A contemporary city that grew out of Walmart's influence
Bentonville is the city that Walmart built. In 1950, when Walmart founder Sam Walton moved to town, the population was less than 3,000. Walton bought a dime store that was the precursor to Walmart. He set up shop across the street from the town square, which everyone knew by the Confederate statue at its center.
Today more than 61,000 people call Bentonville home. The square is still the center of activity, but the statue is gone – a symbolic but meaningful gesture that signaled Bentonville’s transformation from traditional small town to contemporary urban city. Bentonville is now symbolized by a thriving community that revolves around world-class art, a vibrant dining scene and outdoor adventures that makes it the jewel of Northwest Arkansas.
“With Sam’s vision and the connectivity of Walmart, … vendors and suppliers moved to the area to service Walmart. That changed our environment,” says Kalene Griffith, the longtime CEO/President of Visit Bentonville. “What Walmart did was create an innovative kind of culture in our community. Being the home of Walmart allowed us to see the possibilities.”
Learn the history and legacy of Sam Walton at the Walmart museum in downtown Bentonville.
The Bentonville square offers a variety of dining and shopping options.
See Stefan Sagmeister's "Lakes and Rivers" interactive art installation in Bentonville.
Nothing relaxes like an afternoon fishing the pond at Osage Park.
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Walmart’s latest expansion will include a new corporate campus
Bentonville cannot be separated from Walmart's economic impact, and that influence continues to grow. The company’s corporate headquarters will soon be moving to a 350-acre site closer to Interstate 49. The new headquarters will include 12 buildings, nine parking decks, a childcare center and two lakes. A hotel, auditorium and amphitheater are also planned for the site. J.B. Hunt, Tyson Foods and the Bentonville School District are other major employers.
Walmart continues work on it's new state of the art headquarters in Bentonville.
The current Walmart Headquarters is located on Walton Boulevard in Bentonville.
The new Walmart headquarters includes 12 buildings on a 350 acre site in Bentonville.
The new Walmart headquarters has a childcare center, hotel, auditorium, and ampitheater.
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Contemporary attractions include Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, diverse dining scene
Nothing illustrates the city’s changes more than the downtown square and its surroundings, which have been central to the community since 1837. On one side is Walton’s original store, which is now a museum. On the other is the Benton County Courthouse. While they point to Bentonville’s past, everything else points to its future.
One of the premier downtown attractions is The Ledger office building, a contemporary workspace that stands out in more ways than one. “I think it’s the first bikeable building in the United States; you can take the ramp that’s outside the building all the way to the sixth floor,” Griffith says. “What I love about it is that it has integrated art into the facility. There’s even art on the ramps.” Bentonville is filled with public art, and the most well-known installation graces The Ledger’s exterior. “Lakes and Rivers” is the work of artist Stephan Sagmeister. The interactive installation consists of two largemouth bass designed with 268,947 shimmering disks that move and change with the elements.
More contemporary art can be found at the 21C Museum & Hotel. Next door is Lawrence Plaza, a popular gathering place that is a splash park in the summer and a skating rink in the winter. The Plaza connects to other attractions such as Compton Gardens and Arboretum, Scott Family Amazeum and the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art. A passion project of Alice Walton and her Walton Foundation, the museum opened in 2011. Admission is free. “It has more than 500 pieces of art from the Colonial Period to the Contemporary Period,” Griffith says. “Amazing quality in a state-of-the-art facility. It’s an amazing experience for an art lover but also for someone who is a novice in the art world.”
Downtown also features a dining scene typical of a much-larger city. Matthew Cooper, the chef at Conifer, and Rafael Rios, the man behind Yeyo's El Alma de Mexico, were 2024 James Beard Award finalists. Conifer is an upscale contemporary restaurant that focuses on fine dining in an intimate setting. “We have a lot of locally owned and chef-driven farm-to-table experiences in the community,” Griffith says. “Conifer is one of those, The Preacher’s Son, the Hive at 21C, Tusk & Trotter.” Yeyo's El Alma de Mexico is a family-run eatery whose inspiration is Mexican street food. It is part of the 8th Street Market, a community-focused hub that features a food truck park. Other downtown favorites include Pedaler’s Pub and Oven & Tap, known for its wood-fired pizza and craft cocktails. “You’ve got this mix of elevated cuisine and some really cool causal spots,” Griffith says. Boutique shops and independent businesses downtown include Onyx Coffee Lab, Three Dog Bakery and Block Street Records. Pinnacle Hills Promenade, which is located just off I-49, offers an array of upscale shopping and dining options. And, of course, residents can shop at Walmart Supercenter and several Walmart Neighborhood Markets.
The World's first bikable office building, The Ledger, is in downtown Bentonville.
The Amazeum is an incredible experience for kids and kids at heart.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville is iconic.
Many kids learn to skate at Lawrence Plaza during the Lights on the Square.
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A dedicated cycling culture in the ‘Mountain Biking Capital of the World’
Growth and modernization are also evident in Bentonville’s recreational options. Residents have access to about 100 bike trails in and around the city. “You can go to the downtown square and get on a trail within one block. It’s an urban single-use trail. That’s almost unheard of. Most places you have to drive somewhere to get on a trail.”
The focus on biking is relatively new, having grown out of discussions among officials during COVID. The city, however, has quickly adapted to support its ambitions. “Our community as a whole has adopted cycling,” Griffith says. “Our hotels have bike lockers, our restaurants have bike racks, our retailers have bike racks. Everyone has bought in.” This includes the city having protected bike lanes and specific trails for adaptive riders. “We’re not catering to just one group, we’re catering to all,” Griffith says. “It allows us to call ourselves the ‘Mountain Biking Capital of the World.’”
The more-challenging mountain bike trails are concentrated at Slaughter Pen Trail and Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. The Razorback Regional Greenway, which begins just north of Bentonville in Bella Vista, is a 40-mile bike path that connects all of the major cities in Northwest Arkansas. It ends at Kessler Mountain Regional Park in Fayetteville.
Osage Park is a popular green space built around Lake Bentonville. The walkable complex is highlighted by floating boardwalks that allow visitors to walk on water, so to speak. The lake is large enough to offer space for kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. Pickleball courts and a playground provide additional activities. “I’ve been here 20 years, and one of the things I value is that you still have that small-town charm and southern hospitality along with the big-city amenities that are very accessible,” Griffith says. “It creates a quality-of-life experience. There’s always something to do within our community.”
Coler Mountain Bike Preserve features over 19 miles of trails, differing in difficulty.
The Slaughter Pen Trails compose of 40-plus miles of single-track in Bentonville.
Compton Gardens connects to the Razorback Greenway and the Slaughter Pen Trail.
The pickleball courts are a great place to spend an evening with friends or family.
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Median home price highest in Northwest Arkansas
With significant growth comes an increased standard of living. Bentonville’s median household income increased about 25 percent from 2017 to 2022. The current median home price of $462,000 is the highest in Northwest Arkansas. It’s also slightly higher than the national average. The city offers a mix of historic homes, sprawling estates, established ranch-style options and new construction that includes contemporary condos and townhouses. Large Victorian-style homes stand out among the extensive renovations in some of the city’s more expensive neighborhoods.
Overall, prices range from $300,000 to more than $3 million. To combat the need for affordable housing as the population expands, the city created Project ARROW in partnership with the city council, local developers, national planning commissioners and residents. The initiative launched in 2023, spearheaded by the Housing Affordability Work Group. Residents enjoy a temperate climate and all four seasons. The occasional snowstorm can cause issues given the city’s location in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.
New homes are common in the vastly expanding Bentonville, with a variety of new traditional styles.
Condominiums are one of many new types of homes popping up across Bentonville.
Bentonville offers many renovated historic homes like this one, built in 1890.
Newer neighborhoods of larger homes are springing up in west Bentonville.
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All 23 schools in Bentonville School District are A-rated
The Bentonville School District, which earns an A-plus from Niche, serves almost 19,000 students. Niche ranks it as the second-best district in the state. All 23 of its schools are A-rated. Bentonville High School is the largest non-charter public school in the state. Northwest Arkansas Community College earns a B from Niche. The school recently partnered with Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food to offer an innovative approach to education in the culinary arts. The Certified Sous Chef Apprenticeship consists of technical instruction and on-the-job paid training over the course of two to three years. The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is a medical teaching school that is slated to open in 2025. A related Walton facility is the Heartland Whole Health Institute, which is being built on the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art campus.
Niche.com rates Mary Mae Jones Elementary as #40 in Best Public Elementary Schools in Arkansas.
Ardis Ann Middle School is a highly rated, public school located in Bentonville.
Fulbright Junior High School is a top rated, public school located in Bentonville.
Bentonville High School is rated A+ by Niche.com
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Convenient access throughout the region via I-49
Interstate 49 is the primary corridor for travel through Northwest Arkansas. Rogers is just minutes away, and the interstate provides quick access to Springdale and Fayetteville. Northwest Medical Center is a centrally located facility that has been serving the city since 1942. Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas is right off I-49. Bentonville does not have comprehensive public transportation, but Ozark Regional Transit offers on-demand service to selected destinations and provides a paratransit service as well. The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport is now the Northwest Arkansas National Airport. It offers travel to more than 25 destinations.
Crime
Bentonville’s rapid growth has resulted in some big-city problems, such as increased crime. However, the crime rate is still 36% below the national average, according to statistics released by the FBI in September of 2023. Both violent and property crimes are individually below the national average, with one in 308 people likely to experience violent crime and one in 84 likely to be a victim of a property crime. In 2022, the Bentonville Police Department introduced a community tool called Bentonville Citizen Connect. The app lets locals search specific areas for crime rates, report incidents and request service needs.
Heather Campbell has an impressive history of being one of the top Real Estate agents in Northwest Arkansas and has sold over $240 Million in Real Estate since becoming a realtor in 2007. Heather’s extensive knowledge of new construction homes and her vast knowledge of the current resale market is one reason buyers and sellers alike appreciate working with her. She is enthusiastic about Real Estate and her success is due to her willingness to work hard while knowledgeably representing her clients and understanding that communication is the “key” to a successful transaction. Heather takes considerable pride in being an expert in the area and utilizing her expertise to find the best homes for her clients. She has also built a Real Estate team that enhances her ability to better serve her clients. Your NWA Home consists of some of the best area Realtors and a dedicated support staff. Heather is consistently a Top 10 Realtor in Northwest Arkansas and was the #2 ranked Realtor in 2020 nationally for Weichert. Heather is active in her community and enjoys the outdoors with her three daughters and her dog, Milo.
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