Altus, AR

Altus is a city in Franklin County in the Arkansas River Valley, where the Ozark Mountains rise along the northern edge of town. The 2020 census counted 665 residents. Altus sits at the center of Arkansas's Altus American Viticultural Area, with vineyards and wineries spread through the surrounding hills. The city began with a railroad and coal-mining economy, but grapes have become the signature crop and the reason the place carries Arkansas Wine Country on its map.

ATTRDoug Wertman from Rogers, AR, USA / CC BY 2.0

Altus station opened when the railroad reached town in 1875, at the highest point on the line. St. Mary's Catholic Church, built in 1902, is known for its painted interior, gold-leaf details, and Roman architecture. Central Institute, the school that later became Hendrix College, began in Altus in 1876 before moving to Conway in 1890. The Ozark School District serves local students today. Altus is a small valley city with a railroad beginning, a college chapter, a historic church, and a wine industry rooted in vineyards first planted in 1872.