Batesville is the largest city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Independence County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, United States, 80 miles (128 km) northeast of

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, the state capital. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 10,268. The city serves as a regional manufacturing and distribution hub for the Ozark Mountain region and Northeast Arkansas.

History

Batesville is the second oldest municipality after the town of Georgetown — and the oldest city — in the state of Arkansas. It was named for the first territorial delegate from Arkansas to the

Congress of the United States The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

, James Woodson Bates, who settled in the town. The town has also gone by the names of Napoleon and Poke Bayou. In early days, Batesville was an important port on the White River and served as an entry point to the interior of northern Arkansas. Batesville played a large role in the settling of the

Ozark Mountains The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

region and served as the central land office for northern Arkansas. The first known settlement of the Batesville area was in 1810 near the mouth of Polk Bayou, and by 1819 the town had a ferry across the White River and about a dozen houses. The town was partially laid out in early 1821, and on March 3, 1822, a bill of assurance was recorded and executed and the town's plat was laid out. Batesville became the county seat in 1821. In January 1822, Judge Richard Searcy opened the town's first state circuit court. The town's first

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

was established in 1822, and in 1830 became the home of a county court. On September 25, 1836, shortly after Arkansas was granted its statehood, Governor Conway incorporated Batesville Academy, the state's first academy. In the past, the area in and around the city had extensive quarries of

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

ore,

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

rock,

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, and

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

. Between 1940 and 1941, Batesville had its own minor league baseball team within the Northeast Arkansas League known as the Batesville Pilots. The team later disbanded in 1941. On July 31, 1964, singer Jim Reeves and his business partner and manager Dean Manuel left Batesville, en route to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in a single-engine Beechcraft Debonair aircraft, N8972M, with Reeves at the controls. It crashed later that day near

Nashville International Airport Nashville International Airport is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1937, its original name was Berry Field, from which its ICAO and IATA identi ...

killing both on board. Batesville currently has only one high school within the city limits, Batesville High School. Also, Batesville is the home of Lyon College, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and noted for the annual Arkansas Scottish Festival each fall. In addition, the city is home to the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville (UACCB), and

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver

Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959), nicknamed "the Kid", is an American former stock car racing driver. He most notably drove the No. 6 Ford Motor Company, Ford for Roush Racing for the majority of his career. From 1989 to 2009, Martin wo ...

. It contains three National Register Historic Districts and many properties separately listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. It was listed in Norman Crampton's 1992 book ''The 100 Best Small Towns in America'', ranking at #75.

Geography

Batesville is located at (35.773488, -91.641338). Batesville lies on the White River. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.12%) 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 The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Batesville has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,191 people, 3,985 households, and 2,448 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 10,243 people, 3,777 households, and 2,383 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,146 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.40% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. 4.6% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. There were 3,777 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.92. The age distribution was 22.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,133, and the median income for a family was $42,634. Males had a median income of $31,068 versus $20,506 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,753. About 11.1% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Batesville Public Schools are part of the Batesville School District, Arkansas. The district has one early learning center, one junior high school, one high school and three elementary schools. Students attend Batesville High School.

Infrastructure

List of highways

* U.S. Highway 167 * Arkansas 25

Arkansas Highway 25 * Arkansas Highway 69 * Arkansas Highway 69 Business * Arkansas 106

Arkansas Highway 106 * Arkansas 233

Arkansas Highway 233 * Arkansas 394

Arkansas Highway 394

Notable people

* Elisha Baxter, 13th governor of

* Jack Critcher, local and state politician * Townsend Dickinson, Arkansas territorial councilman and state representative and founding justice of

Arkansas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Arkansas is the highest court in the state judiciary of Arkansas. It has ultimate and largely discretionary appellate jurisdiction over all state court cases that involve a point of state law, and original jurisdiction ...

* Monroe L. Flinn, Illinois state representative * Ryan Mallett, quarterback for

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

and NFL's

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, born in Batesville *

, member of the

NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, is a Hall of Fame and Museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina that honors NASCAR and its history. Inductees to the Hall of Fame are drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs ...

born and raised in Batesville * James McLean, Democrat former member of the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

for Independence County * Mike McQueen, lived in Batesville after retiring from

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

and died in Batesville in 2017 * William R. Miller, first native-born governor of Arkansas, born in Batesville 1823 * Rick Monday,

player and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

broadcaster, born in Batesville * Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General 2015-23 * Charlie Strong, football head coach at

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...

, former

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

coach * James Sturch, Republican member of Arkansas House of Representatives for Independence County since 2015 * Mutha's Day Out, 1990s rock band * Sami Jo, country singer * Lan Law, country music duo of brothers Lance Curtis and Lawson Wayne

Historic sites

Batesville locations on the

include the Adler House, Bartlett-Kirk House, the Batesville Commercial Historic District, the Batesville Confederate Monument, the Batesville East Main Historic District, the Batesville Overpass, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Central Avenue Bridge, the Cook-Morrow House, the Edward Dickinson House, the Garrott House, the Glenn House, the Charles R. Handford House, the James S. Handford House, the Dr. Paul H. Jeffery House and Office, the Luster Urban Farmstead, Morrow Hall, the

National Guard Armory A National Guard Armory, National Guard Armory Building, or National Guard Readiness Center is any one of numerous buildings of the U.S. National Guard where a unit trains, meets, and parades. A readiness center supports the training, administrat ...

, the Ruddell Mill Site, St. Paul’s Parish Church, the School Addition Historic District, the Spring Mill, the Captain John T. Warner House, the Wheel Store, and the Wycough-Jones House. File:Josephine_street.JPG, Josephine Street in the fall File:Batesville AR Bridge Mural Wikipedia 2-2025.jpg, Batesville AR Bridge Mural, 2-2025 File:Batesville AR Courthouse Wikipedia 2-2025.jpg, Independence County Courthouse (Batesville AR), 2-2025 File:Batesville AR Lafferty Memorial Church Wikipedia 2-2025.jpg, Lafferty Memorial Church, Batesville AR, 2-2025 File:Batesville AR Pioneer Cemetery Wikipedia 2-2025.jpg, Batesville AR Pioneer Cemetery, 2-2025

References

External links

City of Batesville
the official website of the City of Batesville
MyBatesville.org
the official page of the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce
GuardOnline.com
the online edition of the ''Batesville Daily Guard'' newspaper
Batesville Preservation Association
a local organization dedicated to preservation and restoration of the area's historic buildings
Old Independence Regional Museum
* Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
Batesville (Independence County)

Ozark Weather & Radar
{{Authority control 1821 establishments in Arkansas Territory Cities in Arkansas Cities in Independence County, Arkansas Populated places established in 1821 County seats in Arkansas