Clinton is the county seat of

Van Buren County, Arkansas Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,796. The county seat is Clinton. The county was formed on November 11, 1833, and named for Martin Van Buren, President of the Un ...

, United States. The population was 2,602 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in the county.

History

The city was named for

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and Naturalism (philosophy), naturalist. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the sixth governor of New York. ...

, the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

governor who built the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

; he had also been a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from New York. On February 5, 2008, an EF4 tornado struck Clinton during 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, 2008, Super Tuesday, while 24 states in t ...

, killing three people and destroying many homes and businesses, including a boat manufacturing facility.

Geography

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 (1.64%) is water. Clinton is situated on the shore of the Archey Fork, a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Upper Little Red River which flows into

Greers Ferry Lake Greers Ferry Lake is the reservoir formed by Greers Ferry Dam, a United States Army Corps of Engineers dam in Northern Arkansas. It is located about north of Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock. Geography The reservoir consists of two lakes co ...

. This body of water is known for its rich and diverse fish habitat and recreational uses. A channelization project in 1982 following a major flood event has recently been re-engineered by The Nature Conservancy in cooperation with city officials and corporate sponsors. The multi-phase restoration project has witnessed the installation of a cantilevered stream bed, bank stabilization, and habitat regeneration. The restoration is now part of the city's downtown park and trail system.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,509 people, 942 households, and 608 families residing in the city.

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 2,283 people, 1,007 households, and 626 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,123 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.71%

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 ...

, 0.04%

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 ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.74% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 1.31% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. 2.67% of the population were

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. There were 1,007 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,206, and the median income for a family was $30,792. Males had a median income of $24,750 versus $19,152 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 $15,514. About 15.7% of families and 17.9% 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 ...

, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The National Championship Chuckwagon Races are held annually at the Bar of Ranch in Clinton. The event is a major tourist attraction drawing many thousands to the area each Labor Day weekend with rodeo and futurity events, auctions, live music performances, and the grand finale Snowy River race. The Van Buren County Courthouse in Clinton is listed on the state historic registry.

Education

Public education for elementary and secondary students is available from the Clinton School District with students graduating from Clinton High School. Clinton High is rated by US News & World Report at #36 out of 292 high schools in Arkansas.

Infrastructure

Intercity bus service to the city is provided by

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

Notable people

* Karen R. Baker, Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court * James E. Burnett, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman, and Special Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court * Bobby Burnett,

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

running back, AFL Rookie of the Year for 1966 *

Opie Cates Opie Cates (10 October 1909 – 6 November 1987) was an American clarinet player and band leader in the 1930s and 1940s, during the swing era, who became a radio drama, radio actor. Early life and career Cates was born Opal Taft Cates, the son of ...

, swing band leader and radio actor * Clifton Clowers, World War I veteran, farmer, and inspiration for the

Merle Kilgore Wyatt Merle Kilgore (August 9, 1934 – February 6, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and manager. Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, he was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the time of his death, he was the personal manager of Hank Wil ...

song "Wolverton Mountain." * John Hargis, 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer is a 1992 Clinton High School graduate. * Monica Potts, author of the book, “The Forgotten Girls,” which is, in part, about her childhood in Clinton. * Jack Whillock,

and Major League Baseball pitcher

In popular culture

In 2023, Monica Potts wrote in ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' that "Almost everyone goes to an evangelical church".- "in the halls of the town’s only high school" would logically refer to Clinton High as it is the only high school in Clinton, Arkansas. Original title of the article is: "" File:Clinton AR Cities Service 2-2025 Wikipedia.jpg, Walter Patterson Filling Station, Clinton AR, 2-2025 File:Clinton AR Mural 2-2025 Wikipedia.jpg, Clinton AR Mural, 2-2025 File:Clinton Courthouse Square.jpg, Downtown Clinton File:Clinton AR Courthouse 2-2025 Wikipedia.jpg, Van Buren County Courthouse, Clinton AR, 2-2025 File:Tornado damage Clinton.jpg, Tornado damage to a house in Clinton, 2008

References

External links

*
Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Van Buren County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas County seats in Arkansas Populated places established in 1879