Judsonia is a city in White County, Arkansas, United States. Stan Robinson is the current mayor. The population was 2,019 at the 2010 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.31%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 1,854 people, 775 households, and 468 families residing in the city.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 1,982 people, 733 households and 529 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 816 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 94.05% White, 2.32% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.10%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. 2.32% of the population were Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 733 households, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% 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 2.94. 22.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males. Judsonia Bridge

The median household income was $25,660 and the median family income was $31,176. Males had a median income of $25,774 and females $16,852. The per capita income was $11,891. About 12.0% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.

History

Originally known as Prospect Bluff, the town was founded in 1840 by Erastus Gregory. In 1871, a Baptist school, Judson University, was established in the area. A few months later, the name Prospect Bluff was changed to Judsonia, after the Baptist missionary

Adoniram Judson Adoniram Judson (August 9, 1788 – April 12, 1850) was an American Congregationalist and later Particular Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. At the age of 25, Judson was sent from North America to preach in B ...

, to help promote the school, which drew many northerners to the area. Though the school closed in 1883, the town streets still bear the names of several well-known 19th-century Baptists: Judson and Hasseltine (after

and his wife,

Ann Hasseltine Judson Ann Hasseltine Judson (December 22, 1789 – October 24, 1826) was one of the first female American foreign missionaries. Biography Ann attended the Bradford Academy and during a revival there read ''Strictures on the Modern System of Female ...

), Wayland (after

Francis Wayland Francis Wayland (March 11, 1796 – September 30, 1865), was an American Baptist minister, educator and economist. He was president of Brown University and pastor of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island. In Washingto ...

, president of

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in Rhode Island), Wade (after the missionary Jonathan Wade) and Boardman (after the missionary George Boardman, whose widow,

Sarah Hall Boardman Sarah Hall Judson (; November 4, 1803 – September 1, 1845) was an American missionary and writer. Biography Sarah Hall was born in Alstead, New Hampshire. She spent twenty years of her life in Burma (now known as Myanmar) doing missionary wor ...

became Judson's second wife). On the evening of March 21, 1952, tornadoes swept Arkansas leaving 111 dead. Fifty of those fatalities were in Judsonia and the near vicinity. It was reported that the only building in the town not damaged was the Methodist church, which is in the city's downtown area along Van Buren Street. ''That's Judsonia'' by William Ewing Orr (1957, White County Printing Company) is a history of the community. Judsonia has a yearly festival called Prospect Bluff Days in honor of the towns origins.

Education

Elementary and secondary education is provided by two school districts: * Most of the city is within the Riverview School District, including Riverview Junior High School and Riverview High School in Searcy. Judsonia Elementary School is a part of this district. The Riverview district is the result of a consolidation, effective from July 1, 1991, of the Judsonia, Kensett and Griffithville school districts.ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls
, Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved October 13, 2017. * A small section of the city is within the

White County Central School District White County Central School District is a public school district based in unincorporated White County, Arkansas, United States, near the Providence community, north of Judsonia. The district encompasses of land including a small northwestern ...

, where students attend

White County Central High School White County Central High School is a comprehensive public high school based in Judsonia, Arkansas, United States. Located in central White County as the name implies, WCC High School is the sole high school managed by the White County Central ...

; Both are located in a nearby unincorporated area near the

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

community. Judsonia residents are served by Baldwin-Kittler Memorial Library, a branch library of the White County Regional Library System.

Notable people

* Beth Ditto, musician who grew up in Judsonia *

Jeremy Gillam Jeremy Gillam (born August 2, 1976) is an American politician and lobbyist. A Republican, he was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives before resigning to work for the University of Central Arkansas. He serves as the university's Dire ...

, farmer from Judsonia and Republican member of the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

Lonnie Glosson Lonnie Elonzo Glosson (born Lonnie Marvin Glosson February 14, 1908 – March 2, 2001) was an American country musician, songwriter, and radio personality who was responsible for popularizing the harmonica on a national level. Glosson is know ...

, an early blues harmonica player

References

{{authority control Cities in Arkansas Cities in White County, Arkansas Populated places established in 1840