Conway

History

The city of Conway was founded by Asa P. Robinson, who came to the area shortly after the Civil War. Robinson was the chief engineer for the Little Rock-Fort Smith Railroad (now the Union Pacific). Part of his compensation was the deed to a tract of land, one square mile, located near the old settlement of Cadron. When the railroad came through, Robinson had deeded a small tract of his land back to the railroad for a depot site. He laid off a town site around the depot and named it "Conway Station" in honor of a famous Arkansas family. Conway Station contained two small stores, two saloons, a depot, some temporary housing, and a post office. Despite being founded as a railroad town, there is currently no passenger service; this is attributed to the increasing emphasis placed on cars. In 1878, Father Joseph Strub, a priest in the Roman Catholic Holy Ghost Fathers, arrived in Arkansas. A native of Alsace-Lorraine, Strub was expelled from Prussia during the Kulturkampf in 1872. He moved to the United States, settling in Pittsburgh, where he founded Duquesne University in October 1878. Difficulties with Bishop John Tuigg led Strub to leave Pittsburgh in late October 1878 to travel to Conway. In 1879, Strub convinced the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad to deed along the northern side of the Arkansas River to the Holy Ghost Fathers in order to found the St. Joseph Colony. This included land on which Father Strub founded and built St. Joseph Catholic Church of Conway. As part of the land deal, the railroad offered land at 20 cents per acre to every German immigrant. In order to attract Roman Catholic Germans to Conway and the surrounding areas, Father Strub wrote The Guiding Star for the St. Joseph Colony. In addition to extolling the qualities of Conway and the…

Geography

Conway is located in southwestern Faulkner County. Interstate 40 passes through the northern and eastern sides of the city, with access from Exits 124 through 132. Via I-40, Memphis is to the east, Little Rock is to the east (south), Russellville is to the west, and Oklahoma City is to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, Conway has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.54%, is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Conway has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,365
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  4,596
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  4,345
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,310
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,988
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,787
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,545
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  3,297

Largest nearby schools

• CONWAY HIGH WEST
  High · CONWAY · 2,181 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• CONWAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  Other · CONWAY · 1,597 students · 16:1 ratio
• CARL STUART MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · CONWAY · 741 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• RUTH DOYLE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
  Middle · CONWAY · 562 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• CAROLYN LEWIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · CONWAY · 548 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• BOB COURTWAY MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · CONWAY · 498 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• RAY/PHYLLIS SIMON INTERMEDIATE
  Middle · CONWAY · 490 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• THEODORE JONES ELEM. SCHOOL
  Elementary · CONWAY · 486 students · 18.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.88 — 2025-01-03
  11 km E of Pangburn, Arkansas
• M 2.93 — 2021-11-18
  3 km SW of Prattsville, Arkansas
• M 2.78 — 2021-01-23
  4 km NNW of Greenbrier, Arkansas
• M 2.51 — 2018-09-23
  20 km W of Clinton, Arkansas
• M 2.65 — 2017-07-22
  14 km SW of Mountain View, Arkansas
• M 2.57 — 2017-01-12
  9 km E of Leola, Arkansas