Norman is a town in Montgomery 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. It was known as Womble until 1925. The population was 303 at the 2020 census, down from 378 in 2010.

Geography

The town is located in southern Montgomery County at the intersection of Arkansas highways 8 and 27. It is south of Mount Ida, the

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 ...

, and northwest of Glenwood. Norman is situated on the northeast bank of the Caddo River (which defines the town's southwestern city limits) and is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest. 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 , of which , or 1.23%, are water. Norman is part of a local region that was formerly known as Womble. The west end of the town is unofficially known as Middlebuster and was in the past known as "Poor Horse". There is a Caddo Native American burial ground on the southern end of town. It was discovered by city officials, led by then-mayor Duane Cox, who protected it with a wooden fence. Recently, descendants of the Caddo added to the site a footpath and benches as well as plaques containing historical information regarding the living habits of Native Americans.

Demographics

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 423 people, 190 households, and 117 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was 140.8/km (364.8/mi²). There were 224 housing units at an average density of 74.6/km (193.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.56%

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 ...

, 1.42% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.95% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. 2.84% 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 190 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 72.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,481, and the median income for a family was $25,417. Males had a median income of $28,250 versus $16,875 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 town was $10,807. About 21.0% of families and 29.1% 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 44.8% of those under age 18 and 22.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by the Caddo Hills School District,SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Montgomery County, AR
" U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on February 27, 2021. which leads to graduation from Caddo Hills High School. The Norman School District merged into the Caddo Gap one in 1971.

Attractions

* Crystal Springs Dam * Crystal Springs Camp Shelter * The Norman Public Library is the smallest free-standing public library in the United States at just 170 square feet. It was originally constructed as a pumping station.

Transportation

* Arkansas Highway 8 * Arkansas Highway 27

Gallery

Norman, AR 001.jpg, Caddo burial mound Norman, AR 015.jpg, Town hall Norman, AR 019.jpg, Former school Norman, AR 002.jpg, Caddo River

References

{{authority control Towns in Montgomery County, Arkansas Towns in Arkansas