Thefour-state area or quad-state area, also known as Southwest Missouri, and Northwest Arkansas is where the states ofArkansas,Kansas,Missouri, andOklahoma almost touch: Arkansas and Kansas share no boundary.[1][2] The metropolitan areas ofTulsa, Oklahoma;Springfield, Missouri,Joplin, Missouri; andFayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, Arkansas are in the region. Notable cities and towns in the area are Tulsa andMiami, Oklahoma;Pittsburg, Kansas; Joplin, Springfield, andMonett, Missouri; and Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, andBentonville, Arkansas.
The area is partially in theOzarks.Oil and gas production andcoal mining were and continue to be a large part of the region's industry. Today, a major driver of the region's economy isWalmart, the world's largest retail company, whose headquarters are in Bentonville. Also headquartered nearby in Northwest Arkansas areTyson Foods, the world's largest processor of chicken, beef, and pork (Springdale); and major trucking and transportation companyJ. B. Hunt (Lowell). The city of Joplin, Missouri is nearest to the center of the four-states area.
Outside of Tulsa (the largest city in the four-states area by far), the area has two primary television markets. The Joplin–Pittsburg market covers the region’s counties in Missouri;Ottawa County, Oklahoma (the only county in northeastern Oklahoma that is not designated as part of the Tulsa market); and most of those in southeastern Kansas (excludingChautauqua andMontgomery counties, which are also in the Tulsa DMA). It is served byKOAM-TV (channel 7,CBS; the station’s call letters stand for Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri),KFJX (channel 14,Fox/CW+),KSNF (channel 16,NBC),KODE-TV (channel 12,ABC), andKOZJ (channel 26,PBS; part of the two-station Ozarks Public Television regional member network).
The Fort Smith-Fayetteville market covers the counties that are in northwest Arkansas. Stations includeKNWA-TV (channel 51,NBC),KHBS/KHOG(40/29,ABC),KFSM (channel 5,CBS), and KAFT, one of the stations of theArkansas PBS member network. The majority of the households in the market are served by stations in theTulsa, Oklahoma metropolitan area, includingKOTV (CBS),KTUL (ABC),KJRH-TV (NBC), andKOKI-TV (Fox).
There are several universities in the four states.Missouri State University,Ozarks Technical Community College,Drury, andEvangel are all located inSpringfield, Missouri.Missouri Southern State University is located inJoplin.Pittsburg State University is located in Pittsburg.Coffeyville Community College is located in Coffeyville.[3]Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College is located in Miami. TheUniversity of Tulsa andOral Roberts University are located in Tulsa. TheUniversity of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Industries use the term to describe the region as a whole – businesses often name themselvesFour State ______ to attempt to describe the area they wish to serve.Interstates 44,49,540 and US Highways60,62,69,71,166,169,400, and412 serve the area. The historicRoute 66 also runs through the region.
