Commentary: NW Arkansas's past inspires region's present, future

Visionaries, philanthropists, taxpayers set stage for today’s success

We are no longer one of the best-kept secrets in the country. Northwest Arkansas has evolved into a place that blends the goodness and courtesies of small-town America with the palpable energy, vitality and optimism of a bustling and diverse metropolitan area.

You don't have to spend much time in this scenic corner of the state to experience the quality of life and understand why Northwest Arkansas is routinely ranked one of the best places to live and raise a family in the United States. That's why people are moving here and why so many friends I grew up with in Fayetteville who moved elsewhere are finding a way to come back home to live.

Much of the credit for how far Northwest Arkansas has come and for all we now have belongs to those who came before us, starting with area leaders who had the foresight and wherewithal to get the University of Arkansas located in Fayetteville in 1871 and the local leaders in the 1950s and '60s who understood we needed a source of plentiful water and then took the right steps to create Beaver Lake. Credit for the foundation of our flourishing and dynamic economy belongs to those who birthed and built great companies in Northwest Arkansas. Industry leaders like Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt Transport, along with countless other successful companies and businesses, have provided the jobs and generated the wealth that has fueled growth in Northwest Arkansas. And much credit is due to area taxpayers who've been willing to pay more to make our cities and schools better and to the families, individuals, businesses and foundations whose generous philanthropic investments throughout the area have immensely heightened the quality of life for everyone.

Each town in Northwest Arkansas beats with its own heart and has a mind of its own. Each has its own identity and its own attributes. Each has its own story to tell and its own future to shape. But gone are the days when each city was an island and the only city we cared about was our own. Borders have faded as population has exploded and as small towns have grown to become centers of commerce and culture. Wherever we reside, we are now part of something that stretches far beyond our own city limits. We are part of a region, one with common interests and goals and one in which a rising tide is lifting all boats.

Successful communities like those in Northwest Arkansas have good leadership and involved citizens from every walk of life, people who care about where they live and who have a "can do" attitude. People here are willing to do the hard work, always ready to lead and volunteer their time, and anxious to seize every opportunity to make their hometown a better place to live in, to work in, to look at and to visit. Area towns still compete in some ways but the competition is healthy and bringing improvements to each town. We now realize that the real competition in today's world is not between cities but between regions. Area leaders have figured out that regional cooperation is essential to a better future and that problems common to all of us require regional solutions.

Those of us who grew up here have been eyewitnesses to decades of remarkable change. Most of us never imagined we would live long enough to see a new and ever-growing regional airport, a world-class art museum in Bentonville, one of the nation's best public libraries and a beautiful and still expanding performance arts center in Fayetteville, a superb outdoor music pavilion in Rogers and the Jones Center and a fabulous minor league baseball park in Springdale. Most of us never thought we would have miles of paved bicycle trails throughout the area or that we would be able to ride a bike from Fayetteville to Bentonville on the Razorback Greenway.

Longtime area hospital are being substantially enlarged with new services and lots of new jobs and Arkansas Children's Hospital will soon build a new facility in Springdale, all of which will continue to increase access to excellent health care in the region. Fayetteville's university campus continues to make great strides and remains the center of higher education in Arkansas. Downtowns are being revitalized and farmer's markets are some of the best anywhere. With Razorback athletics, entertainment venues, cultural attractions, festivals and major events throughout the year, visitors are on the rise and there's plenty to do.

Amidst all the amenities we now have and all the good things we have going for us, our greatest asset is the friendly and down-to-earth people who make this place their home. It's the people here who are making a difference and are the heart and soul of Northwest Arkansas.

Commentary on 05/19/2016

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