Pea Ridge is a city in
Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County is a county in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Created as Arkansas' 35th county on September 30, 1836, Benton County contains thirteen incorporated municipalities, including Bentonville, the county seat, and ...
, United States. The name Pea Ridge is derived from a combination of the physical location of the original settlement of the town, across the crest of a ridge of the
Ozark Mountains
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...
, and for the
hog peanuts or
turkey peas that had been originally cultivated by
Native American tribes centuries before European settlement, which later helped to provide basic subsistence once those
pioneer settlers arrived.
The rural town is best known as the location of the pivotal
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
engagement the
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place during the American Civil War near Leetown, Arkansas, Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. United States, Feder ...
, or, as it is locally known, the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, which took place approximately east of the town. The site of the battle is preserved as the
Pea Ridge National Military Park
Pea Ridge National Military Park is a United States National Military Park located in northwest Arkansas near the Missouri border. The park protects the site of the Battle of Pea Ridge, fought March 7 and 8, 1862. The battle was a victory for th ...
.
The town's downtown business district is 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 ...
and largely comprises commercial structures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The population of Pea Ridge was 6,559 as of the
2020 census.
It is part of the
Northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozarks. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers, ...
region. The local weekly newspaper is the ''
Times of Northeast Benton County''.
Geography
Arkansas Highway 94 is the main road through the city, leading south to the center of
Rogers and northwest to the
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
border.
Arkansas Highway 72 leads east to
U.S. Route 62 at Pea Ridge National Military Park, and southwest to
Bentonville.
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 , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 6,559 people, 2,021 households, and 1,455 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the 2010 Census, Pea Ridge had a population of 4,794. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 90.7% white, 0.7% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 2.0% from two or more races and 5.8% Hispanic or Latino.
There were 1300 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,244, and the median income for a family was $42,222. Males had a median income of $29,340 versus $21,298 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 $15,149. 7.7% of the population and 6.0% of families 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 ...
. Out of the total population, 9.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Education
Most of Pea Ridge is zoned to the
Pea Ridge School District. A small section is 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 a ...
.
Pea Ridge High School is the comprehensive high school of the former.
Image gallery
File:1880 Pea Ridge Masonic College.jpg, The 1880 Pea Ridge Masonic College building as it appeared in 1920, about ten years before it was razed
File:Pea Ridge in 1914.jpg, Downtown Pea Ridge looking east on Pickens Road in 1914. The white structure at the end of the street was a hotel operated by the Martin family, which burned down around 1920.
File:Old JJ Putman Store.jpg, The original J.J. Putnam's general merchandise store, which later burned down and was replaced with a cement block building, which still stands on the southeast corner of Pickens Road and Curtis Avenue. This photo antedates 1914.
File:Putman Store.jpg, The cement block building that replaced J.J. Putnam's first general merchandise store, which burned, on the southeast corner of Pickens Road and Curtis Avenue in 1914.
Notable people
*
Grant Hardin, convicted murderer and escapee, nicknamed "Devil in the Ozarks", grew up in Pea Ridge
See also
*
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place during the American Civil War near Leetown, Arkansas, Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. United States, Feder ...
References
External links
City of Pea Ridge official website* Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
Pea Ridge (Benton County)
{{authority control
Cities in Benton County, Arkansas
Cities in Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
American Civil War sites
Populated places established in 1850
1850 establishments in Arkansas