Arkansas Living, the monthly magazine sent to members of the North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) and other electric co-ops across the state, is celebrating its 80th anniversary this November. Published by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, the magazine debuted in 1946 as *Arkansas REA News*, a black-and-white, eight-page issue mailed to 21,018 rural co-op members.
Now spanning 44 full-color pages, *Arkansas Living* delivers stories about the state’s people, places, food, and history to more than 375,000 addresses through 16 localized editions. The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas tout it as the largest-circulation publication in the state.
“Eighty years is an extraordinary milestone, especially in publishing,” Jennifer Christman Cia, director of publications and editor of *Arkansas Living*, said. “Generations of Arkansans have grown up with this magazine in their homes, clipping recipes, reading about people and places across Arkansas, and discovering more about the state they love.”
The magazine is provided as a benefit of membership in participating cooperatives, including NAEC, which serves Baxter County and surrounding areas. In addition to lifestyle content, it offers energy efficiency advice, electrical safety tips, and local co-op news.
“For 80 years, *Arkansas Living* has been an important connection between our electric cooperatives and the members we serve,” said Vernon “Buddy” Hasten, president and CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC) and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AECI). Hasten also authors the magazine’s regular column, *The Cooperative Difference*.
The November issue honors the anniversary with a commemorative cover and special features such as “Milestones & Memories,” which highlights 80 key moments from the magazine’s history. It also includes vintage-inspired recipes, trivia from 1946, and a retrospective on other Arkansas organizations turning 80 this year.
“A lot has changed since 1946, but the things that make *Arkansas Living* special haven’t,” Cia said.
The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas consist of 17 electric distribution cooperatives serving more than 1 million members in Arkansas and neighboring states. They also include the Little Rock-based service organization Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. and the generation and transmission cooperative AECC.
Nonmembers can purchase an annual subscription to the magazine for $12 through its website at arkansaslivingmagazine.com.