Mountain View is the largest city in and 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 ...

of Stone County, Arkansas, United States. Located in

the Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant porti ...

, the city has a rich tradition of preserving

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

and culture. The city's economy is largely based on tourism related to its title as the "Folk Music Capital of the World". Mountain View hosts the Arkansas Folk Festival in April, various folk artists at Ozark Folk Center State Park throughout the year, and weekly music gatherings on the courthouse stage that are free and open to the public during summer months. The city is also known for outdoors recreation opportunities, including Blanchard Springs Caverns,

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

fishing on the White River and the

Ozark National Forest The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...

History

The town's name is derived from its location in a valley bordered by the Blue Mountain Range of the Ozark Mountains. Prior to the founding of Mountain View in 1890, the town of Riggsville, established in 1819 by Thomas Augustus Riggs, existed immediately to the east remaining until after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, when towns with southern sympathies were to be renamed or moved altogether. Mountain View was incorporated on August 14, 1890. Mountain View was the location of the 1929 trial in the Connie Franklin murder case, in which the "victim" testified. A

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, alt ...

on April 14, 1996, rated F4 on the Fujita scale killed NFL

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

Kurt Warner Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend f ...

's mother-in-law and father in-law. Another

EF4 The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia. The Enhanced Fujita scale repla ...

tornado caused major damage to the town on February 5, 2008 in the

2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak The 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak which affected the Southern United States and the lower Ohio Valley on February 5 and 6, 2008. The event began on Super Tuesday, while 24 states in the United States were hol ...

, the deadliest tornado outbreak in two decades.

Geography

Mountain View is located at (35.864886, −92.108497). 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 th ...

, the city has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.7 km), of which 6.8 square miles (17.7 km) is land and 0.15% is water.

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, nota ...

system, Mountain View has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

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 off ...

, there were 2,877 people, 1,273 households, and 540 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,876 people, 1,287 households, and 792 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,450 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.97%

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 ...

, 0.94% Native American, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.31% 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 1.74% from two or more races. 1.70% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,287 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.72. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 20.7% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.1 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,302, and the median income for a family was $27,589. Males had a median income of $20,000 versus $16,790 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,375. About 10.2% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The local economy is largely tourism-based. Numerous hotels and restaurants exist to serve travelers who come to visit the nearby Blanchard Springs Caverns, in Fifty-Six, Arkansas, The Ozark Folk Center State Park, an
Loco Ropes
Treetop Adventure Park. Many others seek the world-renowned trout fishing of the White River, or the excellent camping, hiking and mountain-biking that can be found in the

. A few live music and variety shows, such as the White River Hoedown, also entertain travelers by mixing contemporary country,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

and

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it la ...

with a bit of local humor. However, the majority of visitors to Mountain View come to attend one of the two major

festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

held here every year, and to enjoy the impromptu

jam sessions that occur around the courthouse square. The remainder of the local economy consists mostly of agriculture, specifically the farming of livestock, primarily cattle and

chickens The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

. Large-scale industrial activities in the area are overall nonexistent, excepting a few small manufacturing companies. The Stone County Iron Works, a nationally known company that produces iron furniture, fixtures and housewares, is headquartered in Mountain View. Recently, the city has seen expansion of its personal aircraft maintenance and repair industry. Stone County, along with four of six neighboring Arkansas counties, is a

dry county A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Dozens of dry counties exist across th ...

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Local

play an integral part in Mountain View's economy and culture, and the city is widely known throughout the country for its hospitality, uniqueness and relaxed pace of life. As such, thousands of people travel to Mountain View each year to attend one of these events and get a taste of Ozark Mountain culture. Often lodging must be secured a year in advance of the two major festivals. Some local estimates say that the city's population has grown to as much as 100,000 during past festivals, though this is likely an exaggeration. Average festival attendance tends to fall between 40,000 and 60,000. In April, the city hosts the Arkansas Folk Festival. A highlight of this festival is an old-fashioned "home-town" parade, which brings out

school band A school band is a group of student musicians who rehearse and perform instrumental music together. A concert band is usually under the direction of one or more conductors (band directors). A school band consists of woodwind instruments, brass ...

s, patriotic

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

s groups, show horses, and decorated floats. Numerous folk

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...

vendors and many impromptu performances of live

are also part of the celebration. During the spring, summer and fall, anytime the weather is nice, people from all over will gather in and around the courthouse square to play and listen to music. Bluegrass mostly, but a wide array of folk, swing, country and gospel can be heard performed by local townsfolk as well as pickers from hundreds of miles away. A few dedicated musicians play only the old-time tunes that have been passed down through generations. During the fourth weekend of October, thousands attend the Arkansas Bean Fest and Great Championship Outhouse Races. Early Saturday morning, nearly one ton of pinto

beans A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes thr ...

are cooked in large, antique iron kettles that are set up along the west side of the

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

square. Promptly at noon, a couple thousand pounds of pinto beans and

cornbread Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, with origins in Native American cuisine. It is an example of batter bread. Dumplings and pancakes made with finely ground cornmeal are ...

are served to the gathered crowd. The festival continues with the famous

Outhouse An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may also be use ...

Race. Local teams (and anyone who else who wishes to haul in an entry) push outhouses built on wheels (similar to a go-kart) in a series of races. The overall champion receives the coveted Golden Toilet Seat Trophy. Handmade

crafts A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...

and

play an integral part in this festival as well. Other local festivals included the Mountain View Bluegrass Festival, held in both mid-March and mid-November; An Old-Fashioned

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

; and Mountains Music & Motorcycles in August. The town gets into the holiday spirit each year by lighting downtown buildings for Christmas open house events, and an annual Christmas tree lighting on the first Saturday in December. The Ozark Folk Center plays host to several events throughout the year, including live concerts by well-known artist such as the

Old Crow Medicine Show Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, '' Remedy'', released in 2014, won the ...

and

Del McCoury Delano Floyd McCoury (born February 1, 1939) is an American bluegrass musician. As leader of the Del McCoury Band, he plays guitar and sings lead vocals along with his two sons, Ronnie McCoury and Rob McCoury, who play mandolin and banjo resp ...

, the Arkansas State

Fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...

Championships, and workshops teaching

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

dulcimer The word dulcimer refers to two families of musical string instruments. Hammered dulcimers The word ''dulcimer'' originally referred to a trapezoidal zither similar to a psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers". Variants of ...

, and other folk

Education

The city hosts a satellite campus of Ozarka College, a two-year institution whose main campus is located in

Melbourne, Arkansas Melbourne is a city and county seat of Izard County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,848 at the 2010 census. It is home to the main campus of Ozarka College. Geography Melbourne is located at . According to the United States Ce ...

. The city is also home to the main campus of the Mountain View School District, a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

that also maintains campuses in

Timbo, Arkansas Timbo is an unincorporated community in Stone County, Arkansas, United States. It is in the Ozark Mountains region of the northern part of the state and is near the town of Mountain View. Timbo is known particularly for its strong tradition of ...

and

Fox, Arkansas Fox is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Stone County, Arkansas, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 237. Fox is located along Arkansas Highway 263, west-southwest ...

. The school district boundaries are the same as those of Stone County, Arkansas.

Notable people

* Harold M. Sherman (1898-1987), author, psychic researcher, and producer; resided in Mountain View * Psychic Darrin W. Owens(1975-) * Missy Irvin (born 1971),

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 State Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

from Mountain View *

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...

(1904–1963), singer, actor, film producer, director and

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

boss (co-founder of

Four Star Television Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer, and Joel McCrea, it was insp ...

); born in Mountain View. *

Jimmy Driftwood James Corbitt Morris (June 20, 1907 – July 12, 1998), known professionally as Jimmy Driftwood or Jimmie Driftwood, was an American folk music songwriter and musician, most famous for his songs "The Battle of New Orleans" and " Tennessee Stud ...

(1907–1998), folk songwriter and musician; born in

near Mountain View.

Gallery

File:Mountain View Flag.jpg, Mountain View Flag File:Mountain View Courthouse.jpg, Mountain View Courthouse File:Mountain View Courthouse with Veteran Memorial.jpg, Mountain View Courthouse with Veteran Memorial File:Lackey General Merchandise and Warehouse 001.jpg, 1924 stone commercial building File:Downtown Mountain View, AR 018.jpg, Washington St Park File:George W. Lackey House 001.jpg, 1915 home of Mountain View businessman and civic leader File:Dew Drop Inn 001.jpg, ca. 1920 Craftsman hotel File:Stone County Civil War Marker.jpg, Stone County Civil War Marker

References

External links

*
Mountain View Arkansas Chamber of Commerce
Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more {{authority control Cities in Stone County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas County seats in Arkansas