James M. Loughborough was a railroad entrepreneur and he had a Daughter named Hope. So when he founded a town in southern Arkansas in 1875 he named it after his daughter. Hopes first public school was opened in 1880 and was in use until 1908 And in 1886 Professor Henry Clay Yerger started teaching African American children. This made Hope the first town west of the Mississippi to educate the African American population. Ever since the 20's Hope, has been an important stop on the railroad and in transportation in general. Hope is also known for its watermelons, that, at least according to the people of Hope,a re the largest and best tasting in the world.
Hope, Arkansas, is maybe best known for being the birth town of President Bill Clinton.

City Officials

Position	Name
Mayor	Don Still
City Manager	JR Wilson, Jr.
City Clerk	Natashia Riley-Davis
City Attorney	Randall Wright
Police Chief	Kimberly Tomlin
Fire Chief	Todd Martin
Sanitation Superintendent	Nathaniel Holyfield
Street Superintendent	Kenneth Harvel
Wastewater Superintendent	Scott Ross
Building Inspector	Carl Conley
Code Enforcement Officer	Dorsey Askew
Geographic Information Systems Director	Darrell Allen
Information Technology Director	Darrell Allen
Information Technology Director	Jeff Campbell
Parks, Recreation Director	Summer Powell
City Director	Linda Clark
City Director	Trevor Coffee
City Director	Reginald Easter
City Director	Steve Montgomery
City Director	Mark Ross
City Director	Kiffinea Talley
Finance Director	Cindy Clark
Human Resources Director	Amber Murr