Bentonville is dubbed a new 'capital of cool' as Northwest Arkansas becomes one of the fastest-growing areas in the US and a hotspot for high culture

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Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation, drawing an influx of young professionals who are transforming it into a hip new hotspot.

Long known mainly for Razorbacks football and the rugged beauty of the Ozark Mountains, the area has become a happening cultural hub, with a Wall Street Journal travel writer recently declaring it 'a new capital of cool'.

The region, which includes the cities of Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville, is the 15th fastest-growing place in the US, on pace to double in population and hit nearly 1 million residents by 2045, according to US News and World Report.

That explosive growth has been fueled largely by Walmart's corporate headquarters in Bentonville, where founder Sam Walton opened his first 'Walton's Five and Dime' store in 1950.

The Walton family, which still owns nearly 50 percent of the retail giant, has poured some of that fortune back into the area, including funding the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art that opened in 2011.

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art that opened in 2011 has become a major tourist draw in Bentonville, Arkansas, with free admission and a collection worth $1.7 billion

Foodies are seen enjoying the the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks' annual 'Chefs in the Garden' event, which combines live music with food from the area's top chefs

The presence of Walmart, by far the largest US retailer with more than $611 billion in revenue last year, has attracted plenty of ambitious young employees to the area.

It's also drawn a flock of satellite offices from vendors anxious to maintain a presence close to the mothership, spurring a construction boom.

Northwest Arkansas is also a testing ground for Walmart's investments in futuristic delivery and transportation technologies for the retail world of tomorrow.

'It's a Jetson-like test market for drones and driverless trucks. It's a prime location for growing the advanced mobility and holistic health industries. And entrepreneurship is booming here,' wrote Axios journalist Worth Sparkman, who covers the region.

But Worthman noted that explosive growth has also come with drawbacks, including soaring housing prices, increased traffic congestion, and concerns about protecting the water supply from pollution.

According to Census data for the metro region that includes Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville, the area today has a population of 576,000, up more than 25 percent from 2010.

The National Association of Realtors ranked the area No. 4 on its list of the top 10 housing markets to watch for 2023 

The median list price for homes in the region was $433,500 last month -- up nearly 50 percent from August 2019 -- according to Realtor.com.

Northwest Arkansas, which includes the cities of Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville, is the 15th fastest-growing place in the US

That explosive growth has been fueled largely by Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, where founder Sam Walton opened his first 'Walton's Five and Dime' store (above) in 1950

A Fayetteville company, TheatreSquared, is a year-round professional theater, offering a unique audience experience of locally produced and nationally acclaimed productions 

Festival goers attend the Maverick screening at the 9th Annual Bentonville Film Festival Led By Geena Davis on June 17, 2023 in Bentonville, Arkansas

Wood-fired pizza is prepared during the Filmmaker Luncheon at the 9th Annual Bentonville Film Festival Led By Geena Davis on June 16, 2023

The region, which includes the University of Arkansas flagship campus in Fayetteville, is both younger and more educated than Arkansas as a whole, according to Census data.

The median age of 34.8 compares to the statewide median of 38.5, while one-third in Northwest Arkansas have at least a college degree, compared to one-quarter statewide.

Median household income in Northwest Arkansas is $71,767, well above the statewide figure of $52,528, and slightly higher than the national US median. 

In Bentonville, the influence of Walmart and founder Sam Walton's family is felt throughout the city. 

The original Walton's Five and Dime building still sits off the town square and is being renovated into an expanded museum documenting the company's early history. 

A temporary museum space, not far from the square, includes a hologram of Walton that answers visitors' questions.

The town has become a major tourist destination since Walton's daughter, Alice, founded the Crystal Bridges museum in 2011.

Crystal Bridges' collection, which is now valued at roughly $1.7 billion, features famous works of art such as Norman Rockwell's 'Rosie the Riveter' painting and includes a Frank Lloyd Wright house that was moved to the museum's grounds in 2015.

Admission to the museum's permanent collection is free, thanks to a sponsorship by Walmart, though tickets run $10 for certain special exhibits.

A sign announces the headquarters of the wordl's biggest corporation, Wal-Mart, on Walton Boulevard, named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, in Bentonville, Arkansas

Located in a modest, non descript red brick building, the Walmart headquarters in Bentonville still reflects the discreet philosophy of founder Sam Walton

Walmart associates dance in front of Sam Walton's original 5 & 10 store, now a museum, during the annual shareholders meeting event on May 31, 2018 in Bentonville, Arkansas

Crystal Bridges Art Museum is a free museum set up by the Walton family of Walmart fame

Not far from the museum, ground has been broken on another project funded by Alice Walton: a school of medicine that is expected to welcome its first class of students in 2025. 

The Walton family has also spent millions of dollars in improvements around the area, including a system of biking trails that also draws visitors.

Walmart is also the founding sponsor of the Bentonville Film Festival, an annual event focused on diversity that offers guaranteed multi-platform distribution to the winning films.

Although the film festival was first held in 2015, Bentonville did not get a functioning movie theater until 2018, and screenings were held around the town using mobile projection units.

The city now has a six-screen luxury multiplex with drinks and dining options. 

Wall Street Journal travel writer Kathryn O’Shea-Evans, who wrote about Bentonville last month, visited from the Denver suburbs with her husband and three-year-old son.

Food and drinks are seen at the Tusk & Trotter restaurant in Bentonville, Arkansas a

A sample flight is seen at Fossil Cover Brewery in Fayetteville

In college town Fayetteville, Dickson Street serves as the epicenter of nightlife fun for the region

A street scene is seen during 'A View of the World from Fifth Avenue' Q&A during the 9th Annual Bentonville Film Festival Led By Geena Davis on June 16, 2023 in Bentonville

She praised Bentonville as a cultural hotspot that was much easier to navigate with a toddler in a stroller than a larger city would be.

O'Shea-Evans wrote glowingly of local restaurant Preacher’s Son, housed in a renovated church and overseen by executive chef Neal Gray, who formerly worked at Napa Valley's renowned French Laundry. 

She also praised the upscale speakeasy Lady Slipper and family-owned roaster Airship Coffee. 

'The Bentonville of 20 years ago is not there anymore,' Republican state Senator Jim Dotson, whose district includes part of the city, told the AP earlier this year. 

'We've had so much growth, so much influx of folks that the small-town historical Bentonville that was the Sam Walton Bentonville where the five-and-dime started is virtually unrecognizable.'