Clarksville, Arkansas
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Clarksville, Arkansas | ||
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FIPS code 05-14140 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 2404060[2] | |
Website | www |
Clarksville is a city in
History
The community began as settlers arrived to the
Spadra was the first county seat of Johnson County, convenient to steamboat lines. However when stagecoach and train transportation became more common, land routes from
By July 1853 the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad opted to go through Clarksville instead of Spadra, due to financial incentives provided by the county commissioners based in Clarksville.[6] Almost twenty miles of track toward Spadra were removed during the realignment.[7] Regular rail service began following the Civil War,[6] aiding in Clarksville's growth, while the hamlet of New Spadra began beside the new tracks.[7] Fewer settlers arrived by river transportation so Spadra was less useful, so its major buildings deteriorated or were moved, while Clarksville became the destination of many new settlers arriving by train.
Geography
Clarksville is located in south-central Johnson County and is bordered to the south by the Arkansas River, although the city center is 3 miles (5 km) north of the river and west of Spadra Creek.
Interstate 40 leads southeast 100 miles (161 km) to Little Rock and west 55 miles (89 km) to Fort Smith.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Clarksville has a total area of 19.2 square miles (49.7 km2), of which 18.5 square miles (47.9 km2) are land and 0.69 square miles (1.8 km2), or 3.66%, are water.[3]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 398 | — | |
1860 | 316 | −20.6% | |
1870 | 466 | 47.5% | |
1880 | 656 | 40.8% | |
1890 | 937 | 42.8% | |
1900 | 1,086 | 15.9% | |
1910 | 1,456 | 34.1% | |
1920 | 2,127 | 46.1% | |
1930 | 3,031 | 42.5% | |
1940 | 3,118 | 2.9% | |
1950 | 4,343 | 39.3% | |
1960 | 3,919 | −9.8% | |
1970 | 4,616 | 17.8% | |
1980 | 5,237 | 13.5% | |
1990 | 5,833 | 11.4% | |
2000 | 7,719 | 32.3% | |
2010 | 9,178 | 18.9% | |
2020 | 9,381 | 2.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[12] 2014 Estimate[13] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
5,500 | 58.63% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
369 | 3.93% |
Native American
|
53 | 0.56% |
Asian
|
706 | 7.53% |
Pacific Islander
|
22 | 0.23% |
Other/Mixed
|
425 | 4.53% |
Latino
|
2,306 | 24.58% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,381 people, 3,456 households, and 2,116 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the
There were 2,960 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,548, and the median income for a family was $30,758. Males had a median income of $22,052 versus $19,764 for females. The
Education
The Arkansas Cumberland College opened on 8 September 1891 in Clarksville. The privately founded educational institution was renamed the College of the Ozarks in 1920 and became the University of the Ozarks in 1987.[6] The University of the Ozarks is a private, liberal arts based university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Clarksville Schools is the city's public school district. Its mascot is a panther. The school colors are red and white. The school system is broken up into six different categories: Primary (K-1), Elementary (2nd-3rd), Intermediate (4th-5th), Middle (6th-7th), Junior High (8th-9th), and High School (10th-12th).
In 2011, Clarksville became the first school district in the state of Arkansas to issue every student in the 7th through 12th grades their own take home laptop computer. In 2022, Intermediate, 4th grade and 5th grade, were introduced to the school district.
The Clarksville School District has a graduation rate of over 92%.
Culture
Clarksville is home to the Johnson County Peach Festival. Starting in 1938. It is a nearly week long event (starts on a Tuesday and ends on Saturday) and attracts visitors from all over the country. Activities and events include Barbershop chorus, gospel music, good ol' home cookin, handmade arts and crafts, street dance, frog jumping contest, terrapin derby, greased pig chase, a 4-mile run, parade, jam and jelly bake-off and of course peach and peach cobbler eating contests. It all concludes with the crowning of Queen Elberta, Miss Arkansas Valley and Miss Teen Arkansas Valley pageants.
The Clarksville post office contains a mural, How Happy was the Occasion, painted in 1941 by
Notable people
The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Clarksville, in alphabetical order by last name.
- Zane Beck (1927–1985), Steel Guitar Hall of Fame member (1991), Pedal steel guitarist and guitar manufacturer.
- Old West outlawborn in Clarksville
- Gordon Houston (1916–1942), born in Clarksville, the first professional baseball player to die during active duty in World War II.
- Ralphie May (1972–2017), comedian raised in Clarksville
- Pierce McKennon (1919–1947), World War II flying ace
Tornado
Clarksville was struck by an EF4 tornado on May 25, 2011. Rogers Avenue sustained damage including signs blown down, many building facades damaged and numerous trees broken in half. Areas along and near East Main Street and Poplar Street sustained heavy structural damage, including several heavily damaged homes and apartment buildings. There were three fatalities in rural Johnson County during this storm.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Climate data for Clarksville, Arkansas | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
87 (31) |
92 (33) |
94 (34) |
93 (34) |
103 (39) |
112 (44) |
109 (43) |
105 (41) |
99 (37) |
86 (30) |
81 (27) |
112 (44) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 48 (9) |
55 (13) |
63 (17) |
72 (22) |
79 (26) |
87 (31) |
92 (33) |
92 (33) |
85 (29) |
74 (23) |
61 (16) |
51 (11) |
72 (22) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 25 (−4) |
29 (−2) |
37 (3) |
45 (7) |
55 (13) |
64 (18) |
68 (20) |
66 (19) |
59 (15) |
46 (8) |
36 (2) |
28 (−2) |
47 (8) |
Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) |
0 (−18) |
9 (−13) |
20 (−7) |
34 (1) |
44 (7) |
50 (10) |
46 (8) |
36 (2) |
20 (−7) |
7 (−14) |
−9 (−23) |
−11 (−24) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.74 (70) |
3.09 (78) |
4.50 (114) |
4.48 (114) |
5.21 (132) |
4.16 (106) |
2.90 (74) |
2.58 (66) |
3.88 (99) |
4.13 (105) |
5.08 (129) |
4.46 (113) |
47.21 (1,200) |
Source: Weather Channel[20] |
References
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Clarksville, Arkansas
- ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Clarksville city, Arkansas". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture: Clarksville (Johnson County), accessed January 2019.
- ^ a b c The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture: Spadra (Johnson County), accessed January 2019.
- ^ Wesley, Edgar Bruce (1935). Guarding the Frontier. University of Minnesota Press, p. 40.
- ^ [1] Spadra Marina website, accessed January 2019.
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture: Floods, accessed January 2019.
- ^ 1833 Arkansas River Flood Stage at Murray Dam near Little Rock, Magnitude and frequency of floods in Arkansas, by Scott A. Hodge and Gary D. Tasker; prepared in cooperation with the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, 1995; accessed January 2019.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
- ^ Purser Studio: Biography of Stuart Purser, accessed January 2019
- ^ Living New Deal: Clarksville, Arkansas Post Office Mural, accessed January 2019.
- ISBN 9780415968263.
- ^ Climate Summary for Clarksville, Arkansas
- ^ "Clarksville, AR Monthly Weather". Weather Channel. Retrieved June 28, 2019.