Bella Vista, Arkansas

The area now encompassed by Bella Vista was used by groups of Osage and Delaware who utilized the area for seasonal hunting grounds. A prominent rock shelter known as Hay Bluff along US 71 was used by various groups in the area and remains an important archaeological site, before later being used by early settlers to store hay. The area was established as a primitive summer resort in 1909 by a Bentonville minister who envisioned golf, tennis, and inexpensive lots for summer cabins. In 1915, Lake Bella Vista was created by damming Little Sugar Creek. By 1916, the resort was sold to the Linebarger Brothers Realty Company, who further developed the resort to include more amenities, including the Sunset Hotel and Wonderland Cave nightclub. Early cabins recognized on the National Register of Historic Places include Blackwell-Paisley Cabin, Bogan Cabin, Hagler-Cole Cabin, Lamberton Cabin, Pharr Cabin, Princedom Cabin, and Sutherlin Cabin. The resort began catering to city dwellers with automobiles and came to include "colonies" of residents from Dallas, Texas and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bella Vista became a retirement community in 1965, and, after much contention and a 2006 vote of its property owners, became an incorporated city. Following its official incorporation on January 1, 2007, the new city government took over the police department, fire department, streets, trash removal and other city functions, while the Property Owners Association (POA) retained control of the many amenities available to members (property owners) and their guests. ==Geography==

Bella Vista is located in northern Benton County. Its northern border is the Missouri state line. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (3.35%) is water, consisting mainly of the several lakes within the city. ==Demographics==

Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 30,104 people, 12,986 households, and 9,373 families residing in the city. The population density was . Of the 12,986 households, 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 62.1% were married-couple households, 12.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (97.7%), Spanish (1.6%), Indo-European (0.3%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.4%), and Other (0.0%). ==Parks and recreation==

Lakes Bella Vista has seven private lakes, which members of the community or their guests are permitted to use. These include: • Lake Ann - a man-made lake featuring water sports. • Lake Windsor • Loch Lomond • Lake Avalon • Lake Brittany - a , limited-power lake. ==Government==

Bella Vista's Declarations and Protective Covenants is the "rule book" that governs the Property Owners Association (POA). Residents voted in 2006 to incorporate as an official city effective January 1, 2007. The POA still remains intact to service the recreational amenities and provide water, and the City of Bella Vista now has responsibility for police, fire, streets, library, community development, and other services. ==Education==

The following school districts serve the city. On the east side and part of the west side is the Bentonville School District, and on the west side west of Camden Street is Gravette School District. A few blocks in the east are zoned to the Pea Ridge School District. The Bentonville portion is zoned to the following schools: • Cooper Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, and Sugar Creek Elementary School have separate sections. • Most of the section is zoned to Old High Middle while some sections to the southeast are zoned to Ruth Barker Middle School and some to the southwest are zoned to Ardis Ann Middle School. • Washington Junior High School and Lincoln Junior High School have separate sections. • All of that portion of Bella Vista is zoned to Bentonville High School. ==Infrastructure==

Electricity Carroll Electric Cooperative provides electricity for Bella Vista residents. Public safety The Bella Vista Fire Department is a career fire department with four fire stations, and 63 firefighters. The fire department provides Advanced Life Support paramedic service to the city with six ambulances. In 2010, the department took control over the Bella Vista Ambulance Services. Transportation The final segment of Interstate 49 (I-49)was completed around Bella Vista in 2021. The new route bypassed Bella Vista to the south and west, removing through traffic from Highway 71. Other highways include Highway 279 (Forest Hills Boulevard) and Highway 340 (Lancashire Boulevard). Stump Dump Fire of 2018 A dump site had begun an underground fire in August 2018. In December 2018, health officials declared the air within a half-mile radius around the property was at unhealthy levels on one occasion. An emergency declaration was made by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The Bella Vista POA took over this project in early May 2019 and had the fire extinguished in less than 30 days. ==Notable people==

• Donna Hutchinson, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013 • Chris Mortensen, sports journalist who worked for ESPN for decades • Jim Sheets, member of the Arkansas House from 1967 to 1968 in the Winthrop Rockefeller administration, retired resident of Bella Vista • Garth Smith, award winning pianist, composer and musician noted for his contributions to LDS Gospel Music ==See also==