Bethel Heights was a city in Benton 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. Always a small, sparsely populated community, the region coalesced around a school named Bethel in the late 19th century but did not incorporate until 1967 to avoid annexation by larger neighboring communities. The town offered police and fire protection and wastewater service to residents, but sent students to

Springdale Public Schools 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 junio ...

and purchased water from Springdale Water Utilities. By the 21st century,

Northwest Arkansas Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozark Mountains. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville, the surrounding towns of Benton an ...

was gaining population rapidly, and Bethel Heights reincorporated as a city and grew from a population of 714 in

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to 2,372 at the 2010 census. Growth put pressure on the city's subsurface discharge wastewater treatment system, and following a series of wastewater treatment plant violations, voters dissolved the city and completely annexed into Springdale in August 2020.

History

Present-day Benton County was hunted by the

Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage". Osage can also refer to: * Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation * Osage (Unicode b ...

prior to, and after, the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

. Following the

Treaty of Fort Clark The Treaty of Fort Clark (also known as the Treaty with the Osage or the Osage Treaty) was signed at Fort Osage (then called Fort Clark) on November 10, 1808, (ratified on April 28, 1810) in which the Osage Nation ceded all the land east of th ...

and establishment of Lovely County, white settlement in the area began. Settlers around Bethel Heights started claiming land in 1856. As the communities of Lowell and Springdale expanded toward the Bethel area, residents incorporated as a town in 1967 to prevent annexation.

Geography

Bethel Heights was located in southern Benton County at (36.222843, -94.127671). It was bordered by Springdale to the east, south, and west, and by Lowell to the north. U.S. Route 71 Business (US 71B, Thompson Street) ran north-south along the western side of the city, and Highway 264 ran east-west through the center of the city. 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 the ...

, the city had a total area of , of which , or 0.69%, is water.

Region

The

region consists of three

Arkansas counties There are 75 counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Arkansas is tied with Mississippi for the most counties with two county seats, at 10. __TOC__ Counties Former cou ...

: Benton,

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, and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The area had a population of 347,045 at the 2000 census which had increased to 463,204 by the 2010 Census (an increase of 33.47 percent). The region does not consist of the usual principal-city-with-

suburbs A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

morphology. The principal cities retain individual identities, but have grown together along Interstate 49 (I-49). For more than the last decade, Northwest Arkansas has been one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States.

Demographics

As of 2010 Bethel Heights had a population of 2,372. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 49.7% non-Hispanic white, 1.9% black or African American, 1.4% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 8.3% Pacific Islander, 21.6% from some other race, 2.2% from two or more races, and 34.7% Hispanic or Latino. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 714 people, 251 households, and 211 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 109.4/km² (282.8/mi²). There were 261 housing units at an average density of 40.0/km² (103.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.16%

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 ...

, 1.54% Native American, 2.52%

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, 1.82% 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 1.96% from two or more races. 3.36% of the population 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 ...

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of any race. There were 251 households, out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.9% were non-families. 13.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.10. The city's population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $48,750, and the median income for a family was $51,172. Males had a median income of $33,438 versus $26,625 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 town was $19,001. About 1.9% of families and 4.9% 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 1.8% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The majority of the former city of Bethel Heights is zoned for

while small sections are zoned to

Rogers Public Schools Rogers Public Schools (formally Rogers Public School District #30) is a public school district based in Rogers, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2012-2013 school year, the district encompasses of land and serves early childhood, elementary an ...

. The Bethel Heights area (the former municipality) in 2022, was zoned to the following: Bayyari, Hunt, and Monitor elementary schools take certain portions. Hellstern, Sonora, and Helen Tyson middle schools take certain portions. Central, Lakeside, and Southwest junior high schools take certain portions.

Springdale High School Springdale High School is a public high school in Springdale, Arkansas, United States for students in grades ten through twelve. Springdale High School is one of three high schools administered by the Springdale School District, the others being H ...

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 ...

take certain portions of Bethel Heights. Bethel Heights, in 2006, was divided between Bayyari, Hunt, and Lee elementary schools. It was also divided between Hellstern, J.O. Kelly, and Helen Tyson middle schools, and between Central, Southwest, and George junior high schools. Most of Bethel Heights was zoned to Springdale High, but with portions west of U.S. Route 71 zoned to Har-Ber. Early residents established Benton County School District #66, and a small school known as Bethel or New Kirk, around Bethel Heights in the late 19th century. This school remained independent until consolidation with Springdale Public Schools in 1948. In 2018, Springdale Public Schools became the largest school district in the state with over 23,000 students. Bethel Heights students were zoned for graduation from Springdale High School.

Government and politics

Mayor–city council

Bethel Heights operated within the mayor-city council form of government. At founding as a town, Bethel Heights had a town council consisting of five aldermen elected at-large as the town's

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

legislature. Mayors served an unlimited number of four-year terms. The mayor was elected by a citywide election to serve as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the city by presiding over all city functions and allocated duties to city employees. Bethel Heights also elected a

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and

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

to two-year terms. In the early 2000s, Bethel Heights became a second-class city, requiring the establishment of wards. Two council members were elected to two-year terms from each of the city's three wards to establish an annual budget and consider ordinances. Council meetings were held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall, 530 Sunrise Drive. On August 21, 2020, Bethel Heights was annexed by Springdale.

Infrastructure

Utilities

The City provided wastewater service via a STEP system, installed in 2003. Bethel Heights struggled to maintain compliance with

Arkansas Department of Health The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH or commonly Health Department within the state) is a department of the government of Arkansas under the Governor of Arkansas. It is responsible for protecting health and well-being for all Arkansans. ADH is a ...

and

Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment is a cabinet level agency in the executive branch of Arkansas government responsible for implementation of the rules and regulations regarding the management of natural resources and protecting th ...

regulations. The system was out of compliance from August 2013 to January 2017, with sewage surfacing in neighbors' fields, livestock poisonings, multiple violations and fines resulting in a consent administrative order. Violations had continued in 2018 and 2019. Potable water service was provided by Springdale Water Utilities. Following the sewer system violations, a moratorium on new water system connections was established in June 2019.

American Electric Power American Electric Power (AEP), (railcar reporting mark: AEPX) is a major investor-owned electric utility in the United States, delivering electricity to more than five million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest gen ...

(AEP/ SWEPCO) and Carroll Electric Cooperative provided electric power in Bethel Heights. Franchise utilities that served the community include

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

, Black Hills Energy, and

Cox Communications Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable) is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services. It i ...