Batesville, Arkansas

Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville, Arkansas
City
	Josephine Street in the fall
	Location of Batesville in Independence County, Arkansas.
	Coordinates: 35°46′25″N 91°38′29″W / 35.77361°N 91.64139°W
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Independence
Founded	1821
Incorporated	1822
Government
• Mayor	Rick Elumbaugh (D)
Area
• Total	11.71 sq mi (30.33 km2)
• Land	11.60 sq mi (30.03 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.30 km2)
Elevation	377 ft (115 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	11,191
• Density	965.16/sq mi (372.64/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	72501, 72503
Area code	870
FIPS code	05-04030
GNIS feature ID	2403819
Website	Official Website for the City of Batesville, Arkansas

Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States,^[3] 80 miles (183 km) northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 10,268.^[4] The city serves as a regional manufacturing and distribution hub for the Ozark Mountain region and Northeast Arkansas.

History

Batesville is the second oldest municipality after the town of Georgetown — and the oldest city — in the state of Arkansas. It was named for the first territorial delegate from Arkansas to the Congress of the United States, James Woodson Bates, who settled in the town. The town has also gone by the names of Napoleon and Poke Bayou.

In early days, Batesville was an important port on the White River and served as an entry point to the interior of northern Arkansas. Batesville played a large role in the settling of the Ozark Mountains region and served as the central land office for northern Arkansas.

The first known settlement of the Batesville area was in 1810 near the mouth of Polk Bayou, and by 1819 the town had a ferry across the White River and about a dozen houses. The town was partially laid out in early 1821, and on March 3, 1822, a bill of assurance was recorded and executed and the town's plat was laid out. Batesville became the county seat in 1821. In January 1822, Judge Richard Searcy opened the town's first state circuit court. The town's first post office was established in 1822, and in 1830 became the home of a county court. On September 25, 1836, shortly after Arkansas was granted its statehood, Governor Conway incorporated Batesville Academy, the state's first academy. In the past, the area in and around the city had extensive quarries of manganese ore, phosphate rock, sandstone, limestone, and marble.

Between 1940 and 1941, Batesville had its own minor league baseball team within the Northeast Arkansas League known as the Batesville Pilots. The team later disbanded in 1941.

On July 31, 1964, singer Jim Reeves and his business partner and manager Dean Manuel left Batesville, en route to Nashville in a single-engine Beechcraft Debonair aircraft, N8972M, with Reeves at the controls.^[5] It crashed later that day near Nashville International Airport killing both on board.

Batesville currently has only one high school within the city limits, Batesville High School. Also, Batesville is the home of Lyon College, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and noted for the annual Arkansas Scottish Festival each fall. In addition, the city is home to the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville (UACCB), and NASCAR driver Mark Martin. It contains three National Register Historic Districts and many properties separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed in Norman Crampton's 1992 book The 100 Best Small Towns in America, ranking at #75.

Geography

Batesville is located at 35°46′25″N 91°38′29″W / 35.77361°N 91.64139°W / 35.77361; -91.64139 (35.773488, -91.641338).^[6] Batesville lies on the White River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.11 square miles (28.8 km²), of which 10.98 square miles (28.4 km²) is land and 0.13 square miles (0.3 km²) (0.12%) is water.

Climate

Climate data for Batesville, Arkansas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	79 (26)	85 (29)	89 (32)	94 (34)	98 (37)	110 (43)	112 (44)	111 (44)	106 (41)	98 (37)	86 (30)	81 (27)	112 (44)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	68.3 (20.2)	72.6 (22.6)	79.3 (26.3)	84.3 (29.1)	89.1 (31.7)	95.3 (35.2)	98.8 (37.1)	99.0 (37.2)	95.0 (35.0)	86.8 (30.4)	77.1 (25.1)	69.7 (20.9)	101.2 (38.4)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	47.9 (8.8)	52.0 (11.1)	60.8 (16.0)	71.0 (21.7)	78.8 (26.0)	87.2 (30.7)	90.7 (32.6)	90.3 (32.4)	83.7 (28.7)	72.8 (22.7)	60.3 (15.7)	50.6 (10.3)	70.5 (21.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)	38.0 (3.3)	41.3 (5.2)	49.5 (9.7)	59.4 (15.2)	68.2 (20.1)	76.5 (24.7)	80.2 (26.8)	79.0 (26.1)	71.9 (22.2)	60.7 (15.9)	49.3 (9.6)	40.7 (4.8)	59.6 (15.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	28.2 (−2.1)	30.7 (−0.7)	38.1 (3.4)	47.7 (8.7)	57.6 (14.2)	65.7 (18.7)	69.6 (20.9)	67.7 (19.8)	60.1 (15.6)	48.6 (9.2)	38.3 (3.5)	30.8 (−0.7)	48.6 (9.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	12.0 (−11.1)	16.0 (−8.9)	22.6 (−5.2)	33.1 (0.6)	43.6 (6.4)	55.1 (12.8)	61.0 (16.1)	58.6 (14.8)	47.1 (8.4)	33.5 (0.8)	23.6 (−4.7)	16.2 (−8.8)	9.7 (−12.4)
Record low °F (°C)	−11 (−24)	−15 (−26)	9 (−13)	23 (−5)	30 (−1)	41 (5)	48 (9)	45 (7)	31 (−1)	20 (−7)	9 (−13)	−6 (−21)	−15 (−26)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.56 (90)	3.73 (95)	4.74 (120)	5.58 (142)	4.97 (126)	3.73 (95)	4.09 (104)	3.48 (88)	3.60 (91)	3.73 (95)	4.87 (124)	4.76 (121)	50.84 (1,291)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.6 (1.5)	0.8 (2.0)	0.4 (1.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.25)	0.3 (0.76)	2.2 (5.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	8.6	8.3	10.8	9.4	10.5	8.1	8.4	7.5	7.1	8.3	8.6	8.7	104.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.5	0.5	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.2	1.5
Source: NOAA^[7]^[8]^[9]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	848	—
1860	920	8.5%
1870	881	−4.2%
1880	1,264	43.5%
1890	2,150	70.1%
1900	2,327	8.2%
1910	3,399	46.1%
1920	4,299	26.5%
1930	4,484	4.3%
1940	5,267	17.5%
1950	6,414	21.8%
1960	6,207	−3.2%
1970	7,209	16.1%
1980	8,447	17.2%
1990	9,187	8.8%
2000	9,445	2.8%
2010	10,248	8.5%
2020	11,191	9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[10]

2020 census

Batesville racial composition^[11]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	7,807	69.76%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	479	4.28%
Native American	39	0.35%
Asian	222	1.98%
Pacific Islander	12	0.11%
Other/Mixed	529	4.73%
Hispanic or Latino	2,103	18.79%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,191 people, 3,985 households, and 2,448 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census^[12] of 2010, there were 10,243 people, 3,777 households, and 2,383 families residing in the city. The population density was 907.3 inhabitants per square mile (350.3/km²). There were 4,146 housing units at an average density of 398.3 per square mile (153.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.2% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.40% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. 4.6% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

There were 3,777 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.92.

The age distribution was 22.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,133, and the median income for a family was $42,634. Males had a median income of $31,068 versus $20,506 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,753. About 11.1% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Batesville Public Schools are part of the Batesville School District, Arkansas. The district has one early learning center, one junior high school, one high school and three elementary schools. Students attend Batesville High School.^[13]

Infrastructure

List of highways

Notable people

Elisha Baxter, 13th governor of Arkansas
Jack Critcher, local and state politician^[14]
Monroe L. Flinn, Illinois state representative
Ryan Mallett, quarterback for Arkansas Razorbacks and NFL's Baltimore Ravens, born in Batesville
Mark Martin, member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame born and raised in Batesville
James McLean, Democrat former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Independence County
Mike McQueen, lived in Batesville after retiring from Major League Baseball and died in Batesville in 2017
William R. Miller, first native-born governor of Arkansas, born in Batesville 1823
Rick Monday, Major League Baseball player and Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster, born in Batesville^[15]
Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General 2015-23
Charlie Strong, football head coach at University of South Florida, former Texas and Louisville coach
James Sturch, Republican member of Arkansas House of Representatives for Independence County since 2015
Mutha's Day Out, 1990s rock band
Sami Jo, country singer

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, Batesville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[16]

References

^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Batesville, Arkansas
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Arkansas' 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting". 2010 Census. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. February 10, 2011. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
^ "M8972M". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "Batesville School District". Batesville School District. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
^ "Legislators List".
^ Reichler, Joseph L., ed. (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8.
^ "Batesville, Arkansas Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.

External links

City of Batesville, the official website of the City of Batesville
MyBatesville.org, the official page of the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce
GuardOnline.com, the online edition of the Batesville Daily Guard newspaper
Batesville Preservation Association, a local organization dedicated to preservation and restoration of the area's historic buildings
Old Independence Regional Museum
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Batesville (Independence County)
Ozark Weather & Radar