Fort Smith lies on the Arkansas–Oklahoma state border, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, also known as Belle Point. Fort Smith was established as a western frontier military post in 1817, when it was also a center of fur trading. The city developed there. It became well known as a base for migrants’ settling of the “Wild West” and for its law enforcement heritage.

The city government is led by Mayor George McGill, who in 2018 was elected as the city’s mayor (the first African American in its history), and a city Board of Directors composed of three members elected at-large and four members elected by ward.