| Texarkana, Arkansas | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Nickname: | The Arkansas Side, TXK |
| Motto: | "Twice as Nice" |
| Pushpin Map: | Arkansas#USA#North America |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Arkansas##Location within the United States |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Pushpin Label: | Texarkana |
| Coordinates: | 33.47°N -94.0083°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Name1: | Arkansas |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Miller |
| Government Type: | Council-Manager |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Board of Directors |
| Leader Title2: | City Manager |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 109.31 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 42.21 |
| Area Land Km2: | 108.72 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 41.98 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.59 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.23 |
| Elevation Ft: | 358 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 29387 |
| Population Density Km2: | 270.30 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 700.06 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 71854 |
| Area Code: | 870 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 05-68810 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2405580 |
Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. It is the twin city of Texarkana, Texas, located just across the state line. The city was founded at a railroad intersection on December 8, 1873, and was incorporated in Arkansas on August 10, 1880. Texarkana and its Texas counterpart are the principal cities of the Texarkana metropolitan area, which in 2021 was ranked 289th in the United States with a population of 147,174, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Within the Ark-La-Tex subregion of southwest Arkansas, Texarkana is located in the Piney Woods, an oak–hickory forest that dominates the flat Gulf Coastal Plain. Texarkana's economy is based on agriculture. The city has long been a trading center, first located at the intersection of major railroads serving Texas, Arkansas and north into Missouri. Since then three major Interstate highways constructed crossroads here: Interstate 30 (I-30), I-49, and the future I-69. The Red River Army Depot is the largest single employer in the city.
The Texarkana Arkansas School District is the largest public school district on the Arkansas side. The city has a branch campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope (UACCH). On the Texas side is located Texarkana College.
Miller County was formed in 1820 in the Arkansas Territory; it was named in honor of James Miller, Arkansas' first territorial governor and a general during the War of 1812. Much of its eastern border is formed by the Red River. At the time, there was considerable uncertainty among Americans as to the location of the boundary between the county (and the United States) and national territory of Mexico, which then included Texas.
Consequently, settlers believed that Arkansas levied and collected taxes on land that eventually might be held by Mexico. Moreover, many who resented what they considered Mexican oppression of European-American Texans were openly declaring allegiance to the Texans.
After the Texas Republic gained independence from Mexico, regional unrest increased. In 1838, Governor James Conway proposed that the "easiest and most effective remedy is the abolition of Miller County to an area which is more patriotic." Miller County was dissolved and its land was made part of Lafayette County, Arkansas.
In 1873 town lots were sold in Texarkana, Arkansas, at the intersection of two railroads, which stimulated its growth as a trading center. In this area and time period, railroads had replaced rivers as the preferred method of transportation and shipping, and new towns were sited for best advantage via the railroad. The next year (1874), Texarkana, Texas, was founded on the rail line on June 12 across the state border.
That same year, the Arkansas legislature re-established Miller County. Efforts of the young town in Arkansas to be incorporated were not realized until October 17, 1880, nearly seven years after Texarkana, Texas, was formed. Both Texarkana cities generally recognize December 8, 1873, as the date of organization.[3]
On February 11, 1922, masked men lynched Mr. Norman, an African-American man, in Texarkana, Miller County, Arkansas. Lynchings were perpetrated by white men primarily against black males, although some black women were also lynched in the South.
Texarkana is southwest of Little Rock, north of Shreveport, Louisiana, and northeast of Dallas, Texas. According to the United States Census Bureau, Texarkana has a total area of, of which are land and 0.2sqmi, or 0.54%, are water. The city is mainly drained by Nix Creek, a southwest-flowing tributary of Days Creek, part of the Sulphur River watershed leading to the Red River.
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.[4]
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 16,113 | 54.83% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 10,347 | 35.21% | |
| Native American | 158 | 0.54% | |
| Asian | 175 | 0.6% | |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.01% | |
| Other/Mixed | 1,348 | 4.59% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,244 | 4.23% |
As of the census[5] of 2016, there were 30,283 people, 13,565 households, and 7,040 families residing in the city. The population density was 830.5PD/sqmi. There were 11,721 housing units at an average density of 368.1/sqmi. 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 13,565 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 $38,292 . 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.
The Arkansas Department of Correction operates the Texarkana Regional Correction Center in Texarkana.[6]
Arkansas residents whose permanent residence is within the city limits of Texarkana, Arkansas, are exempt from Arkansas individual income taxes.[7]
The Federal Courthouse (which holds the city's only post office) is located directly on the Arkansas-Texas state line. It is the only federal office building to straddle a state line.
According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[5] the top employers in the area are:
Public education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by two school districts:
Private education opportunities include:
In 2012, a branch of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope was established at Texarkana. It is known as University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT). In 2015 UAHT began partnering with the University of Arkansas Little Rock, to offer bachelor's degree programs through UALR Texarkana, with classes held on the UAHT Texarkana campus.[10]