Atkins is a city in
Pope County, Arkansas
Pope County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 63,381. The county seat is Russellville, Arkansas, Russellville. The county was formed on Novemb ...
, United States. The population was 3,016 at the
2010 census. It is part of the
Russellville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Atkins is located at (35.243485, -92.938212).
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 , all land. Many Atkins residents commute to nearby
Russellville for work, school, and recreation.
History
The town is named after Elisha Atkins, a Boston
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
importer who financed the
Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad which spawned the growth of the town after the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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 policies.J ...
. It was formally platted in 1872. Atkins built its first school in 1875 and boasted its own newspaper, the ''Atkins Chronicle'' in 1894. The town served as a local cotton depot with a number of cotton gins operating in town. The 1927 flooding of the
Arkansas River damaged the town and subsequent road buildings gradually shifted the town to orient northwards away from the river.
Atkins was the site of the Goldsmith Pickle Company which started producing
pickled cucumbers in 1946. The town thus laid claim to be the "Pickle Capital of the World" with some devoted to growing
cucumbers. Along the same line Atkins was the original home of the
fried dill pickle, created by Bernell “Fatman” Austin. The pickle plant came under owners through the years until 2002 when the plant shuttered but left the town with the two-day "Picklefest" legacy held each May.
"The Atkins Pickle Company"
/ref>
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,859 people, 1,164 households, and 759 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,016 people in 1,118 households, including 849 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,288 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.6% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 2.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 1,118 households 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 25.3% of households were one person and 11.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95.
The age distribution was 23.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% 65 or older. The median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
The median household income was $40,112 and the median family income was $49,754. Males had a median income of $33,191 versus $38,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,605. About 6.4% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
* Ellis Kinder, major league baseball pitcher; Atkins native
* Wilson Matthews, former University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...
assistant football coach; Atkins native
* Norris Church Mailer, writer, wife of Norman Mailer
Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...
References
External links
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Cities in Arkansas
Cities in Pope County, Arkansas
Russellville, Arkansas micropolitan area
Populated places established in 1872
1872 establishments in Arkansas