"Alma, Arkansas calls itself the Spinach Capital of the World. Here's how that happened. Back in 1987, residents George Bowles and Wolf Grulkey were sitting around drinking coffee and doing some noggin scratching over the question of how to put their little community of 2500 on the map. Spinach is what they came up with. At the time, Alma-based Allen Canning Company canned way over half (65%, according to the paper) of all the spinach canned in the U.S., some 60 million pounds a year coming from the local area. And if you're the Spinach Capital of the U.S., then you're the Spinach Capital of the whole darn world, by gum," the Arkansas Road Stories says.

"The overwhelming spinach-packing volume of Allen Canning and the officially licensed Popeye statue ought sufficiently to legitimize the Spinach Capital claim. Just in case it doesn't, though, in 1991 Alma arranged for a distinctive new paint job for its water tower as seen in the lead photo of this story.

"It's the "World's Largest Can of Spinach" a million gallons worth, which can be viewed by motorists driving east on I-40. The artwork on the water tower was painted by Fort Smith painter William Bland, who also transformed the Rancho Viejo, TX water tower into a teed-up golf ball. When I look at that water tower I imagine the city council meeting where they decide to save a buck by just painting over the old lettering with a shade of green that's SURE to blend into the old paint."

"Alma, Arkansas is the self-proclaimed Spinach Capital of the World and commemorates this by painting its water tower to be the “world’s biggest can of spinach,” the Legends Of America says.

"This company town for Popeye Brand Spinach also celebrates its heritage with an annual Spinach Festival each April that includes arts and crafts, food vendors, a car show, entertainment, and a Spinach Festival Talent Show.

"If spinach is your bag (or can, should we say), Alma also offers outdoor enthusiasts, opportunities to hike, bike, fish, camp, hunt and canoe at nearby White Rock Mountain Recreation Area, Lake Fort Smith State Park, and Ozark Highlands Trail."

"The very large can of spinach was spotted just after viewing the Popeye statue in Chester, home of (well, duh) Popeye. So, the spinach can wasn't too much of a surprise, but also represents the industry of the area," the World's Largest Things says.

"Allen Canning Company canned about 65% of the spinach canned in the US. When a couple of locals were talking about how to get more tourists to stop in Alma, they used this fact to springboard lotsa spinach-related civic projects.



"Another in the Watertower Wonders section, this can is a creative use of an otherwise uninteresting watertower shape. Although not elevated by a tower, the watertower/spinach can sits above the general population by way of a hill - it, and its unpainted mate, are on one of the highest points in the town. Watertower Wonder! Capacity: a million gallons; Painted by William Bland, commissioned in 1991."

"Alma is a city in Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. It is located within the Arkansas River Valley at the edge of the Ozark Mountains; the city is the sixth largest in the Fort Smith metropolitan area. The population was 5,419 at the 2010 Census. The city is located at the intersection of Interstates 40 and 49. Alma was incorporated in 1874 and the economy was largely agricultural until the introduction of the canning industry. Today, the city claims the title of "Spinach Capital of the World".

"The city gets its water supply from Alma Lake, which is perched above the city on the northeast, held back by a tall earthen dam that blocks Little Frog Bayou. Alma Lake is the reservoir that supplies the city's tap water. Alma sits along the border between the Boston Mountains and the Arkansas River Valley, so while most of the city lies on flat land, immediately to the north is scenic hill country.

"Around 1987, Alma called itself the "Spinach Capital of the World" because the Allen Canning Company based in Alma canned more than half of all the spinach canned in the U.S., about 60 million pounds (27,000,000 kg) annually. The town has had various statues of the cartoon character Popeye, because of his connection to canned spinach; the most recent one was erected in 2007. Cast in bronze, it sits atop a fountain holding a can of spinach. It is the centerpiece of Popeye Park. Crystal City Texas is also considered the Spinach Capital of the World." (Wikipedia)

"The world’s largest can of spinach holds 1 million gallons. Located in Alma, Arkansas, it's actually the city's water tower painted green with a picture of Popeye on it," the University of Missouri says..

"Both Crystal City, Texas, and Alma, Arkansas, declare themselves the “spinach capital of the world.” Both cities hold an annual spinach festival.

"Many unsubstantiated stories exist about why cartoonist E.C. Segar chose spinach to give superhuman powers to his comic strip character Popeye the Sailor during the Great Depression. “Quite likely, it was his attempt to prompt children to eat more of this nutrient powerhouse,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. “During that era, the diet of the average American lacked essential vitamins and minerals. The nutritional well-being of children was of great concern.”

"However, to relieve boredom, or to just get out of your rig, stretch your legs and grab an ice cream, consider an RV Short Stop in Alma, Ark., the self-proclaimed Spinach Capital of the World. (BTW: Crystal City, Texas, also calls itself the Spinach Capital of the World.), says the RV Travel says.

"Once you spot the World’s Largest Spinach Can sitting along I-40, you’re pretty much there. Alma is located in the Arkansas River Valley at the foothills of the Ozark. Mountains and sits just off exit 12 on I-40 at US 71, about 12 miles east of the Oklahoma
border and a dozen miles north of Ft. Smith (about a two-hour drive west of Little Rock).

"Alma is the original home to Popeye Brand Spinach (once with the Allen Canning Company, now part of Del Monte). “Around 1987, Alma began calling itself the Spinach Capital of the World because the Allen Canning Company based in Alma canned more than half of all the spinach canned in the U.S., about 60 million pounds annually,” states Wikipedia."