Hot Springs

Hot Springs, city (1990 pop. 32,462), seat of Garland co., W central Ark.; settled 1807, inc. 1876. The city nearly surrounds Hot Springs National Park, whose hot mineral springs made the city a famous health resort. Bottled mineral water is produced, and there is diversified manufacturing. Situated in the Ouachita Mts., the city is at the center of the reservoir system of the Ouachita River. The area was visited by the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto in 1541. The properties of the local mineral waters were investigated in 1804 under the authorization of President Thomas Jefferson.

---

Hot Springs 

a city in Arkansas, in the eastern spurs of the Ouachita Mountains. Population, 35,600 (1973). Hot Springs is a balneological health resort. The climate is mild. The curative agents include 47 thermal springs (temperature, approximately 62°C), the water of which contains chlorine, sodium, iodine, and bromine and is used for bathing and bottling. Diseases of the joints, peripheral nervous system, and skin are among the disorders treated. There are 20 balneological institutions, a rehabilitation center, and a physical medicine center. The city lies within the Hot Springs National Park (reservation from 1832 to 1921). The area is a tourist center.