Marked Tree is a city in

Poinsett County, Arkansas Poinsett County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,583. The county seat is Harrisburg. Poinsett County is included in the Jonesboro–Paragould Combined Statistical Area. History ...

, United States, along the St. Francis River, at the mouth of the

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

. The population was 2,566 at the 2010 census. It is included in the

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the f ...

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. Geologically, the area marks the southern end of the

New Madrid Fault The New Madrid Seismic Zone (), sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, is a major seismic zone and a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes (earthquakes within a tectonic plate) in the Southern and Midwestern United States, stretching to ...

Toponymy

The city got its name from a tree located on the bank of the St. Francis River until 1890 that had been

blazed Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail. A bla ...

to mark a section of the river where Native Americans could walk about across land to reach the Little River and avoid paddling upstream. Marked Tree has been noted on lists of unusual place names.

Geography

Marked Tree is located on the St. Francis River at the intersection of

US Route 63 U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US ...

and Arkansas Highways

140 140 may refer to: * 140 (number), an integer * AD 140, a year of the Julian calendar * 140 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * ''140'' (video game), a 2013 platform game * Tin King stop Tin King () is an at-grade MTR Light Rail stop ...

, 149, and 308. The south end of the Marked Tree Floodway lies just west of the city.''Arkansas Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, Second edition, 2004, p. 37 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 are land and (0.85%) is covered by 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 2,286 people, 922 households, and 585 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, 2,800 people, 1,126 households, and 731 families were residing in the city. The population density was . The 1,234 housing units averaged 532.7 per square mile (205.4/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 50.36% White, 47.07% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 1.25% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. About 2.07% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of the 1,126 households, 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were not families. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was distributed as 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,591, and for a family was $30,197. Males had a median income of $26,305 versus $19,602 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 $11,867. About 25.6% of families and 32.3% 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 47.4% of those under age 18 and 28.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education for early childhood, elementary, and secondary-school students is provided by the Marked Tree School District. Until 1966, a dual system of education was provided with one set of schools for White children, and a different set for Blacks. The first school for Blacks was built in 1938, and was named

George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the ea ...

from 1952 until it was closed in 1966. As of 2018, the Marked Tree School District consists of: * Marked Tree Elementary School, serving prekindergarten through 6th grade * Marked Tree High School, serving grades 7 through 12

Notable people

Fannie Lewis Fannie Lewis (June 6, 1926 – August 11, 2008) was Cleveland, Ohio's longest-serving councilwoman and civil rights activist, best known for the Fannie Lewis Law requiring government contracts in Cleveland provide for employment of local worke ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

's longest-serving councilwoman, was from Marked Tree and attended George Washington Carver High School.

References

External links

Crittenden County Open Portal Website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070114112944/http://www.markedtreearkansas.org/index.htm {{authority control Cities in Poinsett County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas Jonesboro metropolitan area