Mountain Home Arkansas

Blue text on an outline of the state of Arkansas on a white background

Mountain Home is situated in the southern Ozark mountains of northern Arkansas, between two lakes. The area was settled by Anglo-Americans in the early eighteenth century, and originally known as Rapp’s Barren, after the first permanent Anglo-American settler. The origins of the name “Mountain Home” are unclear, though legend claims that slaves named the area for the cooling breezes coming down off the mountains. During the Civil War, the area was embroiled in guerilla warfare, which resulted in Union-aligned forces burning the school in Mountain Home. The town became the seat of Baxter County in 1873, though it was not incorporated as a city until 1888.

In the 1930s, the area suffered from a drought and the Great Depression. Locals lost their farms and left the area in search of work. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) and other New Deal programs provided work for those who remained. Workers constructed key construction projects including bridges and a new courthouse. The construction of two dams in the 1940s and 1950s created jobs and reduced the risk of flooding, which revitalized farming in the region. The establishment of a large fish hatchery near the Norfork dam helped attract fishermen. Today, the city is known for freshwater fishing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. It is popular with retirees and vacationers.