Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,380. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Clark County. It is situated at 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 ...

. Two universities,

Henderson State University Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, Henderson has an undergraduate enrollment of around 2,500 students. The campus is located on . H ...

and Ouachita Baptist University, are located here. Arkadelphia was incorporated in 1857.

History

The site was settled in about 1809 by John Hemphill, operator of a nearby salt works, Arkansas's first industry. It was known as Blakelytown until 1839, when the settlement adopted the name Arkadelphia. The town was named "Arkadelphia," a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of ''Ark-'' from the state's name ''Arkansas'' and ''adelphia'' from the Greek meaning "brother/place".

Geography

Arkadelphia is located in northeastern Clark County on the west bank of the

Ouachita River The Ouachita River ( ) is a river that runs south and east through the United States, U.S. U.S. state, states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River (Louisiana), Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana. It i ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.49%, is water.

Climate

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

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Arkadelphia has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Arkadelphia was once known as the "City of Rainbows", perhaps because the humid climate often resulted in rain.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,380 people, 3,751 households, and 1,966 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 10,714 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.0% White, 30.0% Black, 0.4% Native American, 0.8% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race and 1.4% from two or more races. 3.2% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 10,912 people, 3,865 households, and 2,187 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,216 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.98%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 26.51%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

or African American, 0.53% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 1.35% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.59% of the population. There were 3,865 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.6% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the age distribution of the population showed 18.1% under the age of 18, 32.9% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,651, and the median income for a family was $42,479. Males had a median income of $30,152 versus $19,459 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,268. About 19.8% of families and 23.2% 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 ...

, including 25.8% of those under the age of 18 and 15.9% of those 65 and older.

Economy

Major factors in Arkadelphia's economy are

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

and

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

. Ouachita Baptist University,

, and Arkadelphia School District employ many people in the education sector. The manufacturing sector includes Georgia Pacific and Siplast. The economy includes small-scale businesses, including fast-food restaurants.

Arts and culture

Opened in 2011, the Arkadelphia Arts Center hosts exhibits, productions and educational workshops for many organizations in town, including the Caddo River Art Guild, the Poet and Writer's Guild, the Little Theatre, the two universities, and Arkadelphia School District. Henderson State University holds plays and musical performances in Arkansas Hall located on campus. Ouachita Baptist University displays student art and sculpture in the Hammons Gallery. OBU performing arts take place in the OBU Jones Performing Arts Center on Ouachita Street.

Tourism

The Clark County Historical Museum contains artifacts from prehistoric times through today in an attempt to document the history of the county. Based in the former Amtrak station, a historic tour through Arkadelphia, including the historic James E. M. Barkman House. The Captain Henderson House is a historic

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

owned and operated by Henderson State University and originally inhabited by the university's namesake. Downtown Arkadelphia includes the Arkadelphia Commercial Historic District, the Arkadelphia Confederate Monument, Clark County Courthouse, and the Clark County Library, all listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Other family attractions include the Diamond Lakes Regional Visitors Center on Highway 7 near I-30, and the Reynolds Science Center Planetarium, open to the public during the academic year, is located on the Henderson State University campus.

Parks and recreation

Arkadelphia Parks and Recreation Department operates facilities and manages activities for the community. Within Feaster Park, the department operates Arkadelphia Aquatic Park, which features water slides, swimming, and diving areas. The park includes a recreation center that has an indoor basketball/volleyball court, a weight lifting area and an elevated walking track. In 2013, the department completed construction of DeSoto Bluff Trail, which overlooks the Ouachita River. DeGray Lake Resort State Park surrounds DeGray Lake, which is located northwest of Arkadelphia, on Arkansas Scenic Byway 7. The state park has facilities for camping, fishing, water sports, golf, hiking, and biking. The Iron Mountain Bike Trail is a winding path inside the park that runs for approximately . The Caddo and Ouachita rivers merge just outside the northern city limits.

Canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

and

tube Tube or tubes may refer to: * ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film * "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show * Tube (band), a Japanese rock band * Tube & Berger, the alias of dance/electronica producers Arndt Rör ...

rentals are available in nearby Caddo Valley, Arkansas. 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 ...

and

Hot Springs National Park Hot Springs National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in central Garland County, Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Hot Springs. Hot Springs Reservation was initially ...

are located on the scenic byway, approximately north of Arkadelphia. To the west of Hot Springs is

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 ...

, which has more than of shoreline and more than of water. The lake is surrounded by Ouachita National Forest. The tourist destination of

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

is located adjacent to the national park. Bathhouse Row, Oaklawn Park Race Track and Casino and Magic Springs are some attractions located there.

Government

Arkadelphia operates under the city manager form of government. There is a seven-member city council known as the board of directors that appoint the city manager. Five members of the board are elected via ward. Two members are elected at large, one of which is the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

position.

Education

Colleges and universities

is a public liberal arts, undergraduate institution that is a member of the

Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges The Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) is a consortium of 30 Liberal arts college, public liberal arts colleges and universities in 27 states and one Canadian province. Established in 1987, COPLAC advances the aims of its member instit ...

. The university was founded as ''Arkadelphia Methodist College'' in 1890, and was renamed Henderson-Brown College before it became a public institution in 1929. Its current name was adopted in 1975. In 2021,

joined the

Arkansas State University System The Arkansas State University System, based in Little Rock, serves almost 40,000 students annually on campuses in Arkansas and Querétaro, Queretaro, Mexico, and globally online. The Arkansas State University System includes Arkansas State Unive ...

. * Ouachita Baptist University is a private, liberal arts, undergraduate institution that is affiliated with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. The university was founded as ''Ouachita Baptist College'' in 1886, and its current designation was established in 1965.

Secondary schools

Public schools

Arkadelphia School District operates four public schools: * Louisa E. Perritt Primary School * Peake Elementary School * Goza Middle School * Arkadelphia High School For the 2011–2012 school year, there were approximately 2,125 students enrolled. In September 2015, voters in the Arkadelphia School District passed a millage increase earmarked for new elementary and middle schools. Nikki Thomas is District Superintendent.

Private schools

* Clark County Christian Academy. K4 through 12th grade.

Historic schools

* Arkansas Institute for the Blind was located in Arkadelphia from 1859–1868.

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Major medical services in Arkadelphia are provided by: * Baptist Health Medical Center-Arkadelphia – a

Hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

which provides a wide variety of services, including the 'Arkadelphia Medical Clinic', and a Women's Health Clinic. * CHI St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – provider of specialized

Cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

services. * The Surgical Clinic of Central Arkansas – a comprehensive

General Surgery General surgery is a Surgical specialties, surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and Abdomen, abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, Appendix (anatomy ...

provider. * Baptist Health Orthopaedic Clinic – General, sports, and joint replacement.

Transportation

Major highways

* Interstate 30 * U.S. Highway 67 * Arkansas Highway 7 *

Arkansas Highway 8 Arkansas Highway 8 (AR 8) is a designation for four state highways in lower Arkansas. One segment runs from the Oklahoma state line east to US 59/ US 71 in Mena. A second segment runs from US 59/US 71 in Mena east to US 63 in Warren. A thir ...

* Arkansas Highway 51 * Arkansas Highway 874 Arkadelphia is intersected by Interstate 30, a primary east-west Interstate highway running northeast to

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, southwest to Texarkana, and southwest to

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. US Route 67 runs parallel to I-30 and connects Arkadelphia to Malvern to the northeast and Gurdon to the southwest. Highway 8 and Arkansas Highway 51 serve as primary east-west arterials for Arkadelphia. Arkansas Highway 7 provides a primary north-south route and has been designated as an Arkansas Scenic Byway. Arkansas Highway 874 is a system of state highways that serve Henderson State University.

Rail

Passenger rail service is provided by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's Texas Eagle, which stops at Arkadelphia station. Trains run daily between

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

. Connecting service between San Antonio and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

is available three times a week via the

Sunset Limited The ''Sunset Limited'' is a long-distance passenger train run by Amtrak, operating on a route between New Orleans and Los Angeles. Major stops include Houston, San Antonio and El Paso in Texas, as well as Tucson, Arizona. Opening in 1894 thr ...

. Freight service in Arkadelphia is provided by Arkansas Midland Railroad and the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

Aviation

Dexter B. Florence Memorial Field (KADF) in southeastern Arkadelphia can serve small business jets as well as single and double-engine aircraft. Henderson State University offers a four-year bachelor of science degree in

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

and is responsible for the airport's fixed-base operation.

Public transportation

Within the city, bus service is provided by South Central Arkansas Transit. (SCAT)

Utilities

Water and sewer utilities are provided by Arkadelphia's municipal water & wastewater system. The city's electric system is maintained by South Central Arkansas Electric Cooperative, Inc., and natural gas is provided by CenterPoint Energy.

Notable people

* Henry G. Bennett, longest-serving president of Oklahoma State University * Harley Bozeman, Arkadelphia native, politician, and confidant of Huey and Earl Long * Trent Bryant, cornerback for NFL's

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

and Kansas City Chiefs, and CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders * V. L. Cox, nationally known artist, grew up in Arkadelphia. * Chad Griffin, youngest member of the White House Clinton staff at 19; grew up in Arkadelphia * Cliff Harris, safety for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

, two-time Super Bowl champion; attended college in Arkadelphia * Cecil Ivory (1921-1961),

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister and civil rights leader born in Arkadelphia * Percy Malone, Arkansas politician and pharmacist * W. Francis McBeth, first Composer Laureate of Arkansas * Beth Moore, evangelist and Bible teacher; founder of Living Proof Ministries * Terry Nelson, tight end for

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

in Super Bowl XIV; born in Arkadelphia * Bo Nix, Quarterback for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, born in Arkadelphia * Tommy Patterson, NBA player for

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

; attended college in Arkadelphia. * Jim Ranchino (1936–1978), political scientist, consultant and pollster * Bob C. Riley (1924–1994), former governor of Arkansas * Nick Tennyson, two-term mayor of

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

from 1997–2001 * Kevin Williams (b. 1980), defensive tackle for NFL's

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, Seattle Seahawks and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

; born in Arkadelphia * Winston P. Wilson (1911-1996),

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Major General and Chief of the National Guard Bureau

References

External links

City websiteArkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce
* ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture'' entry
Arkadelphia (Clark County)
{{Authority control 1857 establishments in Arkansas Arkansas placenames of Native American origin Cities in Arkansas Cities in Clark County, Arkansas County seats in Arkansas Ouachita Mountains Populated places established in 1857 Arkansas populated places on the Ouachita River