Wrightsville is a city in
Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 1,542 at the
2020 census.
It is part of the
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 ...
–
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 ...
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Conway
Conway may refer to:
Places
United States
* Conway, Arkansas
* Conway County, Arkansas
* Lake Conway, Arkansas
* Conway, Florida
* Conway, Iowa
* Conway, Kansas
* Conway, Louisiana
* Conway, Massachusetts
* Conway, Michigan
* Conway Townshi ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located on
Highway 365, Wrightsville existed as an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
for more than a century before it was incorporated late in the 20th century. Since 1981, it has been home to a major
Arkansas Department of Corrections
The Arkansas Department of Corrections (DOC), formerly the Arkansas Department of Correction, is the state law enforcement agency that oversees inmates and operates state prisons within the U.S. state of Arkansas. DOC consists of two divisions, ...
facility, which is the principal employer.
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.49% is water.
Arkansas Negro Boys' Industrial School
The
Arkansas Negro Boys' Industrial School (1927-1968) was a juvenile
correctional facility
In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agency, government agencies, and involving the punishment, ...
for black male youth in
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 ...
.
There were two locations in 1936, one in
Jefferson County and one in Wrightsville 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 ...
. A fire in 1959 at the children's dormitory killed twenty-one victims. There were 59 boys locked inside of the school intentionally when it was set ablaze.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,542 people, 276 households, and 143 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,368 people, 262 households, and 193 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 291 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 24.12%
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 ...
, 74.56%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.07%
Native American, 0.29%
Asian, 0.29% from
other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.29% 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 262 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 24.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.37.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.5% under the age of 18, 13.7% from 18 to 24, 44.0% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 250.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 299.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,036, and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,518. About 21.5% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 28.0% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The Arkansas Department of Corrections
Wrightsville Unit
The Wrightsville Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in Wrightsville, Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Ten ...
focuses on educational and rehabilitative services, aiding in workforce preparation, substance abuse recovery, and other aspects of re-entry into society for as many as 850 male and 200 female inmates. A 212-inmate capacity boot camp program was administered at the site for first-time non-violent inmates, along with a 50-inmate capacity female work release program, operated by the ADC since 1990. Since 2011, faith based program Pathway to Freedom has served the Hawkins Men unit, and the Hawkins female unit has taken up industry and food services programs. Wrightsville men's unit houses many programs: Agriculture – Beef Production, Forage Production; Arkansas State Police Barracks (located in Little Rock); Braille Program; Canine Unit; GED Program; WAGE job skills; Industry Operations – Graphic Arts, Furniture Manufacturing, and Data Imaging; Reentry Program; Regional Maintenance; Substance Abuse Therapeutic Community Program (TC); Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP); and ACI Warehouse vocational program. It is a major employer in the community, with a staff of 169 employees in various fields. The land occupied by the unit formerly housed the
Arkansas Negro Boys' Industrial School.
Wrightsville also serves as the
city of license
In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.
In North American broadcast ...
for one Little Rock area radio station,
KLAL-FM, and the
U.S. Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
operates the Wrightsville Post Office.
Education
Wrightsville is within the
Pulaski County Special School District. It is zoned to Daisy Bates Elementary School, Mills Middle School, and
Wilbur D. Mills University Studies High School.
See also
*
List of municipalities in Arkansas
Arkansas is a U.S. state, state in the Southern United States. According to the 2020 United States census, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 33rd most populous state with inhabitants and the List of U.S. states and t ...
References
External links
*
*
Millie Brooks Libraryat
Central Arkansas Library System
Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) is a public library system headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States.
The largest public library system in Arkansas, the Central Arkansas Library System serves all residents of Pulaski and P ...
*
{{authority control
1873 establishments in Arkansas
Cities in Pulaski County, Arkansas
Cities in Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1873
Railway towns in Arkansas