The tiny town that gave America a president is now fighting for its own survival.
Hope, Arkansas, is located in the southwest corner of the state and home to around 8,000 people.
It is the birthplace of former President Bill Clinton and other prominent figures – including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, his daughter former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee, California’s first black Secretary of State Shirley Weber, and multiple judges.
But what was once a booming railroad town – with daily passenger services, two hotels and three movie theaters – fell on hard times in the late 20th century.
Although Clinton has previously offered some support, local residents are now taking the future of their town into their own hands to prove that Hope is more than just a political slogan.
The birthplace of former President Bill Clinton has become an unlikely symbol of resilience in America after years of steady decline
Hope, Arkansas, once thriving, is looking to its residents to ignite a revival and reclaim its future
The end of passenger rail service in the 1960s and the completion of Interstate 30 in the 1970s shifted commerce away from the town center. Pictured: Main Street in Hope (1950)
The end of passenger rail service in the 1960s and the completion of Interstate 30 in the 1970s shifted commerce away from the town center.
By the 1980s, most small shops downtown had shuttered.
This decline continued through the 1990s.
Longtime resident John Sitzes, 37, emphasized the loss of the roller rink, movie theater, putt-putt golf, and bowling alley of his youth to USA Today.
When Bill Clinton famously declared ‘I still believe in a place called Hope’ during his 1992 Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech, locals thought it would mark a turning point.
‘Hope became the center of the universe for a short period of time,’ former mayor Dennis Ramsey told USA Today.
Journalists and tourists flocked to the town, but it didn’t last in the spotlight.
‘We weren’t ready for it. We had no place for people to go,’ he admitted.
‘Of course, the Clinton house was in total disarray, and it had a fire in the roof and was abandoned. Downtown at that point in time was not a very appealing place.’
This small town of 8,000 people, located in the southwest corner of the state, is fighting to reclaim its place on the map and prove that hope isn’t just a political slogan
Clinton has contributed to his hometown through various initiatives and support over the years – for instance through his involvement in the establishment of the Clinton Birthplace Foundation
By the 1980s, most small shops downtown had shuttered. This decline continued through the 1990s (Main Street Looking north in Hope Arkansas. Late forties)
Hope, Arkansas circa 1904
A view of downtown Hope, Arkansas, 1964
Clinton has contributed to his hometown through various initiatives and support over the years – for instance through his involvement in the establishment of the Clinton Birthplace Foundation.
This foundation helped preserve his childhood home, which is now a National Historic Site managed by the National Park Service.
Additionally, during his presidency and after, Clinton has been involved in programs that broadly benefit Arkansas through his work with the Clinton Foundation.
However, it’s unclear exactly how much Clinton has raised in terms of financial contributions directly to Hope.
In 2011, when he visited his hometown, he shared his childhood memories.
As he dedicated his first home as a national historical site, he recalled his life in the wood frame house which is bordered on two sides by railroad tracks.
‘I used to sit here and wonder where those trains were going, and I wondered if I’d ever get to go there,’ he said at the time.
This foundation helped preserve his childhood home, which is now a National Historic Site managed by the National Park Service
Although Clinton offered some support in the past, local residents are now taking the future of their town into their own hands
Once a thriving railroad town with daily passenger service, two hotels, and three movie theaters, Hope fell on hard times in the late 20th century
The former president claimed the country was enduring hard times because people were too focused on money and not enough on each other.
‘We’ve gotten away from being a people-centered society [and become] a money-centered society,’ he said.
Clinton told the hundreds of people in attendance that growing up without a television led him to focus on people and the stories they told.
‘We here of a certain age were raised to see everyone. My grandfather taught me to see people without regard for the color of their skin,’ he said.
Clinton lived the first four years of his life in the white, two-story home with his mother, Virginia, and her parents, Eldridge and Edith Cassidy. His father had died before he was born in 1946.
Additionally, during his presidency and after, Clinton has been involved in programs that broadly benefit Arkansas through his work with the Clinton Foundation
In addition to Clinton, a number of prominent figures, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a White House chief of staff, a California secretary of state, and multiple judges, were born in Hope
The house is three blocks from the downtown area that has more than its share of empty storefronts.
Clinton also recalled how his grandfather would serve both black and white customers at his grocery store – a rare practice during segregation.
‘In many ways, I know that all I am or ever will be came from here,’ he said.
Displays in the visitor center at the museum focus on how Clinton developed his values, and he said that his home now stands as ‘a symbol of a story.’
Clinton added: ‘I hope some of the good I got out of being here will be somehow communicated’ to people who visit.’
Clinton spent the second half of his boyhood in Hot Springs, where he graduated from high school, which also has a number of Clinton-related sites.
In 2011, when he visited his hometown, he shared his childhood memories (President Clinton waves at a group of well-wishers in Hope, Arkansas after visiting a boyhood friend’s home)
However, it’s unclear exactly how much Clinton has raised in terms of financial contributions directly to Hope
Now, Hope’s residents have taken matters into their own hands.
Led by energetic locals like Beckie Moore, 70, the town has embarked on a mission to restore its downtown and attract new businesses.
Moore, who led the restoration of Clinton’s childhood home and later served as the Chamber of Commerce director, has been instrumental in revitalizing the area.
‘You can’t go buy it. You can’t plant a seed and grow it but the folks you’ve talked to today, have it. And it begins here. Hope has to begin in the heart,’ Moore said.
Today, downtown Hope boasts several restaurants, clothing stores, a photo studio, antique shops, and even an Asian grocer and Hispanic ice cream shop.
The vacancy rate has dropped from 60 percent to just 6 percent.
John Caldwell and his wife Sharon opened Tailgaters Burger Co. in 2011, giving the old Capital Hotel building new life.
Surprisingly, some of Hope’s young residents are optimistic about the town’s future
The restaurant has become a popular gathering spot for families and teens.
But despite progress, Hope still faces major challenges.
The county has one of the state’s lowest income rates and voter registration rates.
‘Anyone with money has left’, Sitzes told USA Today. ‘Doctors and lawyers send their kids to private schools or have moved away,’ the outlet added.
Many residential areas show signs of neglect, with abandoned homes and potholed streets.
‘When you drive into residential areas, you think ‘I can’t bring people here’,’ said Barbara Noble, 66, who runs an antique store downtown.
‘There are groups of us now that we’re pushing the envelope a little bit just to say, hey, let’s really do something here that can make us all proud.’
‘Hallelujah for these precious people who saw the hope and saw the potential and began to breathe life back into downtown Hope,’ Moore said.
At Hebrews 11:1 Coffee Shop on Main Street, recent high school graduates expressed their intention to return after college
Anneta Bradford owner of Hebrews 11:1 Coffee in Hope, Arkansas
Some of Hope’s young residents remain optimistic about the town’s future.
At Hebrews 11:1 Coffee Shop on Main Street – owned by Anneta Bradford – recent high school graduates expressed their intention to return after college.
Tara Henry, 18, heading to Arkansas State University, said ‘It feels like right now in this country, lots of things are uncertain, and things are constantly changing.’
But Hope, she said, ‘is a place where people are supporting you and building you up. It feels like they really want you to succeed here. I’ve loved that kind of community.’
‘I feel like I will be back.’
