The best examples of regional cooperation in the Fayetteville area can be found in the successful development of infrastructure projects that benefit the diverse communities of Northwest Arkansas. About 50 years ago, engineers created the beautiful Beaver Lake, providing the region with an almost unlimited supply of fresh water. The region’s major communities cooperatively joined together to create the Beaver Water District, which built water treatment and transmission facilities that today serve more than 300,000 people in the sixth fastest growing region in the U.S. The city is also part of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission which joins together businesses, community leaders and the public to help plan and promote region-wide development.

Another example of regional cooperation is found in the development of regional transportation projects. In 1990, the region’s five major communities and the Counties of Benton and Washington cooperatively joined together to create the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority to build a new airport that would serve the region’s growing economy and population. Today, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) serves almost 500,000 people with air travel on jet aircraft to 12 non-stop destinations – New York, Newark, NJ, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, NC, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Memphis, St. Louis and Cincinnati.