Texarkana is the largest city and the county seat of Miller County, Arkansas, United States. Texarkana is a Twin city with Texarkana, Texas, along State Line Avenue.
According to the 2010 census, the population of the city was 29,919, ranking it as the state's 12th largest city, behind Hot Springs. The city, along with its Texas counterpart, forms the central city of the Metropolitan Statistical Area, encompassing all of Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas. The combined population of the two Texarkana cities was 66,330 at the 2010 census.
Texarkana, Arkansas, is located at 33°25′59″N 94°1′14″W (33.433075, -94.020514). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.9 square miles (108.4 km2). 41.7 square miles (107.9 km2) of it is land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km2) of it (0.43%) is water.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Texarkana has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,448 people, 10,384 households, and 7,040 families residing in the city. The population density was 830.5 people per square mile (320.6/km²). There were 11,721 housing units at an average density of 368.1 per square mile (142.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.93% White, 31.00% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.
There were 10,384 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,343, and the median income for a family was $37,157. Males had a median income of $35,204 versus $21,731 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,130. About 17.2% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or above.
Government and infrastructure
The Arkansas Department of Correction operates the Texarkana Regional Correction Center in Texarkana.
Arkansas residents whose permanent residence is within the city limits of Texarkana, Arkansas are exempt from Arkansas individual income taxes.
The Federal Courthouse (which also holds the city's only post office) is located directly on the Arkansas-Texas state line and is the only federal office building to straddle a state line.
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[5] the top employers in the city are:
- Red River Army Depot & tenants 7,200,
- Christus St. Michael Health Care 1,883,
- Cooper Tire & Rubber Company 1,700,
- Domtar 1,300,
- Wal-Mart 1,100,
- International Paper 925,
- Wadley Regional Medical Center 850,
- Texarkana Independent School District 795,
- Texarkana Arkansas School District 785,
- Southern Refrigerated Transport 750
Texarkana (Amtrak station)
Texarkana Regional Airport
Interstate 30
Interstate 49
U.S. Highway 67
U.S. Highway 82
U.S. Highway 71
U.S. Highway 59
Arkansas Highway 196
Arkansas Highway 151
Arkansas Highway 296
Arkansas Highway 237
Public education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by two school districts:
Texarkana Arkansas School District, which leads to graduating from Arkansas High School. The high school mascot is the Razorback, which was eventually selected for use by the University of Arkansas in exchange for used athletic equipment—a practice that no longer occurs.
Genoa Central School District, which leads to graduation from Genoa Central High School. The high school mascot is the Dragon with green and white serving as the school colors.
Private education opportunities include:
Trinity Christian School, a Baptist school serving prekindergarten through grade 12
In 2012, Texarkana became home to a branch of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT), a community college based in Hope, Arkansas, and in 2015 UAHT began partnering with the University of Arkansas Little Rock, to offer bachelor's-degree programs through UALR Texarkana, based on the UAHT Texarkana campus.
Texarkana is referenced in the song "Cotton Fields" by the American folk and blues musician Lead Belly and later recorded by several notable country rock artists, including The Highwaymen, Buck Owens, The Beach Boys and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter), was born on a cotton plantation near Linden, Texas, about 40 miles southwest of Texarkana, and later worked on a plantation near De Kalb, Texas, about 35 miles west of Texarkana.
Brenda Lee's 1959 song "Let's Jump the Broomstick" references the city with the lyric "Goin' to Alabama back from Texarkana, Goin' all around the world".
Texarkana is one of the places visited by the red car in The Brave Little Toaster during the song "Worthless"
Tesla's 1991 song "Call It What You Want" contains the lyric "All I am is all I'll ever be, and that's just a boy from Texarkana." As the lead singer of the band is actually from Texarkana, this lyric is notably autobiographical.
"Texarkana" is a 1991 song by R.E.M.. The track appears on the band's seventh studio album, Out of Time.
Other popular songs that name-check the city include "I've Been Everywhere" by Hank Snow, later covered by Johnny Cash; "Texas Swing" by Clay Walker from his 2001 album Say No More; "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" by Crazy Elephant; "24 Hours at a Time" by the Marshall Tucker Band; "Texarkana Baby" by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, covered by Tennessee Ernie Ford; and two songs by Joe Ely, "Fingernails" and "I'm Gonna Strangle You Shorty."
In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, The Bandit (Burt Reynolds and the Snowman Jerry Reed) are making a run from Atlanta to Texarkana to get a load of beer. Jerry Reed's 1977 hit song "East Bound and Down" from the soundtrack refers to the city in the lyric "The boys are thirsty in Atlanta and there's beer in Texarkana," regarding the lack of availability of Coors beer east of Texas at that time. (In fact, Texarkana, Texas, is dry and the alcohol distributor is actually in Texarkana, Arkansas.)
In Season 5, Episode 5 "Southbound and Down" of the FX TV show Archer, Archer and the crew from ISIS encounter a hostile biker gang in Texarkana while on their way to Austin, Texas.
In a 2013 episode of American Pickers on The History Channel, Frank and Mike visited several spots in Texarkana.
In the movie Zombieland, Woody Harrelson refers to the relationship with his new zombie-killing companion, Jesse Eisenberg, that he figures it will last "all the way to Texarkana".
Used as setting for the 1976 movie The Town That Dreaded Sundown, which was loosely based on a series of murders that occurred in the town in the spring of 1946.
In the novel A Canticle for Leibowitz, centuries after a nuclear war that reduces world civilization to a second dark age, Texarkana rises as the capital of a burgeoning empire that expands across the former United States and becomes known as the Atlantic Confederacy.
In 2016, a video of a speech defending LGBT rights by a Texarkana minister went viral online.
Buster Benton, blues singer-guitarist
Ben M. Bogard, founder in 1924 of the American Baptist Association; while living in Texarkana, Arkansas, in 1914 he founded The Baptist Commoner denominational newspaper, later in 1917 combined as The Baptist and Commoner
Brad Cherry, relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball and pitcher for UALR College
Mike Cherry, New York Giants football, Murray State quarterback
Lynn A. Davis, lecturer, crime author, former politician
Martin Delray, country music singer
Wayne Dowd, Arkansas State Senator and lawyer
Prissy Hickerson, former member of Arkansas Highway Commission for which Loop 245 is named "Hickerson Highway"; current member of Arkansas House of Representatives from Miller County
Jimmy Hickey Jr., Arkansas state senator from District 11 in Miller, Lafayette, Little River, Hempstead, and Sevier counties; Texarkana businessman
Mike Huckabee, governor; pastored Beech Street First Baptist Church, 1986-1992
Parnelli Jones, 1963 Indianapolis 500 champion
Scott Joplin, musician and preeminent composer of Ragtime
Jeff Keith, lead singer of rock band Tesla
Dana Kimmell, actress
A. Lynn Lowe, farmer and former Arkansas Republican Party state chairman and 1978 gubernatorial nominee against Bill Clinton
Hayes McClerkin, attorney, former Speaker of Arkansas House of Representatives, 1970 gubernatorial primary candidate
Dustin Moseley, Major League Baseball player with the San Diego Padres in the MLB
Conlon Nancarrow, innovative composer who specialized in works for the player piano
Denver "Bull" Randleman, World War II veteran, portrayed in HBO miniseries Band of Brothers
Don Rogers, football player with Cleveland Browns in the NFL
Max Sandlin, Former U.S. Representative from Texas, and husband of former Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin from South Dakota's at-large congressional district
Rod Smith, football player with Denver Broncos in the NFL two time Super Bowl Champion
Gunnar Stansson, YouTube celebrity, the star of videos such as Unforgivable.
Jasper Taylor, early jazz drummer, recorded with Jelly Roll Morton, Freddy Keppard, many others
Jerry Turner, former Major League Baseball outfielder
Dennis Woodberry football player with Washington Redskins in the NFL one time Superbowl Champion
Willie Davis football player with Green Bay Packers in the NFL Super Bowl Champion
