Delta
"The Delta is terribly poor and some people are still have very horrible living conditions"
The Arkansas Delta refers to the eastern portion of the state adjacent to the Mississippi River. The region is largely rural with a primarily agricultural economy. Women in the area face limited economic and educational opportunities. Although nearly all of Arkansas experiences abject poverty, in Delta counties such as Phillips and Chicot the poverty level nears or exceeds 40% of the population. This holds true for unemployment rates among women as well. Delta counties have some of the highest unemployment numbers in the state. These statistics are the result of the era when plantations mechanized production and laborers were laid off. Industries never moved into the area, and many people were left jobless.
Ozarks
"The rural Ozarks have more poverty and it is probably harder to rise up for people in these regions"
"Northwest Arkansas on the other hand is booming with potential"
The Ozarks refers to the western portion of the state located to the north of the Ozark Mountain range. With the exception of the northwest corner, the region is largely rural with few industries. Despite a wider range of employment in the more urban areas of Fort Smith and Fayetteville, most women remain engaged in service industries. Because most women do not associate Northwest Arkansas and the Ozarks as being the same area, opinions about this portion of the state are often contradictory. In 1995, Benton County, home of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and located in the Ozarks, was the only county in the state to drop below double digits for the percentage of people living in poverty.
Central Arkansas
The Central Arkansas area encompasses several of the larger cities within the state including the capitol city of Little Rock. Many women who live and work in Little Rock and the surrounding areas have voiced the sentiment, "I wouldn't stay in Arkansas if I had to live outside of Little Rock...conditions are horrible." Some women believe that "educational standards in Little Rock are not any better than the universities of the small town." Statistics show that poverty rates for counties surrounding the capitol city, and including Pulaski, are no better (and are often worse) than many other areas of the state, including the Ozarks. Central Arkansas may have more "opportunities" but it also has more of the urban problems associated with those opportunities.
Ouachitas
The southwest region of the state, including the Ouachita Mountains, encompasses cities such as: Camden, El Dorado, and Arkadelphia. This area is largely rural with an agriculturally based economy. Southwest Arkansas escapes the erroneous characterizations of neighboring regions because non-residents simply do not know what the area is like. The prevailing idea is that "southwest Arkansas has some industry, with fair educational opportunities, and a moderate poverty level." Other women consider the region as "poor with a landed gentry much like the Delta and [with] the added influence of timber, oil, and mineral industries." In reality, the southwest portion of the state is poor with 17% of Howard County's population living below the poverty line and peaking with 32% of the Lafayette County population. The major industries in the southwest area are farming, raising chickens, and cutting timber. Despite the poverty, one resident proudly stated, the area is "very rural (even for Arkansas), though a number of towns offer good schools and nice communities."
"The Delta is terribly poor and some people are still have very horrible living conditions"
The Arkansas Delta refers to the eastern portion of the state adjacent to the Mississippi River. The region is largely rural with a primarily agricultural economy. Women in the area face limited economic and educational opportunities. Although nearly all of Arkansas experiences abject poverty, in Delta counties such as Phillips and Chicot the poverty level nears or exceeds 40% of the population. This holds true for unemployment rates among women as well. Delta counties have some of the highest unemployment numbers in the state. These statistics are the result of the era when plantations mechanized production and laborers were laid off. Industries never moved into the area, and many people were left jobless.
Ozarks
"The rural Ozarks have more poverty and it is probably harder to rise up for people in these regions"
"Northwest Arkansas on the other hand is booming with potential"
The Ozarks refers to the western portion of the state located to the north of the Ozark Mountain range. With the exception of the northwest corner, the region is largely rural with few industries. Despite a wider range of employment in the more urban areas of Fort Smith and Fayetteville, most women remain engaged in service industries. Because most women do not associate Northwest Arkansas and the Ozarks as being the same area, opinions about this portion of the state are often contradictory. In 1995, Benton County, home of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and located in the Ozarks, was the only county in the state to drop below double digits for the percentage of people living in poverty.
Central Arkansas
The Central Arkansas area encompasses several of the larger cities within the state including the capitol city of Little Rock. Many women who live and work in Little Rock and the surrounding areas have voiced the sentiment, "I wouldn't stay in Arkansas if I had to live outside of Little Rock...conditions are horrible." Some women believe that "educational standards in Little Rock are not any better than the universities of the small town." Statistics show that poverty rates for counties surrounding the capitol city, and including Pulaski, are no better (and are often worse) than many other areas of the state, including the Ozarks. Central Arkansas may have more "opportunities" but it also has more of the urban problems associated with those opportunities.
Ouachitas
The southwest region of the state, including the Ouachita Mountains, encompasses cities such as: Camden, El Dorado, and Arkadelphia. This area is largely rural with an agriculturally based economy. Southwest Arkansas escapes the erroneous characterizations of neighboring regions because non-residents simply do not know what the area is like. The prevailing idea is that "southwest Arkansas has some industry, with fair educational opportunities, and a moderate poverty level." Other women consider the region as "poor with a landed gentry much like the Delta and [with] the added influence of timber, oil, and mineral industries." In reality, the southwest portion of the state is poor with 17% of Howard County's population living below the poverty line and peaking with 32% of the Lafayette County population. The major industries in the southwest area are farming, raising chickens, and cutting timber. Despite the poverty, one resident proudly stated, the area is "very rural (even for Arkansas), though a number of towns offer good schools and nice communities."