Clarksville, Arkansas

Clarksville, Arkansas
—  City  —
Location in Johnson County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates: 35°27′50″N 93°28′38″W / 35.46389°N 93.47722°W / 35.46389; -93.47722Coordinates: 35°27′50″N 93°28′38″W / 35.46389°N 93.47722°W / 35.46389; -93.47722
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Johnson
Area
– Total	18.8 sq mi (48.6 km2)
– Land	18 sq mi (46.6 km2)
– Water	0.8 sq mi (2 km2)
Elevation	371 ft (113 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	7,719
– Density	410.6/sq mi (158.8/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	72830
Area code(s)	479
FIPS code	05-14140
GNIS feature ID	0076626

Clarksville is a city in Johnson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was approximately 9,300 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Johnson County.^[1]. Clarksville is nestled between the Arkansas River and the foot hills of the Ozark Mountains and Interstate 40 and US Hwy 64 intersect within the city limits. Clarksville-Johnson County is widely known for its peaches, scenic byways and abundance of natural outdoor recreational activities.

Geography

Clarksville is located at 35°27′50″N 93°28′38″W / 35.46389°N 93.47722°W / 35.46389; -93.47722 (35.464006, -93.477089).^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.8 square miles (49 km²), of which 18.0 square miles (47 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) (4.10%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 7,719 people, 2,960 households, and 1,918 families residing in the city. The population density was 429.3 people per square mile (165.8/km²). There were 3,240 housing units at an average density of 180.2 per square mile (69.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.60% White, 3.46% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.15% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races. 15.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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 per capita income for the city was $16,305. About 16.2% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Clarksville is home to the University of the Ozarks, 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 five different categories: Primary (K-1), Elementary (2nd-4th), Middle (5th & 6th), Junior High (7th-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. A video documenting the new measure can be seen here.

The Clarksville School District has a graduation rate of over 92%.

The Clarksville boys high hchool basketball team was the 2010-2011 State 4A Champions. For more go to this article from Arkansas Sports 360.com.

Trivia

• Clarksville is home to the Johnson County Peach Festival. Starting in 1938 it is the oldest outdoor festival in the state of Arkansas. 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 Arknasas Valley and Miss Teen Arkansas Valley pageants. This year's Peach Festival kicks off June 16.

• The Oark General Store is located 22 miles north of Clarksville in the community of Oark. This is the oldest store in Arkansas that has remained in continuous operation. The building has the original floors, walls, and ceiling and is listed on the "Register of Historical Places in Arkansas". The Cafe features home cooking (Smokehouse Style Steaks, Ribs, Catfish, Frog Legs, homeade Chcken Fried Steak and much more). Walk in, Waddle Out!

Notable people

• Clarksville residente Mrs. Isobella Klein was the first woman lawyer to try a case in the state of Arkansas back in 1918.

• Dederick Lee, who led Clarksville to the Class 4A boys state basketball title this year (2011), has orally committed to play for coach Mike Anderson and the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. At the time Dederick was only a sophomore and still had two years of high school left to play.

• Clarksville was the birthplace of famous Old West outlaw Bill Doolin.

• Comedian Ralphie May stated in his album "Girth of a Nation" that he lived in Clarksville for while and worked at the local McDonald's.

May 25, 2011 Tornado

Clarksville was struck by an EF3 tornado on May 25, 2011. Rogers Avenue sustained damage including signs blown down, many building facades roughed up and lots of trees snapped 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 3 fatalities in rural Johnson County during this storm which included two tornadoes.

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Clarksville-Johnson County Chamber of Commerce official website
• Clarksville Public Schools