West Helena, Arkansas

West Helena, Arkansas
FIPS code		05-74450
GNIS feature ID	0058852[1]

West Helena is the western portion of

, this portion of the city population was 8,689.

Historically, West Helena and its sister city Helena, located on the Mississippi River, have been two of the focal points in the history of the development of the blues.^{[citation needed]} The cities consolidated on January 1, 2006. Helena is the birthplace of Arkansas' former senior United States senator, Blanche Lincoln.

Geography

West Helena is located at 34°32′45″N 90°38′40″W / 34.54583°N 90.64444°W / 34.54583; -90.64444 (34.545702, -90.644346).^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, West Helena had a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	6,226		—
1930	4,489		−27.9%
1940	4,717		5.1%
1950	6,107		29.5%
1960	8,385		37.3%
1970	11,007		31.3%
1980	11,367		3.3%
1990	9,695		−14.7%
2000	8,565		−11.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[3]

As of the

of any race.

There were 3,204 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.32.

In West Helena, the population was spread out, with 34.1% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.5 males.

The median income for a household in West Helena was $21,130, and the median income for a family was $25,014. Males had a median income of $22,971 versus $17,225 for females. The

, including 49.5% of those under age 18 and 27.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

operates schools in what was West Helena.

Schools in the former West Helena.^[5]

• Central High School^[6]
• Eliza Miller Junior High School[7]
• Beechcrest Elementary School^[8]
• Westside Elementary School^[9]
• Woodruff Elementary School^[10]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Notable people

• Anthony Boone, college basketball coach for Central Arkansas
• Angie Craig (born 1972), American politician
• Odessa Harris (1936–2007), American singer^[12]
• Lonnie Shields (born 1956), American singer, songwriter, and guitarist^[13]
• William Warfield (1920-2002), Singer and movie actor

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Helena, Arkansas.

• 2000 U.S. Census maps: Index and pages 1 and 2
• 1990 U.S. Census map of Phillips County (index map) indicates West Helena on pages 3, 4, 8, and D pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
• The Helena-West Helena Daily World, the newspaper serving Helena-West Helena and Phillips County