Little Rock is in the center of the state of Arkansas, close to the center of the United States in the Sunbelt. Sitting on the south bank of the Arkansas River, it is the state's geographical, governmental, and financial center, as well as a major convention hub. A population of 182,274 lives within the Little Rock city limits. More than 513,000 live in the greater Little Rock metropolitan area, including North Little Rock just across the Arkansas River.

Spanish and French explorers passed the site in the 16th and 17th centuries, naming it La Petite Roche because of a small outcrop that marked the transition from the flat Mississippi Delta region to the Ouachita Mountain foothills. A simple translation turned the town into Little Rock when it replaced Arkansas Post as the territorial capital in 1821.

Within an hour of Little Rock's downtown are world-renowned duck hunting in rice-growing regions to the southeast and wild scenic vistas, streams, and trails in forested mountains to the north and west.