Fayetteville, city, seat of Washington County, northwestern Arkansas, in the Ozark Mountains; settled 1828, incorporated as a city 1906. It is an industrial and distribution center situated in a rich agricultural region; major manufactures include processed food, clothing, wood and metal products, electronic equipment, and sporting goods. Fayetteville is the site of the University of Arkansas (1871). The settlement, first called Washington Court House, was renamed in 1829 for Fayetteville, Tennessee. The American Civil War battles of Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove were fought nearby in 1862, and the Battle of Fayetteville occurred here in 1863. Population 36,608 (1980); 42,099 (1990); 58,047 (2000).
