Kensett is a city in White 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. Located adjacent to the east side of Searcy, the city is the hometown of noted legislator

Wilbur D. Mills Wilbur Daigh Mills (May 24, 1909 – May 2, 1992) was an American Democratic politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1939 until his retirement in 1977. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from ...

, who was influential throughout the 1960s and 1970s in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. Allen Edge is the current mayor. The population was 1,648 at the 2010 census. Many companies have moved to Kensett to support the natural gas industry. Kensett is a center for landscaping and nursery activity. Double Springs sod farm is located in or near Kensett. There are several restaurants, and Kensett has the lowest

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

rate in White County.

Geography

Kensett is located at (35.232687, -91.670194). 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 ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.56% is water. The city is bounded on its east by Black Creek, a tributary of the Little Red River that lies farther northeast and east.

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 1,400 people, 717 households, and 407 families residing in the city.

2000 census

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 1,791 people, 699 households, and 445 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 778 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 70.24%

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 ...

, 24.29%

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 ...

, 0.17% Native American, 0.37%

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 ...

, 2.40% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.57% from two or more races. 4.02% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

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 699 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% 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, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.06. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $20,478, and the median income for a family was $26,161. Males had a median income of $22,763 versus $17,500 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 city was $11,049. About 26.3% of families and 30.6% 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 t ...

, including 48.5% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Residents are zoned to the Riverview School District, which operates Kensett Elementary School, Riverview Junior High School in Searcy, and Riverview High School in Searcy. The Riverview district is the result of a consolidation, effective July 1, 1991, of the Judsonia, Kensett, and Griffithville school districts.ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls
."

Arkansas Department of Education 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 ...

. Retrieved on October 13, 2017.

Transportation

Kensett is served by three state highways:

Arkansas Highway 36 Highway 36 (AR 36, Ark. 36, and Hwy. 36) is a state highway in Central Arkansas. The highway begins at U.S. Highway 64 (US 64) at Hamlet and runs east through several small communities to Searcy, where it serves as the Beebe-Capps Expressway, ...

(Wilbur D. Mills Avenue/Northeast 4th Street), which runs across the width of White County into neighboring Faulkner County to the west, and southeast to the White River via

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

and Georgetown;

Arkansas Highway 87 Highway 87 (AR 87, Ark. 87, and Hwy. 87) is a designation for four north–south state highways in Arkansas. Created during the 1926 Arkansas state highway numbering, the original alignment remains between Bradford and Pleasant Plains, though it ...

(Usery Road), running parallel to the current Union Pacific rail line and connecting southwest to Higginson; and

Arkansas Highway 385 Arkansas Highway 385 is a designation for two state highways in White County, Arkansas. The southern segment of runs from Griffithville to Kensett. A northern segment of runs from Highway 367 in Judsonia to Plainview. Route description Gri ...

(Southeast 1st Street/Depot Street), leading south to Griffithville at

Arkansas Highway 11 Arkansas Highway 11 (AR 11 and Hwy. 11) is a designation for three state highways in Arkansas. One segment of runs from US Route 63 (US 63) at Pansy to Huff Island Public Use Area near Grady. A second segment of begins just across the Ark ...

. Additional major pathways include Searcy Street, which proceeds northeast to cross into neighboring Searcy as East Park Avenue, and Old Railroad Road, a secondary connection southeast to West Point.

Notable natives and residents

* George Dickey - Catcher for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. *

Georgia Holt Georgia Holt (born Jackie Jean Crouch; June 9, 1926 – December 10, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, actress and model. She was also notable for being the mother of singer and actress Cher. Early life Holt was born Jackie Jean Crouch in ...

- singer-songwriter, actress, and model and mother of singer and actress

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control Cities in Arkansas Cities in White County, Arkansas