Talk Business: According to John Brummett the 2010 census reflects major shifts for Arkansas. We are no longer a rural state, we are now suburban or metropolitan. Northwest Arkansas and central Arkansas are tied as leading population centers. As a result, the 2010 election was a "sea change." Arkansas is no longer a Democratic state. It may be a swing state.

These are all huge changes that will grow and dominate the decades ahead. See Brummett's column here. I like his title: "Not Your Father's Arkansas." It's not your father's Democrat party either.

What is striking too is that the population loss for eastern and southern (especially southeast) Arkansas has continued. This migration began during and after World War II as people sought jobs in northern and western states and it has not stopped yet.

I believe these population trends will more closely tie Arkansas with the culture of the Ozark Plateau and Ouachita Mountains, leaving behind the Delta and the southern counties.