Clarksville, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clarksville, Arkansas
City
Old train station in Clarksville
Location of Clarksville in Johnson County, Arkansas
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Johnson
Settled	1819
Established	November 1836
Area
• Total	18.84 sq mi (48.78 km2)
• Land	18.22 sq mi (47.18 km2)
• Water	0.62 sq mi (1.60 km2)
Elevation	367 ft (112 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,381
• Density	514.99/sq mi (198.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
ZIP code	72830
Area codes	479
FIPS code	05-14140
GNIS feature ID	2404060

Clarksville is a city in Johnson County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 9,178, up from 7,719 in 2000. As of 2018, the estimated population was 9,743. The city is the county seat of Johnson County. It is nestled between the Arkansas River and the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, and Interstate 40 and US Highway 64 intersect within the city limits. Clarksville-Johnson County is widely known for its peaches, scenic byways and abundance of natural outdoor recreational activities.

History

The community began as settlers arrived to the Arkansas Territory. After the Osage tribe was relocated by treaty, Cherokee settlers came to Arkansas by 1800 and primarily lived along the Arkansas River. A federal Indian trading factory under Matthew Lyon was established at Spadra in 1818, now at the west end of Lake Dardanelle on the Arkansas River, a Clarksville location now occupied by Spadra Marina. A historical marker, dedicated in 1984, sits on Spadra Bluff, near the original river town of Spadra. The area was reserved for the Cherokee, so most early settlers of Johnson County did not move into the area until after 1828, the year the Cherokee gave up their land.

Spadra was the first county seat of Johnson County, convenient to steamboat lines. However, when stagecoach and train transportation became more common, land routes from Little Rock to Fort Smith were directed along higher elevations through Clarksville. As Clarksville grew, it became the de facto location for the county seat circa 1833, probably due to severe flooding at Spadra. Clarksville was established by survey in November 1836 after Johnson County was formed from part of Pope County. The first court session was held in 1837 in a private building.

By July 1853 the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad opted to go through Clarksville instead of Spadra, due to financial incentives provided by the county commissioners based in Clarksville. Almost twenty miles of track toward Spadra were removed during the realignment. Regular rail service began following the Civil War, aiding in Clarksville's growth, while the hamlet of New Spadra began beside the new tracks. Fewer settlers arrived by river transportation so Spadra was less useful, so its major buildings deteriorated or were moved, while Clarksville became the destination of many new settlers arriving by train.

Geography

Clarksville is located in south-central Johnson County and is bordered to the south by the Arkansas River, although the city center is 3 miles (5 km) north of the river and west of Spadra Creek.

Interstate 40 leads southeast 100 miles (161 km) to Little Rock and west 55 miles (89 km) to Fort Smith.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Clarksville has a total area of 19.2 square miles (49.7 km²), of which 18.5 square miles (47.9 km²) are land and 0.69 square miles (1.8 km²), or 3.66%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,381 people, 3,456 households, and 2,116 families residing in the city.

Education

The Arkansas Cumberland College opened on 8 September 1891 in Clarksville. The privately founded educational institution was renamed the College of the Ozarks in 1920 and became the University of the Ozarks in 1987. The University of the Ozarks is a private, liberal arts based university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Clarksville Schools is the city's public school district. Its mascot is a panther. The school colors are red and white. The school system is broken up into six different categories: Primary (K-1), Elementary (2nd-3rd), Intermediate (4th-5th), Middle (6th-7th), Junior High (8th-9th), and High School (10th-12th).

In 2011, Clarksville became the first school district in the state of Arkansas to issue every student in the 7th through 12th grades their own take home laptop computer. In 2022, Intermediate, 4th grade and 5th grade, were introduced to the school district.

The Clarksville School District has a graduation rate of over 92%.

Culture

Clarksville is home to the Johnson County Peach Festival. Starting in 1938. It is a nearly week long event (starts on a Tuesday and ends on Saturday) and attracts visitors from all over the country. Activities and events include Barbershop chorus, gospel music, good ol' home cookin, handmade arts and crafts, street dance, frog jumping contest, terrapin derby, greased pig chase, a 4-mile run, parade, jam and jelly bake-off and of course peach and peach cobbler eating contests. It all concludes with the crowning of Queen Elberta, Miss Arkansas Valley and Miss Teen Arkansas Valley pageants.

The Clarksville post office contains a mural, How Happy was the Occasion, painted in 1941 by Mary May Purser. Federally commissioned murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department.

Notable people

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Clarksville, in alphabetical order by last name.

• Zane Beck (1927–1985), Steel Guitar Hall of Fame member (1991), Pedal steel guitarist and guitar manufacturer.
• Bill Doolin (1858–1896), Old West outlaw born in Clarksville
• Gordon Houston (1916–1942), born in Clarksville, the first professional baseball player to die during active duty in World War II.
• Ralphie May (1972–2017), comedian raised in Clarksville
• Pierce McKennon (1919–1947), World War II flying ace

Tornado

Clarksville was struck by an EF4 tornado on May 25, 2011. Rogers Avenue sustained damage including signs blown down, many building facades damaged and numerous trees broken in half. Areas along and near East Main Street and Poplar Street sustained heavy structural damage, including several heavily damaged homes and apartment buildings. There were three fatalities in rural Johnson County during this storm.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Clarksville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

See also

In Spanish: Clarksville (Arkansas) para niños