Harrison: Located in the heart of the beautiful Ozark Mountains at an elevation of 1,200 feet, and with a population of approximately 12,200 residents, Harrison is the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas, and serves as the center of activity for over 80,000 individuals who come from the surrounding areas to do business, shop, and find entertainment. Harrison offers the conveniences of an urban area yet retains the qualities of a small town. The local air of friendliness has earned it national recognition as one of the "best places to live."

Harrison is known as the "Crossroads of the Ozarks," and for good reason too! -- Harrison is only minutes away from many of the best spots that the Ozark Mountain Region has to offer.

The Majestic Buffalo River National Park is only 15 minutes south of Harrison and stretches some 159 miles, offering great canoeing, spectacular scenery of cliffs and waterfalls, fishing, camping, and hiking trails. Numerous other local streams such as Crooked Creek offer fantastic small-mouth bass fishing. The White River located approximately 30 miles east of Harrison offers world-class trout fishing.

Eureka Springs, an eclectic Neo-Victorian Community, only 40 miles to the west, is a historical village teeming with talented artisans, unique shops, good restaurants, and astounding architecture hidden around every corner. Eureka Springs is most well-known as the location of "The Great Passion Play" -- the world's largest outdoor drama.

The Ozark Folk Center located in Mountain View, is only hour and a half drive southeast from Harrison and features seasonal craftspeople exhibiting numerous local pioneer skills (crafts, art, musical instruments, music, story telling, etc.). Nearby is the Blanchard Spring one of the most beautiful free flowing springs and cavern systems in America.

Branson, MO., lies just 40 miles north of Harrison and is considered the top location in the United States for music and entertainment theaters (it contains more theater seats than New York City!) There are also numerous discount/factory-outlet shopping malls, The Shepherd of the Hills --an outdoor drama, and two theme parks: Silver Dollar City -- an 1880's theme park with many rides and craft shops; and White Water, a large water park that is quite popular in the summer.

Area Lakes offer a variety of water sports including boating, skiing, and fishing. Each of the area lakes offers varying species of game fish (White Bass, Black Bass, Striped Bass, Trout, Crappie, Catfish, etc.) to test your fishing skills as well as a wide range of available camping facilities.

Climate: Moderate with four distinct seasons favorable to outdoor activities. In Spring (March-May) the average high temperature is 69 while the average low is 47. In the Summer (June-August) the average high temperature is 87 while the average low is 66. The Fall (September-November) has an average high temperature of 70 while the average low is 49. Winter (December-February) has an average high of 48 while the average low is 38. The wettest months are March-April with July-August being the driest. Average yearly rainfall is 46 inches.

Medical: Harrison has a 174 bed fully certified medical facility with a wide range of services including: intensive care, cardiac care, dialysis unit, outpatient care, a

radiation-therapy institute, laser surgery, renal dialysis, M.R.I., 24 hour emergency service, ambulance service and helicopter pad . The active medical staff presently includes 44 physicians in the following fields: anesthesiology, cardiology, dentistry, emergency medicine, family practice, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, pathology, pediatric dentistry, radiology, and urology.

Education: Harrison has one of the finest school systems in the state of Arkansas and was recognized nationally by USA Today in 1990 as one of the top 4 schools nationally for quality of education in terms of money spent per pupil. Harrison has 5 elementary schools (kindergarten - 6th grade) with 1550 students, 114 full time & 19 part time faculty; one junior high (7th - 9th grades) with 798 students and 55 full time faculty; and one high school (grades 10th - 12th) with 650 students and 47 full time faculty.

Harrison consistently wins recognition for honor achievements in academic pursuits as well as extracurricular activities such as band, choir, FBLA, DECCA, and school-sponsored sports (football, cross country, soccer, basketball, tennis, golf, and track). Harrison hosts North Arkansas College, a North Central Association accredited comprehensive two-year college of 1,600 students which offers a wide variety of classes towards numerous 2-year associate degrees, Adult Education Classes, Community Based Education programs, 1-year technical certificates, ABE-GED classes, and Distance Learning programs in cooperation with the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and Arkansas State University at Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Local Lending Institutions: As the county seat of Boone County, Harrison serves as the social, political, and economic center for north central Arkansas. Harrison offers the services of at least nine lending institutions that range from large nationally owned to totally locally owned firms. Check the web sites of the following two locally owned and operated lending institutions, Community First Bank and First Federal Bank, to see examples of the financial services that are available in Harrison.

Harrison Chamber of Commerce: For comprehensive information about Harrison and the North Central Arkansas region CLICK HERE.

Main Street Harrison also has a local events calendar that can be found by clicking on the following link. CLICK HERE.