Altheimer, Arkansas
Altheimer, Arkansas | ||
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FIPS code 05-01150 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 45849 | |
Major airport | LIT |
Altheimer (
Geography
Altheimer is part of the Timberlands Region, an area rich in natural resources that was discovered by pioneers from the eastern states in the early 19th century. Deer hunting, bass fishing, timber and oil are plentiful in this area.[6]
Altheimer is in northeastern Jefferson County, 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Pine Bluff, the county seat. U.S. Route 63/79 runs along the northwestern edge of the city, leading southwest to Pine Bluff and northeast 11 miles (18 km) to Humphrey. Little Rock, the state capital, is 50 miles (80 km) to the northwest by road.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Altheimer has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.6 km2), of which 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 3.22%, are water.[3] Flat Bayou winds through the center of the city, flowing north toward Wabbaseka Bayou, which in turn flows southeast via a succession of names to the Arkansas River.
History
The city was named for brothers Joseph and Louis Altheimer, two Pine Bluff merchants.[7] Louis, who was born in Eberstadt in 1850, read stories by German adventurer Frederick Gerstacker telling of the rich natural resources in Arkansas, and left for America as a teenager, eventually settling in Pine Bluff.[8][9] Louis brought his brother Joseph with him to the land that would eventually bear their name. Joseph's son, Benjamin, became a successful attorney, establishing the prominent Chicago law firm of Altheimer, Mayer, Woods, and Smith (later known as Altheimer & Gray), and serving twice as president of Chicago's Iroquois Club, the city's oldest Democratic Party political club.[10] Benjamin owned 15,000 acres (61 km2) of land in Arkansas. His foundation, the Ben J. Altheimer Foundation, provided scholarships and funding for projects throughout the state and continues today as the Ben J. Altheimer Charitable Foundation, Inc.[11]
Altheimer is home to many restored pioneer-era
In 2007 and 2013, respectively, Altheimer's secondary and elementary schools closed. As a result a number of residents moved to Pine Bluff to be closer to the zoned schools operated by the Dollarway School District, and multiple businesses lost revenue.[14]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture |
2020 Census
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[15] | Pop 2010[16] | Pop 2020[17] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH)
|
128 | 92 | 36 | 10.74% | 9.35% | 5.17% |
Black or African American alone (NH)
|
1,042 | 864 | 641 | 87.42% | 87.80% | 92.10% |
Alaska Native alone (NH)
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.14% |
Asian alone (NH) | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0.08% | 1.02% | 0.43% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.20% | 0.00% |
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 8 | 2 | 9 | 0.67% | 0.20% | 1.29% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 13 | 14 | 6 | 1.09% | 1.42% | 0.86% |
Total | 1,192 | 984 | 696 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2000 Census
As of the census of 2010, there were 984 people, 361 households, and 248 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 10%
There were 361 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 24.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 15 to 19, 7.0% from 40 to 44, 5.3% from 60 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.9 years.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $34,153. About 30.9% of families and 35.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 60.4% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.[18]
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Altheimer is served by the Pine Bluff School District.[19] Students are zoned to Park/Greenville School for preschool, James Matthews Elementary School, Robert F. Morehead Middle School, and Dollarway High School.
In the racial segregation era Altheimer Training School served as the high school for African-Americans, while Altheimer High School served as the high school for white students.
On September 1, 1993, Altheimer-Sherrill consolidated into the Altheimer Unified School District;[23] Altheimer Unified operated two schools: Martin Elementary School and Altheimer-Sherrill High School.[24] The Altheimer Unified School District consolidated into the Dollarway School District on July 10, 2006.[23]
Altheimer-Martin Elementary School, a Dollarway School District elementary school, occupied the former high school facility. The 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) building was built in 1987; it included a gymnasium. Up to 2013 the school's enrollment declined, and in 2013 the Dollarway superintendent decided that the school should be closed in light of the declining attendance.[25] In its final year the school had 78 students.[14] Since 2013 some property had been taken from the school building, and a lack of maintenance occurred. Altheimer mayor Zola Hudson stated a desire for the city government to repurpose the building.[25] By 2018 the district was proceeding to donate the elementary building.[26]
Altheimer Middle School and Altheimer-Sherrill High School both closed in 2007. At the time the middle school had 102 students and the high school had 137 students.[14]
In December 2020 the
Public libraries
The Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System operates the Altheimer Branch, an about 3,500 square feet (330 m2) building identical to that of the Redfield Library,[31] located on a 1-acre (0.40 ha) tract in Altheimer. The library was built on land sold by Altheimer Unified to the county government for $3,784.[32] The library was constructed in October 2001.[31]
Notable people
- Gloria Long Anderson (born November 5, 1938) American chemist
- Tail Dragger Jones (born James Yancey Jones, 1940), American Chicago blues singer[33]
- James McDonnell (1899-1980), American aerospace engineer
See also
- List of municipalities in Arkansas
- List of places in the United States named after people
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Arkansas
References
- ^ "Altheimer". Arkansas Municipal League. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Altheimer city, Arkansas". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. United States Government. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ a b "Your New Hometown: The Timberlands." Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Arkansas.com. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- OL 24190554M – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Louis Altheimer". Arkansasties.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
- ISBN 1236331788. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ "Arkansas-Jefferson County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c Colvin, Eplunus (October 2, 2020). "Closing schools took life out of Altheimer, residents recall". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Altheimer city, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Altheimer city, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Altheimer city, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 29, 2021. - The map shows Dollarway School District as not yet merged into Pine Bluff School District; the merger occurred on July 1, 2021.
- Chemical Heritage Foundation.
Her high school was called Altheimer Training School; the one for white students was called Altheimer High School.
- U.S. Department of Health, Education & WelfareOffice of Education. p. 37 (PDF p. 41/266). Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ Goatcher, Truett (January 1999). "School District Consolidation Will Save Millions of Dollars: Fact of Myth?" (PDF). Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. p. 14 (PDF p. 17/27).
- ^ a b "ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls Archived September 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017.
- ^ "2002-2003 Arkansas Education Directory." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Page 65 (PDF p. 71/157).
- ^ a b Hardy, Benjamin (July 28, 2016). "School's out forever". Arkansas Times. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Briggs, Shakari (January 29, 2018). "Dollarway School District outlines master facilities plan". Pine Bluff Commercial. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Howell, Cynthia (December 11, 2020). "State votes to combine Dollarway, Pine Bluff schools". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "Annexation/Transition FAQ". Pine Bluff School District. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Library System. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
- Arkansas Legislature. Retrieved on August 2, 2017. page 3 (PDF p. 5/22).
- ISBN 978-0313344237.
Further reading
- Leslie, James W. (1981). Pine Bluff and Jefferson County: A Pictorial History. Norfolk, Va.: OCLC 7462693.
- Moneyhon, Carl H. (1997). OCLC 37269309.
- Rand, McNally & Co.'s New Business Atlas Map of Arkansas (Map). 1:900,000. .
External links
- Geographic data related to Altheimer, Arkansas at OpenStreetMap
- Altheimer, Arkansas at Ballotpedia
- Altheimer Library at the Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System