Morrilton, Arkansas

Morrilton, Arkansas
City
Historic downtown Morrilton
Motto: "See Further!"[1]
Location in Conway County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates: 35°9′23″N 92°44′31″W / 35.15639°N 92.74194°WCoordinates: 35°9′23″N 92°44′31″W / 35.15639°N 92.74194°W
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Conway
Area
• Total	9.2 sq mi (23.7 km^2)
• Land	8.7 sq mi (22.6 km^2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km^2)
Elevation	384 ft (117 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	6,767
• Density	774/sq mi (298.8/km^2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	72110
Area code(s)	501
FIPS code	05-46970
GNIS feature ID	0056839
Website	www.cityofmorrilton.com

Morrilton is a city in Conway County, Arkansas, United States, less than 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Little Rock. The city is the county seat of Conway County.^[2][3] The population was 6,767 at the 2010 census.^[4]

History

Morrilton was incorporated on November 24, 1879,^[5] and is named after landowners E.J. and George H. Morrill.^[6] Most of the downtown area is built on the farm adjacent to the Morrills formerly owned by James M. Moose.

The city was home to Harding College, now Harding University of Searcy, Arkansas, for about a decade in the 1920s and 1930s. The original campus of Harding University is now the Southern Christian Home, a church-supported residential child care facility.

Geography

Morrilton is located in southern Conway County at 35°9′23″N 92°44′31″W / 35.15639°N 92.74194°W (35.156373, -92.741944).^[7] It is bordered on the south by the Arkansas River.

Interstate 40 passes through the northern side of the city, leading southeast 48 miles (77 km) to Little Rock and west 107 miles (172 km) to Fort Smith. U.S. Route 64 (East and West Broadway Street) is the main road through the city center, leading east 6 miles (10 km) to Plumerville and northwest 13 miles (21 km) to Atkins. Arkansas Highway 9 forms an eastern bypass of Morrilton and leads north 40 miles (64 km) to Clinton and south across the Arkansas River 13 miles (21 km) to Perryville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Morrilton has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.7 km²), of which 8.7 square miles (22.6 km²) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km²), or 4.29%, is water.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	770		—
1890	1,644		113.5%
1900	1,707		3.8%
1910	2,424		42.0%
1920	3,010		24.2%
1930	4,043		34.3%
1940	4,608		14.0%
1950	5,483		19.0%
1960	5,997		9.4%
1970	6,814		13.6%
1980	7,355		7.9%
1990	6,551		−10.9%
2000	6,550		0.0%
2010	6,767		3.3%
Est. 2015	6,738	[8]	−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

As of the 2010 Census, 6,767 people and 2,759 households resided within the city.^[10]

2000 Census results showed 1,724 families residing in the city. The population density was 796.7 people per square mile (307.7/km²). There were 2,947 housing units at an average density of 358.4 per square mile (138.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.38% White, 17.47% Black or African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.37% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. 3.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,645 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,007, and the median income for a family was $36,432. Males had a median income of $30,123 versus $19,213 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,957. About 13.4% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public and private schools

The community is served by two secondary schools. Morrilton High School and the South Conway County School District serve Morrilton as its public school system, where Sacred Heart Catholic School is private.

Colleges and universities

Morrilton is home to the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.

Notable people

• Rick Beck (born 1956), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Conway and Perry counties since 2015, electrical engineer born in Little Rock and a former resident of Morrilton. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.^[11]
• Carl B. Close (1907-1980), Louisiana state representative, a Democrat, who also served as mayor of Alexandria from 1947 to 1953, was born at Robertsville near Morrilton, the son of the country physician, Edgar Close.^[12]
• Nathan Green Gordon (1916–2008), sixth Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas and distinguished United States Navy aviator during World War II; born in Morrilton^[13]
• James S. Moose, Jr. (1903-1989) First US Government Representative to live in Saudi Arabia, Ambassador to Syria and the Sudan
• Winthrop Rockefeller (1912-1973), governor of Arkansas from 1967 to 1971; lived at Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton
• Sue Scott (born 1954), member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Rogers; attended the former Petit Jean Vocational Technical School in Morrilton^[14]
• John R. Stallings (1935–2008), mathematician known for his seminal contributions to geometric group theory and 3-manifold topology; born in Morrilton^[15]
• C. Vann Woodward (1908-1999), American historian focused primarily on the Southern United States and its individual sociology of race and ethnic relations. He attended Morrilton High School.

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

References

1. "City of Morrilton Arkansas". City of Morrilton Arkansas. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
3. "Profile for Morrilton, Arkansas, AR". ePodunk. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Morrilton city, Arkansas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
5. "Morrilton, Arkansas". City-Data.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
6. "Profile for Morrilton, Arkansas, AR". ePodunk. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
7. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
10. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0546970
11. "Rick Beck". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
12. "Carl Buell Close, Sr. (1907-1980)". geni.com. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
13. "About The Office". Arkansas Lieutenant Governors Office. 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
14. "Sue Scott's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
15. "Mathematician John Stallings died last year at 73". UC Berkeley. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
16. Climate Summary for Morrilton, Arkansas

External links

• City of Morrilton official website
• Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce
• Main Street Morrilton
• City-Data.com