Corning is a city in

Clay County, Arkansas Clay County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Originally incorporated as Clayton County, as of the 2020 United States census, its population was 14,552. The county has two county seats, Corning, Arkansas ...

, United States. The population was 3,377 at the 2010 census. It is one of the two

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 ...

s of Clay County, along with

Piggott Pigot, Pigott, Piggott, Pigotts or Piggotts may refer to: People * Pigot (surname), including a list of people with this name * Pigott (surname), including a list of people with the surname Pigott or Piggott Places * Piggott, Arkansas, Unit ...

History

The original settlement was approximately one mile east and was called Hecht City, named for brothers Levi and Solomon Hecht, who operated a lumber mill on Black River. Hecht City moved to the present site of Corning in 1871, when the Cairo and Fulton Railroad surveyed the land for the proposed route. The railroad through the settlement was completed by 1872. On February 5, 1873, the name was changed from Hecht City to Corning, in honor of H. D. Corning, an engineer with the railroad. The city of Corning experienced a massive period of growth in the early part of the 20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was the site of many industrial manufacturing developments. Corning was the site of a large explosion on March 9, 1966. The pre-dawn explosion originated in a munitions railcar and resulted in only one minor injury in the small town. The explosion was widely reported throughout the surrounding region. Two properties in Corning are 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 ...

: Sheeks House and Oliver House.

Geography

Corning is located in western Clay County west of the Black River.

U.S. Route 62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) is an east–west United States Highway in the southern and northeastern United States. It runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian b ...

passes through the city, leading east to

and southwest to

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues ...

leads north from Corning to

Poplar Bluff, Missouri Poplar Bluff is a city in Butler County, Missouri, Butler County in southeastern Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 ...

, and joins US 62 heading southwest out of Corning to Pocahontas. 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 ...

, Corning has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.81%, is water. The topography of Corning is flat, having previously been marshland. Area farmers and builders may attest to this due to the proliferation of

gumbo Gumbo () is a stew that is popular among the U.S. Gulf Coast community, the New Orleans stew variation being the official state cuisine of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, meat or shellfis ...

soil, a name given to soil high in clay particulate matter and common in the region.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cold 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, Corning 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. According to the

system, has a

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Corning was on August 8–9, 1934 and June 20, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 12, 1899. On January 22, 1918, Corning set the record for the highest 24-hour snowfall recorded in Arkansas at 25 inches.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,227 people, 1,421 households, and 934 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 3,679 people, 1,553 households, and 1,018 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,722 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.77%

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 ...

, 0.33%

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 ...

, 0.60% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.38% of the population was

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 1,553 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,200, and the median income for a family was $29,485. Males had a median income of $22,095 versus $16,383 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 $12,953. About 18.9% 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 29.0% of those under age 18 and 29.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education for elementary and secondary students is provided by the Corning School District. Corning High School is a member of the Arkansas Activities Association. Programs include Art, Band, Spanish, Computer Tech, and Family and Consumer Sciences, along with other basic classes provided by public schools in the state. The school district’s mascot is the bobcat. Corning has always prided itself on its high school sports programs. Currently, the school has boys' football, track, basketball, golf, baseball, and trap shooting. Girls' programs include basketball, softball, track, and golf. The high school football program has enjoyed dominance at times, such as when the team went undefeated in 2007 and made it to the second round of the state playoffs. Also successful, the varsity girls' basketball team played in the state Division 3A playoffs in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Agriculture

Industry in Corning is dominated by agriculture-related industries, such as farm equipment sales, farm equipment repair, seed processing and sales, and fertilizer and chemicals production. Forestry was a primary industry in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s but gave way to farming of rice, soybeans, hard red winter wheat, corn and other grains.

Notable people

* Jack Ladyman, Republican member of the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

from Jonesboro; former Corning resident * W. Stephen Smith,

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Professor of Voice; voice teacher and author

References

External links

City of Corning official website
* ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture'' entry
Corning (Clay County)
{{Authority control Cities in Clay County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas County seats in Arkansas Populated places established in 1877 1877 establishments in Arkansas