Bentonville

History

The first known use by humans of the area which is now known as Bentonville, was as hunting grounds by the Osage Nation who lived in Missouri. The Osage would leave their settlements to hunt in present-day Benton County for months at a time before returning to their families. European settlers first inhabited the area around 1837 and named their settlement "Osage". By this time, the Osage had ceased using the area for hunting, and the European settlers began to establish farms. Upon establishment of Benton County on September 30, 1836, Osage was deemed a suitable site for the county seat, and the town square was established as the home of county government the following year. Osage was renamed Bentonville in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, a senator from Missouri who strongly supported Arkansas statehood. Two years after Arkansas received statehood in 1836, thousands of Cherokee people from Georgia passed through Benton County as part of the Trail of Tears route to the Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. Although no Civil War battles were fought inside Bentonville, the city was occupied by both armies and saw almost all of its buildings burned. That line has changed hands over time, but remains in use. The post-war economy helped Bentonville grow, with many new businesses starting. In 1950, Sam Walton bought the Harrison Variety Store on the Bentonville town square. He fully remodeled the building and opened "Walton's 5 and 10 Variety Store" on March 18, 1951. This single store eventually led to the creation of Walmart, the world's largest retailer, which still strongly influences the community today. The late twentieth and early twenty-first century has seen a dramatic reduction in the manufacturing sector in Bentonville, corresponding with an increase in…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.67%, is water. }}

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• BENTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BENTONVILLE · 3,322 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• ARKANSAS CONNECTIONS ACADEMY HIGH
  Other · BENTONVILLE · 3,231 students · 42:1 ratio
• BENTONVILLE WEST HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CENTERTON · 2,418 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• ROGERS HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ROGERS · 2,284 students · 18:1 ratio
• ROGERS HERITAGE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ROGERS · 2,080 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• KIRKSEY MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · ROGERS · 1,022 students · 16:1 ratio
• ELMWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · ROGERS · 1,007 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• GRIMSLEY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  Middle · Centerton · 887 students · 16.4:1 ratio