaw Indians ceded the land around the hot springs to the US in a treaty and moved to a reservation south of the site.
A Perfect Valentine Getaway Just 90 Minutes From Texarkana
Hot Springs Arkansas has always been my favorite place to visit for a weekend getaway or a week-long vacation. Having lived there for almost 11 years I discovered so many things to see and do. And with Valentine s Day fast approaching, I have found the perfect little piece of heaven nestled in between a canopy of trees in the Ouachita forests.
The place I m talking about is Hot Springs Treehouses located about 6 miles from downtown Hot Springs National Park. Just far enough to enjoy the natural beauty of the natural state but close enough to enjoy all the amenities that downtown Hot Springs has to offer. Growing up I had a friend who had a treehouse and we would spend countless hours playing games, talking, and just enjoying the view. The Hot Springs Treehouses are far above the type of treehouse I was used to spending time in. The best way to describe these treetop treehouses is luxurious. Each treehouse is specially theme
As many of you may know Hot Springs, Arkansas was a notorious hangout for mobsters and gangsters in the 1920 s who wanted to remain under the radar away from the big city life. One of the most notable gangsters was Al Capone, who s nickname was Scarface.
If you ever spent some time in Hot Springs then you ve most likely have heard that Al Capone frequented the spa city, Capone even had his own place he stayed while trying to elude law enforcement officials. That place has now has been turned into one of the hottest unique places to stay in this historic national park. Capone s Loft is a one-of-kind luxury two-bedroom, two-bath complete with a full-size kitchen and all the modern conveniences of home. But wait there s more! The master bedroom was once used during the prohibition era as a gambling room and is equipped with a whiskey delivery hatch in the ceiling. Step out on the balcony and you ll be overlooking Central Avenue and the shortest street in the world, Bridge Street home o