It was incorporated in 1836 and received a city charter in 1859 (abolished by the legislature in 1867); reincorporated as a town in 1870, it again became a city in 1906. Fayetteville suffered severely during the American Civil War. The battles of Pea Ridge (Pea Ridge, Battle of) (March 7–8, 1862) and Prairie Grove (December 7, 1862) were fought nearby. After the Battle of Fayetteville (April 18, 1863) the town was occupied by the Union army until the end of the war.

The city now is in an agricultural and resort area, with farm-based industries, food processing, aluminum products, tools, and clothing important to the economy. Fayetteville acquired a reputation as a centre of education through its early schools, especially Sophia Sawyer's Fayetteville Female Seminary (1839) and Arkansas College (1852; destroyed during the Civil War), the state's first degree-granting college. The University of Arkansas (Arkansas, University of) was founded there in 1871 as Arkansas Industrial University. The Arkansas Air Museum is located at Drake Field, and approximately 15 miles (24 km) to the south is the western portion of Ozark National Forest (Ozark–Saint Francis National Forest). Pop. (1990) city, 42,099; Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA, 210,908; (2000) city, 58,047; Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA, 311,121.

city, seat of Cumberland county, south-central North Carolina, U.S. It lies on the Cape Fear River at the head of navigation, about 70 miles (113 km) south of Raleigh. The two original settlements of Cambellton (1762) and Cross Creek (c. 1760) united in 1778 and were incorporated and renamed for the marquis de Lafayette (Lafayette, Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de) in 1783.

Fayetteville was the state capital (1789–93) and the scene (November 21, 1789) of a second state convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution (Constitution of the United States) (after its earlier rejection at Hillsboro (Hillsborough)). A fire destroyed more than 600 buildings in 1831. A federal arsenal there was seized by the Confederates early in the American Civil War; Union troops under William Tecumseh Sherman (Sherman, William Tecumseh) occupied the city in March 1865 and destroyed the arsenal.

Nearby Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base are the economic mainstays. Manufacturing (tires, power tools, automotive products) is also of some importance. Fayetteville State University, founded in 1867, is part of the University of North Carolina (North Carolina, University of) system; other schools are Methodist College (1956) and Fayetteville Technical Community College (1961). The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex has exhibits on the history and development of North Carolina, and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum and the 82nd Airborne Division Museum are at Fort Bragg. Bladen Lakes State Forest is about 25 miles (40 km) to the southeast. Pop. (1990) city, 75,695; Fayetteville MSA, 274,566; (2000) city, 121,015; Fayetteville MSA, 302,963.