Stuttgart is a city in and 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 ...

of the northern district of

Arkansas County, Arkansas Arkansas County, officially the County of Arkansas, is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,149. Located in the Arkansas Delta, the count ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 9,326. Known as the "Rice and Duck Capital of the World", Stuttgart is an international destination for

waterfowl hunting Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting aquatic birds such as ducks, geese and other waterfowls or shorebirds for sport and meat. Waterfowl are hunted in crop fields where they feed, or in areas with bodies of water such as rivers, lakes ...

along the

Mississippi Flyway The Mississippi Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Mississippi, Missouri, and Lower Ohio Rivers in the United States across the western Great Lakes to the Mackenzie River and Hudson Bay in Canada. The main endpoints of t ...

. Founded in 1880, it was named for

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Stuttgart situated on the

Arkansas Grand Prairie The Mississippi Alluvial Plain is a List of ecoregions in the United States (EPA), Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in seven U.S. states, though predominan ...

, a region known for rice cultivation. The economy is largely based on agricultural production, waterfowl tourism, and supporting industries. It is located on U.S. Route 165, approximately southeast of

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

; and on U.S. Route 79 approximately 110 miles southwest of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. Stuttgart is also on the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

between

, and

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff, officially the City of Pine Bluff, is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, tenth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, Jefferson County. The population of the city wa ...

History

Stuttgart was founded by

The Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

Adam Bürkle of Plattenhardt,

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

(present-day

). He moved to the United States in 1852 and founded a settlement at Gum Pond after living for a time in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. On April 30, 1880, Bürkle opened a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and thus had to name the village. In honor of his homeland, he named it

. In 1882, the Texas and St. Louis railroad was opened. Stuttgart was incorporated on April 19, 1889, and in 1904,

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

farming was first introduced in the Stuttgart region. It became a dual county seat in Arkansas County with DeWitt in the 1920s.

Geography

Stuttgart and Arkansas County are located in the Arkansas Delta (in Arkansas, usually referred to as "the Delta") a subregion of the

Mississippi Alluvial Plain The Mississippi River Alluvial Plain is an alluvial plain created by the Mississippi River on which lie parts of seven U.S. states, from southern Louisiana to southern Illinois (Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Lo ...

, which is a flat area consisting of rich, fertile sediment deposits from the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

between

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Within the Delta, Arkansas County is almost entirely within the

Grand Prairie Grand Prairie is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties with a small part extending into Johnson county. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a popul ...

subregion, historically a flat grassland plain underlain by an impermeable clay layer (the Stuttgart soil series). Prior to the 19th century, flatter areas with slowly to very slowly permeable soils (often containing

fragipan A fragipan is a diagnostic horizon in USDA soil taxonomy. They are altered subsurface soil layers that restrict water flow and root penetration. Fragipans are similar to a duripan in how they affect land-use limitations. In soil descriptions, ...

s) supported Arkansas's largest prairie, covered in prairie grasses and forbs, with oaks covering the low hills and ridges, and pockets of floodplains with bottomland hardwood forests. This region was a sharp contrast to the bottomland forests that once dominated other parts of the

. Cropland has now largely replaced the native vegetation. Distinctively, rice is the main crop; soybeans, cotton, corn, and wheat are also grown. The rice fields provide habitat and forage for large numbers and many species of waterfowl; duck and goose hunting occurs at this important spot along the

. Stuttgart is the most important city within the Grand Prairie region. 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.

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, Stuttgart 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 2020 United States census, there were 8,264 people, 3,607 households, and 2,197 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,326 people living in the city. 58.7% were

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 ...

, 36.5%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 2.4% from other races and 1.4% from two or more races. 3.5% 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.

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 9,745 people, 3,994 households, and 2,731 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,384 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 64.0%

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 ...

or Caucasian, 34.5%

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 ...

, 0.6% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. 0.8% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 3,994 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% 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, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,664, and the median income for a family was $39,126. Males had a median income of $30,860 versus $21,817 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 $16,490. About 13.8% of families and 18.2% 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 25.7% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Stuttgart is home to Mack's Prairie Wings, known around the world as the premier waterfowl sports outfitter, through their store and online presence. During the third week in November (Thanksgiving Week), Stuttgart holds the World Championship Duck Calling Contest that brings in people of all ages from around the world to show off their talent using a duck call. Riceland Foods, a farmer-owned agricultural marketing cooperative and world's largest miller and marketer of rice, is headquartered in Stuttgart. Producers Rice Mill, another farmer-owned agricultural marketing cooperative that is also among the largest millers and marketers of rice is also headquartered in Stuttgart. Lennox Industries - Stuttgart has a Lennox Air Conditioner factory. Stratton Seed - Stuttgart is home to Stratton Seed, a large marketer of soybeans and soybean seed. Layne Arkansas - Stuttgart is home to Layne Arkansas, a business that installs water pumping wells to irrigate farms, and also installs city water systems. Baptist Hospital - Stuttgart also has a branch of the Baptist Hospital Group which serves a large part of Arkansas. The Stuttgart Baptist Hospital is a central hospital for much of the surrounding region - - Arkansas County, Prairie County, Monroe County, Western Phillips, Northern Jefferson County, and Eastern Lonoke County. It is one of the largest employers in Stuttgart. The University of Arkansas' Dale Bumpers Rice Research Center, about seven miles east of Stuttgart, employs a team of scientific researchers who breed new varieties of rice, and is one of the biggest employers in the area. Delta Plastics of the South is a manufacturer of plastic irrigation tubes used for watering crops. These tubes are a replacement for more rigid plastic or aluminum pipe systems that used to be used to irrigate. One of Delta Plastics' manufacturing plants is located in Stuttgart, and is a big employer in the area.

Education

Public education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by Stuttgart Public Schools, which leads to graduation from Stuttgart High School. Stuttgart also has Saint John's Lutheran Elementary School, and Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary School (of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock The Diocese of Little Rock () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church for Arkansas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdioce ...

), and Grand Prairie Christian School. Stuttgart also has a branch of Phillips County Community College, a two-year junior college (that also has campuses in Helena and DeWitt), which is part of the

University of Arkansas System The University of Arkansas System is a state university system in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It comprises six campuses; a medical school; two law schools; a graduate school focused on public service; a historically black college, statewide rese ...

. Stuttgart College (also known as Stuttgart Training School and Stuttgart Normal School) operated in the city from 1889 to 1915. The institution had various affiliations, from local control to the

Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...

alongside

Henderson State University Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, Henderson has an undergraduate enrollment of around 2,500 students. The campus is located on . H ...

and

Hendrix College Hendrix College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Chu ...

, and later the United Presbyterian Church, when it was affiliated with

Monmouth College Monmouth College is a Private college, private Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Monmouth, Illinois. It enrolls 727 students in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science de ...

and

Tarkio College Tarkio College was a college that operated in Tarkio, Missouri, from 1883 to 1992. The institution was supported by the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, followed by the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was closed after ...

. The school brought many well-educated professors to the small frontier town and served as an early regional center of education in the Grand Prairie, including many of the Grand Prairie's leading citizens during early settlement. The institution failed due to a lack of financial support and the opening of Stuttgart High School in 1912.

Arts and culture

Stuttgart is home to the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie which has displays celebrating the history of Stuttgart, and the surrounding Grand Prairie area. The Grand Prairie Center on the campus of Phillips County Community College in Stuttgart brings in performances by live bands, and stage plays a handful of times each year.

Annual cultural events

There is an annual Wings Over The Prairie Festival every November, from Wednesday through Saturday, during Thanksgiving week. The festival features the World's Championship Duck Calling Contest, carnival rides, craft tents, and a Queen Mallard Pageant, all celebrating duck hunting which is Stuttgart's biggest tourist attraction. There is an annual German Heritage Festival. There is also an annual Arts Festival held in the Grand Prairie Center on the campus of Phillips County Community College in Stuttgart.

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Stuttgart and the surrounding area are served by Baptist Health Medical Center-Stuttgart, a 49-bed acute care facility. The facility originally opened in 1957 under the name Stuttgart Memorial Hospital, then became Stuttgart Regional Medical Center. It took its current name in 2007 when it became part of the Baptist Health System based in

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

Transportation

Stuttgart is located at the intersection of three north-south United States highways: US Highway 63 (US 63), US 79, and US 165. The city is also served by US 79 Business (US 79B), Highway 130 (AR 130), AR 146 Spur (AR 146S), and AR 276. The Stuttgart Municipal Airport is a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport located north of the city in Prairie County.

In popular culture

The 1989 movie '' Rosalie Goes Shopping'', directed by

Percy Adlon Paul Rudolf Parsifal "Percy" Adlon (; 1 June 1935 – 10 March 2024) was a German director, screenwriter, and producer. He is associated with the New German Cinema movement (ca. 1965–1985), and is known for his strong female characters and po ...

and starring

Marianne Sägebrecht Marianne Sägebrecht (; born 27 August 1945) is a German film actress. Her background included stints as a medical lab assistant and magazine assistant editor before she found her calling in show business. Claiming to be inspired by Bavaria's ma ...

, was set in Stuttgart. Some scenery in Stuttgart appears in the 2007 movie ''

Shotgun Stories ''Shotgun Stories'' is a 2007 drama film about a feud between two sets of half-brothers following the death of their father in rural Arkansas. The film was written and directed by Jeff Nichols, and stars Michael Shannon, Barlow Jacobs, Michael Abb ...

'', starring Michael Shannon, directed by

Jeff Nichols Jeff Nichols (born December 7, 1978) is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are characterized by their Southern United States backdrop and ambience. He is also known for his longstanding collaboration with actor Michael Shannon ...

, which was also filmed in

England, Arkansas England is a city in southwestern Lonoke County, Arkansas, United States, and is the county's fourth most populous city. The population was 2,825 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropoli ...

and

North Little Rock North Little Rock (often abbreviated "NLR") is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Located on the north side of the Arkansas River, it is the twin city of Little Rock. In the late nineteenth century, it was annexed by Little Ro ...

. Some scenery in Stuttgart also appears in the 2012 movie ''

Mud Mud (, or Middle Dutch) is loam, silt or clay mixed with water. Mud is usually formed after rainfall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone (generally cal ...

'' starring

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He achieved his breakthrough with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first su ...

and

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...

, and directed by Jeff Nichols. ''Mud'' was also filmed around DeWitt, Dumas, and Casscoe.

Notable people

Douglas A. Blackmon Douglas A. Blackmon (born 1964) is an American writer and journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for his book, '' Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II.'' Early life and education B ...

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning author of '' Slavery by Another Name'', born in Stuttgart * LeAnne Burch, Arkansas politician *

Fonda Hawthorne Fonda F. Hawthorne (born 1956) is a former one-term 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 Arkansa ...

, Democratic 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 Little River County; born in Stuttgart in 1956 * Wanda Northcutt,https://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/museum-of-the-arkansas-grand-prairie-receives-generous-gift-of-historic-home-from-the-family-of-wanda-northcutt-hartz/ served in the

for more than a decade * Oren O'Neal, Former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

Fullback;

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

Team Rookie of the Year 2007.

References

External links

* * *
Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce

''Stuttgart Daily Leader''

Stuttgart Public Library
{{authority control * 1880 establishments in Arkansas Cities in Arkansas Cities in Arkansas County, Arkansas County seats in Arkansas German-American culture in Arkansas Populated places established in 1880