Highway 21 (AR 21, Ark. 21, and Hwy. 21) is a north–south state highway in north central Arkansas. The route of 99.14 miles (159.55 km) runs from US Route 64 (US 64) in Clarksville north across US 62 to Missouri Route 13 at the Missouri state line The route is entirely a two-lane route with the exception of a brief concurrency with US 62 in Berryville.
The route begins at US 64 in Clarksville near the Clarksville Municipal Airport and runs north to the Ozark National Forest. Highway 21 runs north to intersect Highway 292 near Ludwig and Ludwig Lake near Hillcrest in Johnson County. The route begins a concurrency with Highway 16 until Edwards Junction when Highway 21 turns north and serves as a southern terminus for Highway 43 at Boxley. Upon entering Madison County the highway intersects Highway 74 in Kingston and passes the Bank of Kingston, a property on the National Register of Historic Places. Continuing north, Highway 21 intersects US 412 along the Carroll County line.
Arkansas (i/ˈɑːrkənsɔː/) is a state located in the Southern region of the United States. Its name is of Siouan derivation, denoting the Quapaw Indians. The state's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and the Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the densely forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta. Known as "the Natural State", Arkansas has many diverse regions that offer residents and tourists a variety of opportunities for outdoor recreation.
Arkansas is the 29th largest in square miles and the 33rd most populous of the 50 United States. The capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the central portion of the state, a hub for transportation, business, culture, and government. The northwestern corner of the state, including the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area and Fort Smith metropolitan area, is also an important population, education, and economic center. The largest city in the eastern part of the state is Jonesboro. The largest city in the southeastern part of the state is Pine Bluff.
"Arkansas", written by Eva Ware Barnett in 1916, is one of the official state songs of Arkansas. It was first adopted as the state song in the early 20th century, but was removed in 1949 due to a copyright dispute. After the state settled the dispute by buying all claims to its copyright, it was restored as state song in 1963.
In 1987, the General Assembly elevated the song to "state anthem" in order to designate "Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me)" and "Oh, Arkansas", both written for the state's 150th birthday in 1986, as state songs; it also designated "The Arkansas Traveler", the state song from 1949 to 1963, as "state historical song".
Another 1987 law requires the Secretary of State to respond to all requests for copies of the "state song" with this song. However, this was done only to preserve the historical status of this song; all four songs are either copyrighted by the state itself or in the public domain. Today, the Secretary of State posts the lyrics to all four songs on its website.