Clarksville and the Ozark Wine Country
Sitting in the Arkansas River Valley between the Ozark and Ouachita mountain ranges, Clarksville is the county seat of Johnson County with a population around 9,400. The town was established in 1836, the same year Arkansas became a state, and named after a territorial legislator. Interstate 40 runs just south of town, connecting Clarksville to Little Rock 100 miles east and Fort Smith 65 miles west.
University of the Ozarks, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, occupies a hilltop campus on the north side of town. The school enrolls about 600 students and has operated continuously since 1834, making it one of the oldest colleges west of the Mississippi. Its small size means the student body and the town overlap considerably, with students working in local businesses and attending community events.
Johnson County sits in the heart of Arkansas's wine-producing region. The Altus area just to the south has vineyards dating to the 1870s when Swiss and German immigrants recognized the similarity of the Arkansas River Valley's soil and climate to European wine regions. Post Familie Vineyards and Wiederkehr Wine Cellars both operate within a short drive of Clarksville. The annual Altus Grape Festival, held since 1982, draws visitors from across the state.
The Ozark National Forest borders Clarksville to the north, and the town serves as a gateway to hiking trails, swimming holes, and bluff overlooks along the upper reaches of Spadra Creek. Logging and poultry processing are the primary industrial employers in Johnson County, alongside the university and the local hospital.
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Sitting in the Arkansas River Valley between the Ozark and Ouachita mountain ranges, Clarksville is the county seat of Johnson County with a population around 9,400. The town was established in 1836, the same year Arkansas became a state, and named after a territorial legislator. Interstate 40 runs just south of town, connecting Clarksville to Little Rock 100 miles east and Fort Smith 65 miles west.
University of the Ozarks, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, occupies a hilltop campus on the north side of town. The school enrolls about 600 students and has operated continuously since 1834, making it one of the oldest colleges west of the Mississippi. Its small size means the student body and the town overlap considerably, with students working in local businesses and attending community events.
Johnson County sits in the heart of Arkansas's wine-producing region. The Altus area just to the south has vineyards dating to the 1870s when Swiss and German immigrants recognized the similarity of the Arkansas River Valley's soil and climate to European wine regions. Post Familie Vineyards and Wiederkehr Wine Cellars both operate within a short drive of Clarksville. The annual Altus Grape Festival, held since 1982, draws visitors from across the state.
The Ozark National Forest borders Clarksville to the north, and the town serves as a gateway to hiking trails, swimming holes, and bluff overlooks along the upper reaches of Spadra Creek. Logging and poultry processing are the primary industrial employers in Johnson County, alongside the university and the local hospital.
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