Mena ( ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

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. It is also the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Polk County. The

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

was 5,558 as of the 2020 census. Mena is included in the

Ark-La-Tex The Ark-La-Tex (a portmanteau of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas; also stylized as Arklatex or ArkLaTex) is a socio-economic tri-state region where the Southern U.S. states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas join together. The region contains por ...

socio-economic region. Surrounded by the

Ouachita National Forest The Ouachita National Forest is a vast congressionally-designated United States National Forest, National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of extreme-eastern Oklahoma, USA. History The Ouachita National Forest is t ...

, Mena is a gateway to some of the most visited tourist attractions in Arkansas.

History

Mena was founded by

Arthur Edward Stilwell Arthur Edward Stilwell (October 21, 1859 – September 26, 1928) was the founder of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad, predecessor to the Kansas City Southern Railway. He served as KCPG's president from 1897 to 1900. He was also t ...

during the building of the

Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad The Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad was a railway company that began operations in the 1890s and owned a main-line between Kansas City, Missouri, and Port Arthur, Texas. It was led by Arthur Stilwell before being thrown into receiversh ...

(now the Kansas City Southern), which stretched from

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Texas. A small, uninhabited portion extends into Orange County; it is east of Houston. The largest oil refinery in the United Sta ...

. Train service to Mena began in 1896. Stilwell named the town in honor of Folmina Margaretha Janssen-De Goeijen, the wife of his friend and financier Jan De Goeijen, whom Mr. De Goeijen affectionately called Mena. Janssen Park in the center of Mena is also named for her. Mena was settled in 1896 and incorporated on September 18 of that year. In 1897, the Bank of Mena was founded. The following year, the county seat was moved from nearby

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

to Mena. Mena's population had grown to 3,423 by 1900. The main industries of the area were timber, agriculture and mineral extraction, though it was advertised as a spa city located within a healthy environment. Stilwell donated land to the city in 1906, and a park and campground were constructed. In 1910, the railroad moved its shop facilities from Mena to Heavener,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. This created a loss of eight hundred jobs. A private school in Mena, Hendrix Academy, closed in 1905. In 1911, a damaging

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

struck the town.

Recent history

In the 1950s, a government program to stockpile

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...

led to the reopening of local mines closed since the 1890s. The program ended in 1959, and the mines again closed. During the 1980s, drug smuggler Barry Seal moved his operations to the

Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southeast of the central business district of Mena, a city in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. It is included in the Nat ...

, where he owned and operated many planes and helicopters, as well as advanced radar equipment. On April 9, 2009, a large and violent

devastated the town, killing three and injuring thirty. Many homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. The

Arkansas National Guard The Arkansas National Guard (ARNG), commonly known as the Arkansas Guard, is a component of the Government of Arkansas and the National Guard of the United States. It is composed of Army and Air National Guard units. The adjutant general's offic ...

was deployed to the affected area. The tornado was rated as a high-end EF3, with winds near , and damages estimated at $25 million. Some of the businesses in the community are working to create a Downtown Arts District in Mena, anchored by the Mena Art Gallery at 607 Mena Street. The gallery is a non-profit organization which exhibits about 12 shows a year ranging from invitational to open shows featuring primarily local artists in a variety of media. There is also an annual Children's Exhibit and a High School Exhibit.

Geography

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; (0.44%) is water.

Climate

Mena's climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters, with precipitation occurring in all seasons. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).

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 5,589 people, 2,341 households, and 1,420 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 5,637 people, 2,431 households, and 1,546 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,771 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.91%

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 ...

, 0.20%

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 ...

, 0.87% Native American, 0.27%

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 Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 0.50% 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 1.21% from two or more races. About 2.18% 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 2,431 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% 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, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. Of all households 33.7% were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24, and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females, age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,671, and the median income for a family was $30,164. Males had a median income of $23,665 versus $18,472 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 $14,710. About 12.1% of families and 17.6% 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 22.8% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

An estimated 1.2 million visitors each year come to Mena to enjoy its nearby natural features, which include the

Talimena Scenic Drive The Talimena Scenic Drive is a National Scenic Byway in Kiamichi Country, southeastern Oklahoma and extreme western Arkansas spanning a stretch of Oklahoma State Highway 1 (SH-1) and Arkansas Highway 88 (AR 88) from Talihina, Oklahoma, to ...

, a National Scenic Byway, and the

Queen Wilhelmina State Park Queen Wilhelmina State Park is a unit of Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism in the Ouachita Mountains. The original "Castle in the Sky" lodge was built in 1898 on 2,681-foot Rich Mountain, in Polk County, Arkansas. The park is on Talimena ...

. The

Cossatot River The Cossatot River is an river in Howard, Polk and Sevier counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Cossatot begins in the Ouachita Mountains southeast of Mena, Arkansas. The river flows through the Ouachita National Forest and then in a ...

is included in the

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...

and runs through the Ouachita National Forest.

Lake Ouachita Lake Ouachita (''Pronounced WAH-shi-tah'') is a reservoir created by the damming of the Ouachita River by Blakely Mountain Dam (). Blakely Mountain Dam was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1948 to 1953 for hydroelectric p ...

, and the

Black Fork Mountain Wilderness The Black Fork Mountain Wilderness Area is located in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Created by an act of Congress in 1984, the wilderness covers an area of 13,139 acres (53 km²). The Arkansas portion contains and the Oklahoma p ...

, are also nearby. Camp Pioneer is

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

camp in the foothills of the

Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains (), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thru ...

east of Mena. Camp High Point, a Girl Scout camp is also in the area. Mena is home of the Mena Gaming Association charity youth organization, founded in 2003.

Media

The local newspaper is the weekly '' The Mena Star''. The ''

Southwest Times Record The ''Southwest Times Record'' is a daily newspaper in Fort Smith, Arkansas and covers 10 counties in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. It is owned and published by Gannett. History The Times Record began as three separate papers: the F ...

'', based in Fort Smith, is also sold in Mena and covers both the news of the state and the Arkansas River Valley. A statewide daily, the ''

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas' counties. By virtue of one of ...

'', based in Little Rock, is distributed there too. The big four television stations in Mena are KFSM (CBS),

KHBS KHBS (channel 40) is a television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States, affiliated with ABC and The CW Plus. It is simulcast full-time over satellite station KHOG-TV (channel 29) in Fayetteville. Owned by Hearst Television and joint ...

(ABC), KNWA (NBC) and KFTA (Fox). KARK (NBC, Little Rock) is also available on cable, dating from the times when KNWA's signal did not reach Mena. KNWA is available over-the-air via a digital sub-channel and on satellite. KXI97 (sometimes referred to as Mena All Hazards) is a

NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio NWR; also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is an automated 24-hour network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the United States (U.S.) that broadcast weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Servi ...

station that serves Mena. Mena now has a tabloid circular, ''The Polk County Pulse'', owned by KENA Radio. This is distributed free of charge in Mena, coming out each Wednesday. A monthly historical journal is also published in Mena, "Looking Glass Ouachita Magazine" The monthly is distributed digitally as well as via special editions at local gift shops and restaurants.

Education

Elementary and secondary education

Public education for elementary and secondary school students is available from two school districts: * Mena School District, which includes Mena High School. *

Ouachita River School District Ouachita River School District (ORSD) is a public school district located along the Ouachita River and is headquartered in Acorn, an unincorporated area in Polk County, Arkansas, United States, near Mena. The Oauchita River School District prov ...

, which includes

Acorn High School Acorn High School is a public high school serving students in grades 7 through 12 and is located in Acorn, an unincorporated area in Polk County, Arkansas, United States, near Mena. Acorn High School is one of four public high schools located in ...

Acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...

; it was recognized as a 2012 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School. **Previously that section of Mena was in the

Acorn School District Acorn School District or Acorn Public Schools was a school district headquartered in Acorn, an unincorporated area in Polk County, Arkansas, United States, about from Mena. Schools included Acorn Elementary School and Acorn High School. In addi ...

. The Ouachita River School District was established by the merger of the Acorn School District and the

Oden School District Oden School District or Oden Public Schools was a school district headquartered in Oden, Arkansas. Its schools included Oden Elementary School and Oden High School. The Ouachita River School District was established by the merger of the Acorn ...

on July 1, 2004.

Post-secondary education

* Commonwealth College was once located at the base of Rich Mountain and was known for its ties to socialism, as well as for being the one-time college of

Orval Faubus Orval Eugene Faubus ( ; January 7, 1910 – December 14, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 36th Governor of Arkansas from 1955 to 1967, as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1957, he refused to comply with a unanimous ...

, former

Governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

. *

Rich Mountain Community College University of Arkansas Rich Mountain (UARM) is a public community college in Mena, Arkansas. There are satellite campuses of the college located in Waldron, Arkansas, Waldron, Wickes, Arkansas, Wickes, Oden, Arkansas, Oden, and Mount Ida, Arkans ...

is located in Mena. In 2015, RMCC was accepted into the University of Arkansas network. The two year post secondary institution is now known as UA Rich Mountain.

Infrastructure

Transportation

* The city is served by

Utilities

* Rich Mountain Electric Cooperative is a non-profit rural electric utility cooperative headquartered in Mena. * Within the city limits, electricity is provided by the Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO).

Health care

* The city is served by Mena Regional Health System.

Notable people

* Barry Seal, pilot, businessman and drug smuggler *

Nate Bell Jerry Nathan Bell, known as Nate Bell (born July 17, 1969), is an Independent politician from Mena in the U.S. state of Arkansas, who served three two-year terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives. From 2013 to 2017, he represented Distri ...

, Republican former member of

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 ...

. * Edwin L. Cox, businessman and philanthropist. * Norris "Tuffy" Goff, comedian and radio actor, who played Abner Peabody in the famed

Lum and Abner ''Lum and Abner'' was an American network radio comedy program created by Chester Lauck and Norris Goff that was aired from 1931 to 1954. Modeled on life in the small town of Waters, Arkansas, near where Lauck and Goff grew up, the show proved ...

radio and television programs (born in

Cove, Arkansas Cove is a town in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 382 at the 2010 census. Geography Cove is located at (34.436384, -94.411845). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.5 km2 (1.7 ...

, raised in Mena). *

Chester Lauck Chester "Chet" Lauck (February 9, 1902 – February 21, 1980) was a comic actor who played the character of Lum Edwards on the classic American radio comedy ''Lum and Abner''. Early life and career Chester Lauck was born in Alleene, Arkansas ...

, second half of the

comedy pair. Lauck played Columbus "Lum" Edwards. * Herbert A. Littleton, awarded a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his actions during the Korean War. * Jim Mabry, former

Arkansas Razorbacks football The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Weste ...

All-American (raised in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

), has spent most of his adult life in Mena. *

Dennis L. Montgomery Dennis Lee Montgomery (born 1953) is an American software designer and former medical technician who sold computer programs to federal officials that he claimed would decode secret Al-Qaeda messages hidden in Al Jazeera broadcasts and identify t ...

, software designer who sold millions of dollars of useless software to the US Government. * Marcus Richmond,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 21 in multi-county region; born in Mena in 1956. *

Mike Simpson Michael Keith Simpson (born September 8, 1950) is an American politician and former dentist serving as the U.S. representative for since 1999. The district covers most of the eastern portion of the state, including Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Sun ...

, NFL player *

Dorothy Shaver Dorothy Shaver (July 29, 1893 – June 29, 1959) was the first woman in the United States to head a multimillion-dollar firm. She was a well known leader of the fashion industry. Life Dorothy Shaver was born in Center Point, Arkansas, in Howard ...

, first female president of a major Fifth Avenue store. *

Olin E. Teague Olin Earl "Tiger" Teague (April 6, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was a World War II veteran and congressional representative for Texas's 6th congressional district for 32 years, from 1946 to 1978. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Bi ...

, longtime

Texas's 6th congressional district Texas's 6th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives is in an area that includes Ellis and Navarro counties to the south and southeast of the Dallas/Fort Worth area plus the southeast corner of Tarrant County. As of ...

representative who was born in Oklahoma, but reared in Mena. * T. Texas Tyler, country singer ("

The Deck of Cards "The Deck of Cards" is a recitation song that was popularized in the fields of both country and popular music, first during the late 1940s. This song, which relates the tale of a young American soldier arrested and charged with playing cards dur ...

").

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Arkansas Cities in Polk County, Arkansas County seats in Arkansas 1896 establishments in Arkansas Populated places established in 1896 Sundown towns in Arkansas