Tontitown is a city in northern Washington 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 Osage ...

, United States. The community is located in the Ozark Mountains and was founded by Italian settlers in 1898. Known for its grapes and wines, Tontitown has hosted the Tontitown Grape Festival continuously since 1898. It is part of the Northwest Arkansas region, serving as a bedroom community for larger neighbors Fayetteville and Springdale. The town experienced a 160% growth in population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.

History

Led by Catholic priest

Pietro Bandini Pietro Bandini (March 31, 1852 – January 2, 1917) was an Italian Catholic priest and missionary to the United States who was prominent in the Italian American community. He began his career as a Jesuit missionary in the Western United State ...

, who eventually became mayor of the city, Italian settlers working on Lakeport Plantation in the Arkansas delta moved to northwest Arkansas and found the climate and terrain similar to their native

Northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

. Tontitown was settled in 1898 and named for Italian explorer Henri de Tonti. The 35 initial families settled on plots, planting gardens and

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

s. In 1909, the community incorporated, having grown to . Some residents resisted and resented the Italian influx, which largely spoke Italian and remained insulated. After threats and

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

of barns and the school, Bandini confronted a group to stop the terrorization of the nascent Tontitown community. The Tontitown grapes eventually became a major crop in Washington County following the construction of a Welch Company plant in Springdale near the railroad. The area also grew apples, blackberries, peaches, strawberries, and tomatoes for canning in Springdale.

Geography

Tontitown is located at (36.179043, -94.246572).

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 4,301 people, 1,399 households, and 1,060 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census the ethnic and racial composition of the population was 92.0% non-Hispanic white, 0.3% African-American, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 2.4% reporting two or more races and 5.7% Hispanic.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 942 people in 351 households, including 273 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 368 housing units at an average density of . The

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

of the city was 96.28%

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 ...

, 1.70% Native American, 0.11%

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 ...

, 0.85% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 2.23%. 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. Of the 351 households 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 18.5% of households were one person and 9.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.07. Tontitown has seen a very rapid growth in recent years as indicated by a 160% growth in population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses. The age distribution was 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. Tonitown is part of the Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers metro area. The median household income was $43,750 and the median family income was $47,589. Males had a median income of $32,917 versus $25,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,058. About 4.9% of families and 8.7% 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 10.7% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

The city is known regionally for the Tontitown Grape Festival. Started in 1898 as a

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...

to celebrate the settlement's establishment, a spaghetti and

fried chicken Fried chicken, also known as Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...

dinner continues the tradition. Many original families remain in Tontitown or nearby Springdale.

Education

It is in the

Springdale School District Springdale Public Schools (formally Springdale School District #50) is the public school district for students of primary and secondary education in Springdale, Arkansas and surrounding areas. The district contains three high schools, four juni ...

. Jim Rollins Elementary School a.k.a. Jim D. Rollins School of Innovation, a part of the Springdale district, is in Tontitown. It uses an open classroom instructional model from

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Planning for the school began circa 2018 In October 2020 the district began building the school, which opened in fall 2021, though with some construction left unfinished. The dedication occurred in 2022. The school was named after a person who served as the superintendent of the Springdale district. In 2022 much of Tontitown is zoned to Jim D. Rollins Elementary in Tontitown (areas south of 412) and Shaw Elementary School in Springdale (areas north of 412), with some areas in the east zoned to Bernice Young Elementary School. All of Tontitown is zoned to Hellstern Middle School, Central Junior High School, and

Har-Ber High School Har-Ber High School is a comprehensive public high school for grades ten through twelve serving the community of Springdale, Arkansas, United States. Har-Ber High School is the one of three high schools managed in Washington County by Springdale ...

, all in Springdale. Most of the community, in 2006, was zoned to Bernice Young Elementary School, with a portion zoned to Walker Elementary School. Tontitown was divided between Hellstern and Helen Tyson middle schools, and Central and Southwest junior high schools. All portions were zoned to Har-Ber.

Ozark Catholic Academy Ozark Catholic Academy is a Roman Catholic high school on the property of St. Joseph Catholic Church (Tontitown, Arkansas), St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tontitown, Arkansas. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock. The sc ...

, a Roman Catholic high school, is in Tontitown.

Notable people

(1852–1917), town founder and mayor * Albert Lewis Fletcher, former Roman Catholic Bishop of Little Rock from 1947 to 1972, resided in Tontitown during his childhood. *

Jerry E. Hinshaw Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian film ...

, member of the

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 ...

from 1981 to 1996, resided in Tontitown. * The Duggar family, reality TV stars reside in Tontitown.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Arkansas Cities in Washington County, Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Italian-American culture in Arkansas 1898 establishments in Arkansas