Texarkana, Arkansas


Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County. The city is located across the state line from its twin city, Texarkana, Texas. The city was founded at a railroad intersection on December 8, 1873, and was incorporated in Arkansas on August 10, 1880. Texarkana is the principal city of the Texarkana metropolitan area, which is ranked 274th in terms of population in the United States with 150,098 in 2016 according to the United States Census Bureau.
Located within the Ark-La-Tex subregion of Southwest Arkansas, Texarkana is located in the Piney Woods, an oak-hickory forest atop the flat Gulf Coastal Plain. Texarkana's economy is driven by agriculture and the city's position as a crossroads of three major Interstate highways: Interstate 30, I-49 and the future I-69. Outdoors tourism, such as fishing at Lake Millwood, are also important in the region. The Texarkana Arkansas School District is the largest public school district on the Arkansas side, leading to graduation from Arkansas High School. The city is home to Texarkana College, and a branch campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope.

History

Miller County, on the Arkansas side of the metropolitan area, was abolished during the border dispute between the Republic of Texas and the United States only to be re-established later. Miller County was formed in 1820 to honor James Miller, Arkansas' first governor. Miller County was formed with a large degree of uncertainty as to the location of the line dividing the county and the Mexican boundary. Consequently, settlers felt that Arkansas levied and collected taxes on land that eventually might be held by Mexico. Moreover, many who resented the oppression of Texans by the Mexicans were openly declaring allegiance to the Texans. This led to general unrest, and after the Texas Republic was created, it grew worse. So, in 1838, Governor James Conway proposed that the "easiest and most effective remedy is the abolition of Miller County to an area which is more patriotic." From that year until 1874, it was a part of Lafayette County, Arkansas. Its re-establishment sprung only from the sale of town lots in Texarkana in 1873. Efforts of the young town to be incorporated were not realized until October 17, 1880, nearly seven years after Texarkana, Texas, was formed. December 8, 1873, is generally recognized by both cities as the date of organization.

Geography

Texarkana, Arkansas, is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Texarkana has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2016, there were 30,283 people, 13,565 households, and 7,040 families residing in the city. The population density was 830.5 people per square mile. There were 11,721 housing units at an average density of 368.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 65.93% White, 31.00% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.
There were 13,565 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,343, and the median income for a family was $38,292. Males had a median income of $35,204 versus $21,731 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,130. About 17.2% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or above.

Government and infrastructure

The Arkansas Department of Correction operates the Texarkana Regional Correction Center in Texarkana.
Arkansas residents whose permanent residence is within the city limits of Texarkana, Arkansas are exempt from Arkansas individual income taxes.
The Federal Courthouse is located directly on the Arkansas-Texas state line and is the only federal office building to straddle a state line.
According to the City's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the area are:
  1. Red River Army Depot & Tenants 4,135,
  2. Christus St. Michael Health Care 1,800,
  3. Cooper Tire & Rubber Company 1,750,
  4. AECOM/URS 1,300,
  5. Southern Refrigerated Transport 1,235,
  6. Wal-Mart 1,200,
  7. Texarkana TX Independent School District 1,150,
  8. Domtar, Inc. 900,
  9. Graphic Packaging 800,
  10. Wadley Regional Medical Center 755,
  11. Texarkana Arkansas School District 785,

    Transportation

Public education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by two school districts:
Private education opportunities include:
In 2012, Texarkana became home to a branch of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, a community college based in Hope, Arkansas, and in 2015 UAHT began partnering with the University of Arkansas Little Rock, to offer bachelor's-degree programs through UALR Texarkana, based on the UAHT Texarkana campus.

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