an outgrowth of the strong blues and gospel traditions. The East Central Delta area has produced a small number of talented and influential R&B artists. Today The Arkansas Delta economy is still dominated by agriculture. The main commodity crop is soybeans; other crops include rice, cotton, and corn. Catfish farming has been developed as a new source of revenue for Arkansas Delta farmers, along with poultry production. The Delta has some of the lowest population densities in the American South, sometimes fewer than 1 person per square mile. Slightly more than half the population is African American, reflecting their deep history in the area. Eastern Arkansas has the most cities in the state with majority African-American populations. Urbanization and the shift to mechanization of farm technology during the past 60 years has sharply reduced jobs in the Delta. People have followed jobs out of the region, leading to a declining tax base. This hampers efforts to support education, infrastructure development, community health and other vital aspects of growth. The region's remaining people suffer from unemployment, extreme poverty, and illiteracy. The Delta Cultural Center in Helena seeks to preserve and interpret the culture of the Arkansas Delta along with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's University and Cultural Museum. The Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff is charged with highlighting and promoting works of Delta artists. The ivory-billed woodpecker, which had not been sighted since 1944 and is believed to be extinct, was reportedly seen in a swamp in east Arkansas in 2005. Principal cities Augusta Blytheville Forrest City Helena-West Helena Jonesboro Marianna Marvell, Arkansas Newport Osceola Pine Bluff Stuttgart West Memphis Higher education Arkansas State University East Arkansas Community College Southeast Arkansas College Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff University of Arkansas at Monticello Highways Interstate 40 - From Brinkley to West Memphis Interstate 55 - From West Memphis to Blytheville U.S. Highway 49 U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Highway 62 U.S. Highway 63 U.S. Highway 64 U.S. Highway 65 U.S. Highway 67 U.S. Highway 70 U.S. Highway 79 U.S. Highway 82 U.S. Highway 165 U.S. Highway 278 See also Swamp Democrats Notes References Further reading Ecoregions of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain - Environmental Protection Agency External links Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine Bluff Rural Development Heritage Initiative-Preservation Lakeport Plantation--Arkansas's only Antebellum Plantation Home on the Mississippi