Magnolia, Arkansas
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Magnolia is a city in
Columbia County, Arkansas Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,801. The county seat is Magnolia. The county was formed on December 17, 1852, and was named for Christopher Columbus. The Magnolia, ...
, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 11,577. The city is 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 Columbia County. Magnolia is home to the World's Largest Charcoal Grill and the World Championship Steak Cookoff, part of the Magnolia Blossom Festival.


History

The city was founded in 1853. At the time of its incorporation in 1858, the city had a population of about 1,950. African-American man, Jordan Jameson was lynched on November 11, 1919, in the town square of Magnolia. A large white mob seized Jameson after he allegedly shot the local sheriff. They tied him to a stake and burned him alive. The city grew slowly as an agricultural and regional cotton market until the discovery of oil just east of the city in March 1938, with the Barnett #1 drilled by the Kerr-Lynn Company. The Magnolia Oil Field was an important discovery for the city as well as for the nation, as it was the largest producing field (in volume) during the early years of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, helping to sustain the American war effort. In March 2013, more than 5,000 barrels of oil leaked from a Lion Oil Trading & Transportation storage tank in Magnolia, with some flowing into a bayou.


Geography

Magnolia is located in southwest Arkansas, north of the center of Columbia County at (33.274052, -93.233477). The average altitude is above sea level according to NOAA. The surrounding region is a mix of dense forest, farm prairies, and low rolling hills. 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 , or 0.21%, is water. Magnolia is located about east of Texarkana, about south of
Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...
, and about northeast of Shreveport, Louisiana.


Climate

The average temperature is , and the average annual rainfall is . The winters are mild but can dip into the teens at night and have highs in the 30s and even some 20s but average out around 50. The springs are warm and can be stormy with strong to severe storms and average highs in the mid 70s. Summers are often hot, humid and dry but with occasional isolated afternoon storms, highs in the mid to upper 90s and even 100s. In the fall the temps cool from the 90s and 100s to 80s and 70s. Early fall temps are usually in the 80s but can reach 90s and at times has reached 100. Late fall temps fall to 70s and 60s. It is not uncommon to see snow and ice during the winter. It has been known to snow a few times as late as April and as early as November in Magnolia .


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 11,162 people, 3,935 households, and 2,338 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 10,858 people, 4,204 households, and 2,577 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,821 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 58.24%
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 o ...
, 39.38%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.22% Native American, 0.65%
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 ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.48% 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 1.00% from two or more races.
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 ...
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 were 1.07% of the population. There were 4,204 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. Of 4,204 households, 101 are unmarried partner households: 91 heterosexual, 4 same-sex male, 6 same-sex female households. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,897, as of 2005, and the median income for a family was $35,269. Males had a median income of $31,577 versus $20,840 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 $15,403. About 15.2% of families and 23.0% 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 32.9% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Magnolia when it was founded was a cotton, farm production, and marketing town. Slowly the town grew, and in 1909 the Third District Agricultural School, subsequently known as Magnolia A&M and Southern State College, now known as
Southern Arkansas University Southern Arkansas University (SAU) is a public university in Magnolia, Arkansas. History Southern Arkansas University was established by an Act of the Arkansas Legislature in 1909 as a district agricultural high school for southwest Arkansas an ...
, was founded. During World War II Magnolia became a heavy manufacturing city. In 1938
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
and
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
were discovered near the city in what was called the Magnolia Oil Field, the largest producing field by volume in the nation during the war. The city soon became a producer in steel, lumber, aluminum,
bromine Bromine is a chemical element with the symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is the third-lightest element in group 17 of the periodic table (halogens) and is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a simila ...
, rubber-coated products and
fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...
s for the military. The town's primary economic focus is heavy industrial, including
Albemarle Corporation Albemarle Corporation is a specialty chemicals manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It operates 3 divisions: lithium (41.0% of 2021 revenues), bromine specialties (33.9% of 2021 revenues) and catalysts (22.9% of 2021 revenu ...
's Bromine Products Division (which has two facilities near town), Amfuel (which produces fuel cells for the military), and Sapa Group's extruded aluminum products facility. Also located in the area are several oil and brine drilling companies, many of which are locally owned, and timber companies, such as Deltic and
Weyerhaeuser Weyerhaeuser () is an American timberland company which owns nearly of timberlands in the U.S., and manages an additional of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. The company also manufactures wood products. It operates as a real e ...
. Major industrial employers: SAPA (750), Albemarle (739), Amfuel (380), CMC (344), Weyerhaeuser (250), Deltic Timber (125), Partee Flooring (95), and Southern Aluminum (90). Largest non-manufacturing employers: *Magnolia Public School System, 346 *Southern Arkansas University, 304 *Magnolia Hospital, 253 *Columbia County government, 110 The unemployment rate in Magnolia is 9.40%, with job growth of -0.40%. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 29.70%, according to Sterling's, The U.S. unemployment rate average for the month of June is 9.2%, Arkansas' average is 7.2%.


Arts and culture

Magnolia is home to the Magnolia Blossom Festival and World Championship Steak Cookoff. The festival has been featured on the
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...
and attracts more than 40,000. A 'Festival of Lights' is held from late November through late December. Magnolia is known locally for its downtown shopping on the square and for its murals - one of which was signed by Charlton Heston.


Government

The city operated under a city council form of government until 2003. Voters elected to convert the city to a strong-mayor form of government, making the mayor's position a full-time position with veto power. Lane Jean was elected mayor in 1996. The city employs approximately 50 individuals in seven different departments, including the Police Department, the Fire Department, and Parks and Recreation.


Animal shelter rescue

The city operated a shelter designed for approximately 20 dogs. On August 14, 2014, this facility was found to have 59 dogs in unclean conditions, without heat, air conditioning or even walls for the animals. With the city's permission, the local H&P Animal Alliance assisted in removing the dogs from the over-crowded shelter. A number of dogs were sent to an out-of-state animal rescue group specializing in saving large-breed working dogs, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is a Nashville, Tennessee-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. The rescue effort cost an uncompensated $50,000.


Education


Public and private schools

Public schools in the Magnolia School District include: * Walker Pre-K Center (PK) * Magnolia Eastside Elementary (K-3) * Magnolia Central Elementary (4-6) * Magnolia Junior High School (7-9) * Magnolia High School (10-12) Private schools in Magnolia include: * Columbia Christian School Magnolia High School is known for its boys' track teams and baseball program. The track team has won the State Championship five out of the last six years. The Panther baseball team was crowned State Champions in 2011 and have won four straight conference titles. The Magnolia Panthers compete in the Arkansas Activities Association 5A-Southwest conference. Since 1999 Magnolia High School graduates have received well over $1 million in college scholarship money each year, with the class of 2008 being first to reach $2 million in scholarship offers. Graduation rates for the city are: High school or higher, 75.4%; Bachelor's degree or higher, 24.1%; Graduate or professional degree, 7.0%.


Colleges and universities

Magnolia is the home of
Southern Arkansas University Southern Arkansas University (SAU) is a public university in Magnolia, Arkansas. History Southern Arkansas University was established by an Act of the Arkansas Legislature in 1909 as a district agricultural high school for southwest Arkansas an ...
, a public university that offers four-year and advanced (Master's level) degrees in business, public administration, computer information systems, education, counseling, education administration, and criminal justice. With an enrollment of 4,771, its most notable programs are agriculture, business, and education. The university's cultural focus is Harton Theatre, which provides a venue for both departmental plays, concerts, and local cultural events.


Infrastructure


Airport

Magnolia Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
located three
nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...
s (6 km) southeast of the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of Magnolia.


Highways

*
U.S. Highway 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a 1,625-mile (2,615 km) route extending from ...
* U.S. Highway 79 * U.S. Highway 371 * Arkansas Highway 19 *
Arkansas Highway 355 Highway 355 is a north–south highway in southwest Arkansas. The southern terminus of its longest section is at an intersection with U.S. Route 67 in Fulton. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 278 south of Center Po ...
* U.S. Highway 82 Business * U.S. Highway 79 Business


Photo gallery

Image:Another glimpse of downtown Magnolia IMG 2322.JPG, Downtown Magnolia Image:Magnolia, AR, City Hall IMG 2301.JPG, Magnolia City Hall Image:Revised photo of First Baptist Church of Magnolia, AR IMG 2324.JPG, First
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
Church of Magnolia Image:Bancorp South Building in Magnolia, AR IMG 2298.JPG, Bancorp South in Magnolia is located across from City Hall. Image:Farmers Bank and Trust in Magnolia, AR IMG 2302.JPG, Farmers Bank and Trust Company in downtown Magnolia Image:Cameo Theater in Magnolia, AR IMG 2304.JPG, The Cameo Theater on North Jackson used to show films on three screens, but is now a junk store


Notable people

* Harvey C. Couch (1877-1941), Arkansas entrepreneur who controlled a regional
utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosoph ...
and
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
empire; raised in Magnolia *
Billy Joe Daugherty Billy Joe Daugherty (April 23, 1952 – November 22, 2009) was founder and pastor of Victory Christian Center (now Victory Church) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was also the founder of Victory Christian School, Victory Bible Institute and Victory World ...
(1952–2009), founder and pastor of Victory Christian Center in
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
*
Roy Green Roy Calvin Green (born June 30, 1957) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played professionally for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1979-1990) and Philadelphia Eagles (1991–1992). Early life Gree ...
, former wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1979–1987), Phoenix Cardinals (1988–1990) and Philadelphia Eagles (1991–1992); born in Magnolia *
Charlaine Harris Charlaine Harris Schulz (born November 25, 1951) is an American author who specializes in mysteries. She is best known for her book series ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', which was adapted as the TV series ''True Blood''. The television show ...
, ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''
bestselling A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...
author who writes what are referred to as the
Sookie Stackhouse Sookie Stackhouse is a fictional character and protagonist of '' The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' book series, written by Charlaine Harris. In HBO's television adaptation, ''True Blood'', Sookie is portrayed by Anna Paquin. Creation and cast ...
novels collected in ''
The Southern Vampire Mysteries ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', also known as ''The True Blood Novels'' and ''The Sookie Stackhouse Novels'', is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris. The first installment, '' Dead Until Dark'' (2001), won the A ...
'', the basis for the HBO show ''
True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The serie ...
''; lived in Magnolia *
Lane Jean Samuel Lane Jean (born November 10, 1958) is a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 2, which includes parts of Lafayette, Miller, and Columbia counties in south Arkansas. He has held the District 2 seat since ...
(born c. 1959), former mayor of Magnolia and current Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Columbia, Lafayette, and Miller counties * Andrew R. Johnson (1856–1933),
Louisiana state senator The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...
from 1916–1924 and mayor of
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
; taught school near Magnolia in the 1890s * Sidney Sanders McMath (1912-2003), governor of Arkansas (1949-1953), Major General, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (1965-1970) & leading U.S. trial lawyer. * Mike Runnels (1945-2015), Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico *
Horace M. Wade Horace Milton Wade (March 12, 1916 – June 14, 2001) was a former general in the United States Air Force and a former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. Biography Early life Wade was born in 1916, in Magnolia, Arkansas. A ...
, former U.S. Air Force general, served as chief of staff,
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. ACO's and SHAPE's commander ...
, vice-chief of staff, U.S. Air Force; born in Magnolia 1916; died 2001. * Carl Wafer, former
defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
who played for the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers in 1974; born in Magnolia


Annexation

On January 12, 2007, Magnolia annexed east of the city, which includes approximately 1,100 people, increasing the population to 11,578. The city was expected to receive between $60,000 to $70,000 in state turnbacks per year as a result.


References

* - Total pages: 368


External links


City of Magnolia official website

Magnolia Chamber of Commerce

Magnolia Blossom Festival



Magnolia School District



Big Fluffy Dog Rescue

H&P Animal Alliance
{{authority control * Cities in Arkansas Cities in Columbia County, Arkansas Micropolitan areas of Arkansas County seats in Arkansas Populated places established in 1853 1853 establishments in Arkansas