Stuttgart

Stuttgart, city, northern district seat of Arkansas county (the southern seat is De Witt), east-central Arkansas, U.S., about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Little Rock. Settled in 1878 by Lutheran minister Adam Buerkle (born in Stuttgart, Germany) and his congregation, the city was incorporated in 1889, raised to a city of the second class in 1897, and to that of the first class in 1917. Stuttgart has long been an agricultural and trading centre and the growing, processing, packaging, and marketing of rice is the mainstay of the economy; other locally produced crops include soybeans, wheat, and oats. Cattle and fish production are also important, as is the manufacture of heating and cooling equipment. Biotechnology is of increasing significance, with several research facilities (conducting studies on fish, rice, cotton, and soybeans) in the vicinity. White River National Wildlife Refuge is 28 miles (45 km) southeast. Stuttgart is well known for its duck hunting, notably at Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area, about 15 miles (24 km) southwest. Pop. (2000) 9,745; (2010) 9,326.