Pleasant Plains is a town in Independence 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 349 at the 2010 census, up from 267 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 ...

History

The historic

Southwest Trail The Southwest Trail was a 19th-century pioneer route that was the primary passageway for American settlers bound for Texas. History The Southwest Trail, also known as the Old Military Road, replaced the older Natchitoches Trace, which ran f ...

, a path used by most travelers entering Arkansas early in the 1800s, entered Pleasant Plains on today's

U.S. Highway 167 U.S. Route 167 is a north-south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Highway within the U.S. states of Louisiana and Arkansas. It runs for from Ash Flat, Arkansas at U.S. Route 62/U.S. Route 412 to Abbeville, Louisiana at Louis ...

from Southside. From Pleasant Plains the Southwest Trail headed to Sunnydale via

Arkansas Highway 157 Highway 157 (AR 157, Ark. 157, and Hwy. 157) is a designation for two List of Arkansas state highways, state highways in Northeast Arkansas. One segment begins at Arkansas Highway 367, Highway 367 in Judsonia, Arkansas, Judsonia and runs no ...

, en route to Center Hill and Floyd. By the 1830s more than 80 percent of the Arkansas territory's population had entered through the Southwest Trail. The route, at the time the main route to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, is also known as the Old Military Road.

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 town has a total area of , all land.

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 267 people, 106 households, and 78 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 121.3/km (314.5/mi²). There were 120 housing units at an average density of 54.5/km (141.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.76%

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 ...

, 1.50% Native American, 2.25% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 4.87% 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 106 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% 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, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $22,188, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $22,344 versus $17,250 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 $11,129. About 11.4% of families and 16.0% 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 13.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 30.4% of those 65 or over.

Education

Since the 1985–86 school year, public education for elementary and secondary students has been provided by the Midland School District, which includes Midland Elementary School and Midland High School, all based in this community. Midland formed as a result of consolidation of the former Pleasant Plains and Floral school districts. The consolidation of the Pleasant Plains School District and the Floral School District was effective on July 1, 1985.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 October 13, 2017.

Transportation

;Highways *

* Arkansas Highway 87 * Arkansas 157

References

External links

Pleasant Plains entry in Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
{{authority control Towns in Independence County, Arkansas Towns in Arkansas