01 Jun 2025 The capital city still has the big ideas to create big success
By Mayor Frank Scott, Jr.
Little Rock is the epicenter of government, finance, health care, arts, culture, dining, recreation and entertainment for the state and the region. It has been my honor and privilege to lead Arkansas’s capital city as its mayor since 2019.

Our city, the state’s largest, is resilient and strong. We demonstrated that during a global pandemic, major flooding and winter weather events, and a catastrophic tornado that impacted more than 3,000 structures on March 31, 2023. Despite adversity, we are stronger than ever, with a population approaching 215,000 and historic job growth helping shape Little Rock as a 21st-century catalyst for the new South.
In partnership with the Little Rock Regional Chamber and state and local economic development stakeholders, we have created more than 12,000 new jobs in the last few years. That number continues to increase as we focus on attracting business and industry, whether an emerging AI startup at our Tech Park downtown, or a longstanding major industry at the Port of Little Rock.
At the port, we have seen an $831 million capital investment in return for about $30 million in support from the city. This shows how Little Rock, specifically the port, offers real value as a logistics hub and centrally located place to do business. At the intersection of what I call the “four R’s,” rail, river, road and runway, the port is our most significant economic development asset.
In the last few months, a new 800-acre supersite has been certified as ready for development, while at the same time a billion-dollar data center has announced plans to locate at the port. That’s the largest single private investment in the city’s history! In addition, we just celebrated the opening of the first U.S. production facility for Elopak, a sustainable paper container manufacturer, and Amazon announced plans for another major distribution center.
These job creators land on Little Rock because of our intentional focus on quality of life and place. Forbes has ranked Little Rock as a top 10 city for young professionals, and Livability.com named Little Rock as one of the Top 100 places to live.
As a “city in a park,” we prioritize improvements at our 63 city parks, including new, accessible playgrounds, walking/cycling trails, and green spaces. The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is a jewel that anchors our thriving downtown along with the Clinton Presidential Center, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.
As a diverse, global-majority city, we pay tribute to our rich culture and civil rights heritage. We honor the Little Rock Nine, who courageously integrated Central High School, and value the partnerships offered by institutions like the Central High National Historic Site and Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.
Our quality-of-life initiatives also focus on making sure we have a safe city for residents and guests alike to enjoy. We have invested in technology, increased police salaries and focused on prevention efforts to create a successful, sustainable and holistic crime prevention strategy. Like every other metropolitan area across the country, we are working to reduce crime and change the perception of crime.
We set ourselves apart, though, because our comprehensive violence prevention strategy is working. Through the end of April, violent crime was down by 9% compared to a five-year average, and overall crime has decreased by a significant 19%. We will continue this progress!
As we look toward the remainder of 2025, I celebrate Little Rock and its positive growth and transformation. I appreciate the efforts and impact of our city team members, residents, and everyone who plays a part in making Little Rock stronger, safer and more unified than ever before!