McNeil is a town in Columbia County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, United States. The population was 516 at the 2010 census, down from 662 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. The community was named after William B. McNeil, founder of the College Hill Academy.

Geography

McNeil is located in northern Columbia County north of downtown

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

, the county seat. 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 town has a total area of , all land. Logoly State Park, part of the Arkansas State Parks System, is located just east of McNeil, off Highway 79. Most of Logoly's comprise a State Natural Area that includes unique plant species and mineral springs.

Climate

The climate in this area 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, McNeil 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.

Demographics

2020 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 662 people, 237 households, and 165 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 280 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 40.33%

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 ...

, 58.31%

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 ...

, 0.15% Asian, and 1.21% from two or more races. 1.36% 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 237 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.34. In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.1% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,136, and the median income for a family was $27,188. Males had a median income of $24,135 versus $16,563 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 $8,986. About 26.9% of families and 32.4% 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 43.2% of those under age 18 and 31.5% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Highways

U.S. Highway 79 U.S. Route 79 (US 79) is a United States highway in the Southern United States. The route is officially considered and signed as a north–south highway, but its path is actually more of a diagonal northeast–southwest highway. The highway's n ...

Arkansas Highway 98 Arkansas Highway 98 (AR 98 and Hwy. 98) is an east–west state highway in Columbia County, Arkansas. The route travels essentially in an incomplete loop with Magnolia at its center. The route begins at U.S. Route 82 (US&nb ...

* Arkansas Highway 98 Business

Education

Students are assigned to the Magnolia School District which operates Magnolia High School. It was previously in the McNeil School District. On July 1, 2004, it consolidated into the Stephens School District.ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls
"

Arkansas Department of Education The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) is a cabinet-level agency of the Arkansas state government overseeing public education for K-12, higher education institutions, and career and technical education. The ADE also contains the Arkansas ...

. Retrieved on May 23, 2018. According to the Stephens school district's attorney, Clay Fendley, there was, in the words of Mike McNeill of the '' Magnolia Reporter'', "bitterness" resulting from the McNeil consolidation. The

Arkansas Board of Education The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) is a cabinet-level agency of the Arkansas state government overseeing public education for K-12, higher education institutions, and career and technical education. The ADE also contains the Arkansas ...

(ABE) voted to dissolve the Stephens School District in 2014, and the portion serving McNeil was given to the Magnolia School District. Before the ABE made its final decision to break up the Stephens district, it was deciding whether to consolidate it entirely with the Nevada School District or divide it into three pieces. McNeil residents favored the split-up proposal because their children could go to school in

, which is closer to McNeil than

Stephens Stephens is a surname. It is a patronymic and is recorded in England from 1086. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander H. Stephens (1812–1883), Vice President of the Confederate States *Alison Stephens (1970–2010), British mandoli ...

; Magnolia is from McNeil.
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References

External links

Logoly State Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcneil, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas Cities in Columbia County, Arkansas