Burdette is a town in Mississippi County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, United States. The population was 140 at the 2020 census, down from 191 in

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History

Burdette has its origins as a

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

established by the Three States Lumber Company in the early 1900s. Incorporated in 1905, the town was named for Alfred Burdette Wolverton, an early logger in the area. Three States completed a large sawmill in Burdette in 1906.Jami Forrester,
Burdette (Mississippi County)
" ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture'', 2018. In 1907, the Blytheville, Burdette and Mississippi River Railway was formed to build a line from Wolverton Landing, on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, northward to Blytheville. This line also included a branch to Burdette. A large agricultural operation, the Burdette Plantation, developed alongside the lumber operations. Beginning in the 1920s, these farms were utilized by the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

for agricultural research focused on the improvement of cotton and corn yields. Several new cotton varieties, such as "Burdette Express" and "Burdette Lone Star", were developed in the Burdette area.

Geography

Burdette is located in northeastern Mississippi County at (35.856818, -90.040113). The town is concentrated along Arkansas Highway 148, north of Luxora and south of

Blytheville Blytheville is the county seat and the largest city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. It is approximately north of West Memphis. The population was 13,406 at the 2020 census, down from 15,620 in 2010. History Blytheville was found ...

, and about northwest of the

. The town's municipal boundaries stretch westward along AR 148 to

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

and eastward to

U.S. Route 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Burdette has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 191 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 70.7% White, 20.9% Black, and 8.4% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 129 people, 52 households, and 35 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 75.5/km² (194.5/mi²). There were 57 housing units at an average density of 33.3/km² (85.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.17%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 17.05%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, and 0.78% from two or more races. There were 52 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 35.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,625, and the median income for a family was $49,375. Males had a median income of $29,500 versus $9,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $18,958. There were 10.3% of families and 11.2% of the population living 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 t ...

, including 11.1% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Education

The town is served by Blytheville School District, including Blytheville High School. The Burdette school district merged into the Blytheville district in 1971.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Mississippi County, Arkansas Towns in Arkansas Company towns in Arkansas Logging communities in the United States