The most populous cities in area code 501 are: Little Rock, Hot Springs National Park, Conway, Benton, and Searcy.
Other cities in the 501 area code include: Malvern, Cabot, Morrilton, Heber Springs, North Little Rock, Lonoke, Jessieville, Jacksonville, Beebe, Bryant, Maumelle, Greenbrier, England, Kensett, Bald Knob, Little Rock Air Force Base, Roland, Higden, Mabelvale, Bradford, Scott, Clinton, Paron, Perryville, Redfield, Center Ridge, Bauxite, Quitman, Mc Rae, Judsonia, Bigelow, Casa, Alexander, Griffithville, Vilonia, Pleasant Plains, Bee Branch, Lonsdale, Rose Bud, Donaldson, Bismarck, Scotland, Mayflower, Pangburn, Traskwood, Shirley, Enola, Cleveland, Fairfield Bay, Royal, Adona, Damascus, Hot Springs Village, Plainview, and Perry.
Little Rock is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is also the county seat of Pulaski County. It was incorporated on November 7, 1831, on the south bank of the Arkansas River close to the geographic center of the state. The city derives its name from a rock formation along the river, named "le petit rocher" by the French in the 1720s. The capital of the Arkansas Territory was moved to Little Rock from Arkansas Post in 1821. The city's population was 193,524 at the 2010 census. The six county Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is ranked 75th in terms of population in the United States with 724,385 residents according to the 2013 estimate by the United States Census Bureau. Little Rock is a cultural, economic, government, and transportation center within Arkansas and the South. Several cultural institutions are located in Little Rock, such as the Arkansas Arts Center, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, in addition to the hiking, boating, and other outdoor recreational opportunities. Little Rock's history is available through history museums, historic districts or neighborhoods like the Quapaw Quarter, and historic sites such as Little Rock Central High School. The city is the headquarters of Dillard's, Windstream Communications, Acxiom, Stephens Inc., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Heifer International, the Clinton Foundation, and the Rose Law Firm. Other large corporations, such as Dassault Falcon Jet and LM Wind Power have large operations in the city. State government is a large employer, with many offices being located in downtown Little Rock. Two Interstate highways, Interstate 30 and Interstate 40, meet in Little Rock, with the Port of Little Rock serving as a shipping hub.
Conway is a city in the American state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, located in the state's most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. Although sometimes considered a suburb of Little Rock, Conway is unique in that the majority of its residents do not commute out of the city to work. The city also serves as a regional shopping, educational, work, healthcare, sports, and cultural hub for Faulkner County and surrounding areas. Conway's growth can be attributed to its jobs in technology and higher education with its largest employers being Acxiom, the University of Central Arkansas, Hewlett Packard, Hendrix College, Insight Enterprises, and many technology start up companies. Conway is home to three post-secondary educational institutions, earning it the nickname "The City of Colleges". As of the 2015 Census Estimate, the city proper had a total population of 64,980, making Conway the seventh largest city in Arkansas. Central Arkansas, the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area, is ranked 75th largest in the United States with 731,612 people in 2015. Conway is part of the larger Little Rock–North Little Rock, AR Combined Statistical Area, which in 2015 had a population of 904,469, and ranked the country's 60th largest CSA.
The 501 area code lies within the Central Daylight Time Zone (or CDT). The current time in Central Daylight Time is 4:01 AM on Dec 20, 2022.