Little Rock is the capital and the most populous city of the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Pulaski County. Little Rock derives its name from a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River called la Petite Roche ("the little rock"). The "little rock" was used by early river traffic as a landmark which became a well-known river crossing.
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In 2005, the city's population was estimated at 184,422. Little Rock, North Little Rock and Conway are co-principal cities of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area, an area with a population of 666,401 people, according to 2007 census estimates.
While the media home price, which directly affects area home insurance, is relatively low at $142,000, the per capita income for the city is only $23,209 and 14.3% of the population is below the poverty line.
Major employers throughout Little Rock include Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Raytheon, Entergy, Siemens, AT&T Mobility, Kroger, Affiliated Foods Southwest and Timex. The median commute time, which affects Little Rock auto insurance rates, is 17.2 minutes and 5.5% of the population as a commute time of 45 minutes or longer.
The city boasts a thriving medical community, which impacts Little Rock health insurance and life insurance rates. One of the largest public employers in the state, with over 9,400 employees, is the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The hospital and its affiliates — Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System — have a total economic impact in Arkansas of about $4.1 billion per year. UAMS receives less than 11% of its funding from the state. Its operation is funded by payments for clinical services (64%), grants and contracts (18%), philanthropy and other (5%), and tuition and fees (2%).