This is the second article in our series about Ozarks culture and heritage in the counties of Arkansas that are part of the Ozarks region. Washington County is situated in the far northwest corner of Arkansas just south of Benton County along the western side of Arkansas. Washington County is part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The main campus of the University of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville right along Interstate Highway 540. Especially coming up I-540 from the south, it is a spectacular site in the Ozarks. Fayetteville is also the county seat of Washington County. Fayetteville is known as the "Track Capital of the World" for being the home of the University of Arkansas' track and field program which has won 42 national championships to date. Fayetteville is also ranked 8th on Forbes Magazines Top 10 Best Places in America for Business and Careers. Kiplinger's 2008 "Best Cities to Work, Live and Play" list featured Fayetteville as #7. See additional points of interest and history at the Fayetteville wikipedia site.
Fayetteville and Washington County is rich in history from the Louisiana Purcase to the present time. Washington County was established in 1828 and was named for the first President. The first white settlers, the McGarrahs, settled near a spring in an area that was to become the Masonic Addition to Fayetteville, the eastern part of which is ar the base of Mount Sequoyah. James Leeper, a Revolutionary War veteran, was the second settler in Fayetteville.
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