West Memphis, Arkansas

West Memphis is a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas. Covering 30 sq mi (68.9 sq km), West Memphis has a population of 31,000 (2011 estimate). It is the biggest city in Crittenden County, but not the county seat. The city is in the Central Standard Time Zone, which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-6) and 5 hours behind during Daylight Saving Time in summer.

The West Memphis area was visited by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto, who arrived in 1541 with 300 Spanish conquistadors and about the same number of Native American slaves. He found the site densely populated by indigenous tribes. After he left the site two years later, no other European was to returnh for another hundred and thirty years, until the arrival of a French expedition in 1673. By that time, the area was vastly different from what the Spanish had documented it to be.

West Memphis, Arkansas
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Broadway_West_Memphis_AR.jpg
Author: Thomas R Machnitzki


Years were to pass before the first European immigrant settled in the area. That was Benjamin Foy, a native of Holland, who was sent by the Spanish governor to establish a settlement there in 1795. It was called Foy's Point but renamed Camp de la Esperanza two years later. The name was anglicized to Hopefield following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

Crittenden County was established in 1825. it was named after Robert Crittenden, the first secretary of Arkansas Territory. In 1857, Hopefield became the eastern terminal for the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad.

The town suffered terribly during the American Civil War, and on 19 February, 1863, it was razed to the ground. Although the town was rebuilt after the war, it has lost its prominence. Then in 1912, a big floor destroyed what was left of Hopefield, and it was never rebuilt again. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Crittenden County the town of West Memphis was created in 1884 and incorporated in 1923. Fueled as a manufacturing and distribution hub, it grew to become the biggest city in Crittenden County. West Memphis was hit by a tornado in 1987. It claimed six lives and caused damage of around $35 million.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, West Memphis
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Memphis_Building.jpg
Author: Dmm1169

Visiting West Memphis, Arkansas

You can fly to West Memphis, arriving at a number of airports. While the nearest is West Memphis Municipal Airport, most of the commercial flights land at Memphis International Airport (MEM) in neighboring Tennessee, which is the main hub for FedEx Express. Delta Air Lines maintains a hub at MEM. It also receives passenger flights from Europe and Asia.

Places of Interest in West Memphis, Arkansas

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