This directionally intentional name has no specific set boundary beyond the Arkansas western border with Oklahoma and northern border with Missouri. Within Arkansas, the boundary is amorphous.
The place name can be used geographically to take in the whole northwest quadrant of the state map, from Russellville west to Fort Smith and north to Harrison, but it is more often used culturally to refer to the four counties in the northwest corner: Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties, or to just the two counties of Benton and Washington, depending on context.
At some level, the term implies a cultural and economic cohesion for the region, a cooperative sense that the cities and communities in the region improve and do better because they complement one another.
At a governmental level, the primary organization providing regional guidance is the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. In tandem, the nonprofit Northwest Arkansas Council has guided many of the region’s improvements, including establishing the regional airport, building Interstate 49 and improving the region’s water system.
The acronym “NWA” is often used for shorthand.