First
Impressions "First impressions are everything," has been said about meeting people. Entering a town for the first time prompts those same first feelings. Many things factor into a town's first impression: buildings, landscape, weather, road conditions, or even social activity.
The photo above illustrates the amazing entry sequence into Cotter, crossing the historic
Rainbow Arch Bridge, experiencing the misty White River, looking down on
visitors at Big Spring Park, spotting fishermen and boats, and entering
the compact little community.
The photo to the left shows
the entry point and close proximity to other amenities like Hopkins
Overlook and Big Spring Park, downtown area, and the south axis pavilion. You
may also view a larger photo (1184 x 1520, 181k) .
Cotter has one of the most picturesque entry sequences of any small town in Arkansas. You exit Hwy. 62 Bypass, descend a narrow, steep and winding, wooded road down to the beautiful misty White River, and cross the famous historic Rainbow Arch Bridge into Cotter. While passing over the White River, you see the railroad bridge to your left and Big Spring Park to your right. You arrive in Cotter, a compact little community sited on a narrow peninsula formed by a sharp bend in the White River. The town is only seven blocks wide. The north side culminates at a bluff high above the river, slopes gradually south through downtown, across the railroad tracks, and back to the river. This amazing entry sequence is something that should be exploited by the community. The entrance to Cotter from the west, the one described above, is far more memorable than the entrance to Cotter from the east. For this reason, You should encourage new visitors to approach from the west. With signage, you can direct visitors from the east past the intersection of Hwy. 62B and the new Hwy. 62 Bypass where the liquor store is located, and send them down the hill, across the river, past the bypass overlook, and back to the west entry to Cotter. One problematic issue related to the current Cotter entry sequence, is the fact that the downtown area is not located on the path through town. The UACDC recommends that the primary route through Cotter include an experience of the downtown area. This can be achieved with some rerouting of Hwy. 62B. Some similar type of rerouting through downtown should be initiated for Hwy. 345 as well. The UACDC discovered one very significant intersection in the approach to downtown Cotter. This occurs just after you cross the bridge, at the Combs Street and Hwy. 62B intersection. The Cotter Team established the name for this location as "The Cotter Entry Point." We felt like this intersection required a four-way stop. This intersection is the perfect location for travelers to stop and determine whether they would like to go south, and visit Big Spring Park, proceed east to experience the downtown area, go west across the Rainbow Arch Bridge, or head north past Hopkins Lookout and back to Hwy 62 Bypass. The Cotter Entry Point should be beautifully landscaped on all four sides and become another landmark for the city. The drawings in the following pages suggest possible design for this significant area. [Below: Two views of 4-way stop proposal]
[Below: Two views of circle entry proposal]
A sign is often the first physical recognition that you have entered town. The town sign should be simple, memorable, appropriate, and, of course, visible. Drivers entering town have no time to safely read sentences of information, so words must be eloquent. The town sign is a challenging graphic design problem. In past summers we spent time designing a town sign. This was not necessary in Cotter, because the community had already established a logo and design. However, there was a discrepancy in the town slogan. It seems that "Trout Capital USA" is the preferred, slogan, but we also noticed "A Nice Place to Call Home" used in some places. The community needs to select one slogan and stick with it. |
Cotter, Arkansas - Trout Capital
U.S.A.
