Eureka Springs, Arkansas
| Eureka Springs, Arkansas | |
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| City | |
Clockwise, from top: aerial view of Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs Public Library, Carroll County Courthouse, Commercial Historic District at night, Thorncrown Chapel
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| Nickname(s): "Eureka", "Little Switzerland of America", "The Stairstep Town" | |
 Location in Carroll County and Arkansas |
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| Coordinates: 36°24′11″N 93°44′18″W / 36.40306°N 93.73833°WCoordinates: 36°24′11″N 93°44′18″W / 36.40306°N 93.73833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Carroll |
| Incorporated | 1880 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council government |
| • Mayor | Butch Berry |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.9 sq mi (17.9 km2) |
| • Land | 6.8 sq mi (17.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,260 ft (384 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,073 |
| • Density | 300/sq mi (120/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 72631-72632 |
| Area code | 479, exchange 253 |
| FIPS code | 05-22240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0048926 |
| Website | City website |
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Eureka Springs Historic District (Boundary Increase)
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| Location | South Main Street |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1913 |
| NRHP Reference # | 79003730 |
| Added to NRHP | January 29, 1979 |
Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States, and one of two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,073.
The entire city is on the National Register of Historic Places as the Eureka Springs Historic District. Eureka Springs has been selected as one of America's Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Eureka Springs has historically been called "The Little Switzerland of America" and "The Stairstep Town" because of its mountainous terrain and the winding, up-and-down paths of its streets and walkways.
It is a popular tourist destination for its unique character as a Victorian resort village. The city has steep winding streets filled with Victorian-style cottages and manors. The old commercial section of the city has an alpine character, with an extensive streetscape of well-preserved Victorian buildings. The buildings are primarily constructed of local stone, built along streets that curve around the hills and rise and fall with the topography in a five-mile long loop. Some buildings have street-level entrances on more than one floor. The streets wind around the town, and no two intersect at a 90 degree angle; there are no traffic lights.
Native American legends tell of a Great Healing Spring in the Eureka Springs area. People of various indigenous cultures long visited the springs for this sacred purpose.
The European Americans also believed that the springs had healing powers. After the Europeans arrived, they described the waters of the springs as having magical powers. Dr. Alvah Jackson was credited in American history with locating the spring, and in 1856 claimed that the waters of Basin Spring had cured his eye ailments. Dr. Jackson established a hospital in a local cave during the Civil War and used the waters from Basin Spring to treat his patients. After the war, Jackson marketed the spring waters as "Dr. Jackson's Eye Water".
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