Morrilton is a city in Conway 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 O ...

, United States, less than northwest 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 ...

. 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 Conway County. The population was 6,992 at 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 ...

History

In 1825 a trading post was established about a mile south of present-day Morrilton on the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

. This town, later named Lewisburg, thrived after being incorporated in 1844. In 1871 the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad built track through present day Morrilton. It was later named Morrilton after the previous landowners E.J. and George H. Morrill. The downtown grew around the Morrills' land and that owned by James M. Moose. Residents of Lewisburg eventually moved away from the river and to the railroad hub at Morrilton. In 1883 Morrilton became the seat of

Conway County, Arkansas Conway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Created as Arkansas's 11th county on October 20, 1825, Conway County has four incorporated municipalities, including Morrilton, the county seat and most populous city. The county ...

Geography

Morrilton is located in southern Conway County at (35.156373, -92.741944). It is bordered on the south by the

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

passes through the northern side of the city, leading southeast to Little Rock and west to Fort Smith.

U.S. Route 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...

(East and West Broadway Street) is the main road through the city center, leading east to Plumerville and northwest to Atkins.

Arkansas Highway 9 Highway 9 (AR 9) is a designation for two north–south state highways in Arkansas. A southern segment of begins at U.S. Route 79 at Eagle Mills and heads north to U.S. Route 67 in Malvern before terminating. The northern segment of runs from ...

forms an eastern bypass of Morrilton and leads north to Clinton and south across the Arkansas River to Perryville. 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 t ...

, Morrilton has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.29%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

, there were 6,992 people, 2,748 households, and 1,755 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 Census, 6,767 people and 2,759 households resided within the city.

2000 census

2000 Census results showed 1,724 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,947 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.38%

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 ...

, 17.47%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.79% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 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 ...

, 1.37% 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 1.63% from two or more races. 3.37% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race. There were 2,645 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,007, and the median income for a family was $36,432. Males had a median income of $30,123 versus $19,213 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 $16,957. About 13.4% of families and 17.1% 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 21.6% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Many sites located in Morrilton are on the National Register of Historical Places, including: *

Arkansas Christian College Administration Building The Arkansas Christian College Administration Building is a former school building at 100 West Harding Street in Morrilton, Arkansas. It is a two-story masonry structure with Colonial Revival features, built in 1919-20 for the newly founded Arkans ...

– A former school building at 100 W Harding Street. * Aycock House - A historic house located at 410 West Church Street. * Coca-Cola Building - A historic commercial building at 211 North Moose Street. * Conway County Courthouse - Historic courthouse located at the corner of Moose and Church Streets in downtown. *

Conway County Library The Conway County Library is the public library system of Conway County, Arkansas. The main library is located at 101 West Church Street in downtown Morrilton, Arkansas, the county seat. The library is located in a Classical Revival brick buildin ...

- Classical Revival brick building library designed by Thomas Harding and funded in part by a grant from

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. *

Earl Building The Earl Building is a historic commercial building at 201 North St. Joseph Street in Morrilton, Arkansas. It is a single-story frame structure, with brick walls and a flat roof. It is roughly L-shaped, with one wing originally serving as an aut ...

- A historic commercial building at 201 North St. Joseph Street. * First National Bank of Morrilton - A historic commercial building at Broadway and Moose Streets. * Moose Addition Neighborhood Historic District - Oldest residential area in Morrilton. * Moose House - A historic house at 711 Green Street. *

Morrilton Commercial Historic District The Morrilton Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic central business district of Morrilton, Arkansas. The L-shaped district includes two blocks of East Railroad and East Broadway, between Division and Chestnut Streets, and three ...

- The historic central business district. * Morrilton Post Office - Historic post office building at 117 North Division Street. * Morrilton Railroad Station - Historic station on Railroad Ave. * Saint Anthony's Hospital - Historic hospital building at 202 East Green Street. *

West Church Street Historic District The West Church Street Historic District encompasses a collection of the finest late-19th and early-20th century homes in Morrilton, Arkansas. The district extends along West Church Street between South Morrill and South Cherokee Streets, and i ...

- A collection of the finest late-19th and early-20th century homes. * W. L. Wood House - A historic house at 709 North Morrill Street.

Museums

* The Morrilton Depot Museum is located in the historic Morrilton Railroad Station and features history on the area. * The Museum of Automobiles is located on nearby Petit Jean Mountain and features a collection of antique and classic cars, motorcycles, guns, license plates, arcade machines and automobile memorabilia.

Theatre

* The Rialto Theatre in Downtown Morrilton has been in operation for over 100 years. It served as a movie house from 1911 until it was closed by United Artists in 1987. In 1995 the city acquired the building and a group of volunteers restored the theatre. It currently serves as a public arts facility hosting plays, concerts, public meetings, private events, and other happenings. * H.B. White Auditorium is on the campus of Morrilton High School. It serves as the main auditorium for the school district and hosts public events. * UACCM Fine Arts Auditorium is on the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. It serves as the main auditorium for the college and hosts public events.

Government

The city has operated under the Mayor-Council form of government since it was founded. The city currently elects 11 positions: Mayor, City Clerk, City Attorney, and eight Council Member positions. The eight council members are represented by two members from each of the city's four wards. The current Mayor is Allen Lipsmeyer. The city employs over 100 individuals in nine different departments. Most Conway County government offices are located in the city of Morrilton, including the Quorum, Circuit, District, and Juvenile Courts; and the Assessor, County Judge, County Coroner, County Attorney, and Public Defenders offices.

Education

Public schools

The community's public school system is operated by the South Conway County School District. As of 2018, the district consists of five schools. The SCCSD public high school is Morrilton High School. Morrilton's first public school for white students opened in 1881. 14 years later the first school for African-American students opened in 1895. In 1980 the East Side, Morrilton, and Plumerville School districts consolidated to form the new South Conway County district.

Private schools

Sacred Heart Catholic School is the only private school in the city of Morrilton and was established in 1879. It is one of only two private

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

schools in Arkansas that serves PreK-12.

Colleges and universities

Morrilton is home to the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. The city was home to Harding College, now Harding University of Searcy, Arkansas, for about a decade in the 1920s and 1930s. The original campus of Harding University is now the Southern Christian Home, a church-supported residential child care facility.

Public libraries

The Conway County Library is located at 101 West Church Street in Downtown Morrilton. The library was established in 1897 by the Pathfinder Club. It moved among members homes until 1916 when the Andrew Carnegie Foundation awarded the club a grant for a building. The Conway County Library is one of two public libraries in the state of Arkansas functioning from its original Carnegie building.

Notable people

* Rick Beck (born 1956),

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 Conway and

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

counties since 2015, electrical engineer born in Little Rock and a former resident of Morrilton. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. * Carl B. Close (1907-1980), Louisiana state representative, a Democrat, who also served as mayor of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

from 1947 to 1953, was born at Robertsville near Morrilton, the son of the country physician, Edgar Close. * Nathan Green Gordon (1916–2008), sixth Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas and distinguished

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

aviator during

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 opposing ...

; born in Morrilton * James S. Moose, Jr. (1903-1989) First US Government Representative to live in Saudi Arabia, Ambassador to Syria and the Sudan *

Winthrop Rockefeller Winthrop Rockefeller (May 1, 1912 – February 22, 1973) was an American politician and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fourth son and fifth child of American financer John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. He is one of the ...

(1912-1973), governor of Arkansas from 1967 to 1971; lived at Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton * Sue Scott (born 1954), member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Rogers; attended the former Petit Jean Vocational Technical School in Morrilton * John R. Stallings (1935–2008),

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

known for his seminal contributions to

geometric group theory Geometric group theory is an area in mathematics devoted to the study of finitely generated groups via exploring the connections between algebraic properties of such group (mathematics), groups and topology, topological and geometry, geometric pro ...

and 3-manifold topology; born in Morrilton * Shekinna Stricklen - Women's basketball player that graduated from Morrilton High School. Played collegiately for the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

. She was selected in the first round of the 2012 WNBA Draft (2nd overall) by the Seattle Storm. Won the 2019 WNBA Three Point Contest the day before the

2019 WNBA All-Star Game The 2019 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 27, 2019. The Las Vegas Aces hosted the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. Rosters Selection On June 12, the WNBA announced that 2019 would similar roster selecti ...

. * C. Vann Woodward (1908-1999), American

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

focused primarily on the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

and its individual

sociology of race and ethnic relations The sociology of race and ethnic relations is the study of social, political, and economic relations between races and ethnicities at all levels of society. This area encompasses the study of systemic racism, like residential segregation and ...

. He attended Morrilton High School.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to 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 ...

system, Morrilton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Morrilton, Arkansas
/ref>

Media

Print

The ''Petit Jean Country Headlight'' is the largest newspaper in the city. It was established April 8, 1874 in Lewisburg before moving to Morrilton. It currently serves as a weekly newspaper and publishes on Wednesdays.

Radio

KVOM (AM) KVOM (800 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to serve Morrilton, Arkansas, United States. The station is owned by Bobby Caldwell's East Arkansas Broadcasters, through licensee EAB of Morrilton, LLC. KVOM translates on K223CR-FM 92.5, presenti ...

first began airing on Christmas Day 1952 and was started by J.C. Willis.

KVOM-FM KVOM-FM (102.7 MHz) is a radio station airing a country music format licensed to Morrilton, Arkansas Morrilton is a city in Conway County, Arkansas, United States, less than northwest of Little Rock. The city is the county seat of Conway County ...

began broadcasting on 101.7 MHz FM in 1979.

Television

Morrilton Community Channel 6 started on the local cable system during the 1990s. It currently broadcasts local events on channel 6 and thei
website

References

External links

City of Morrilton official websiteMorrilton Area Chamber of CommerceMain Street Morrilton

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrilton, Arkansas 1879 establishments in Arkansas Cities in Arkansas Cities in Conway County, Arkansas County seats in Arkansas Populated places established in 1879 Arkansas populated places on the Arkansas River