Siloam Springs is a municipal government in Benton County, Arkansas. The city shares a border on the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line with the town of West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma. The city was founded in 1882 and was characterized by the purported healing powers of the spring water feeding Sager Creek, which runs through downtown Siloam Springs and trading with nearby Native American tribes. John Brown University (JBU) was founded in 1919 as a private, interdenominational, Christian liberal arts college in the city. Today, Siloam Springs is known for its efforts to preserve and revitalize the city's historic downtown. The community is located on the western edge of the growing NW Arkansas metropolitan area and has had a population increase of 13.7% to 17,100 between 2010 and the 2019 population estimate. In 2012, the city was named one of the 20 best small towns in America by Smithsonian magazine and has won numerous awards and accolades. The city houses the electric, water, wastewater, trash, recycling, streets, public library, a municipal airport, building, planning, engineering, district court, police, fire, economic development, cemetery, parks and recreation, and animal shelter divisions internally.