Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Arkansas
Location of Jacksonville in Arkansas
Coordinates: 34°52′13″N 92°06′55″W / 34.87028°N 92.11528°W / 34.87028; -92.11528
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Pulaski
Founded	1870
Incorporated	1941
Government
- Mayor	Tommy Swaim
Area
- City	26.5 sq mi (68.8 km2)
- Land	26.4 sq mi (68.3 km2)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	285 ft (87 m)
Population (2007)
- City	31,190
- Density	1,134.2/sq mi (437.9/km2)
- Metro	675,069 ('08) (Little Rock/North Little Rock
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	72076, 72078, 72099
Area code(s)	501
FIPS code	05-34750
GNIS feature ID	0057978
Website	www.cityofjacksonville.net

Jacksonville is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States and a suburb of Little Rock. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 30,506, ranking it as the state's 11th largest city, behind Bentonville.^[1] It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jacksonville currently has a population of about 31,190 according to the 2007 US Census.

The city is named for Nicholas and Elizabeth Jackson, landowners who deeded the land for the railroad right-of-way to the Cairo & Fulton Railroad in 1870. The community evolved from the settlement surrounding the railroad depot, eventually incorporating in 1941. In 1941, construction began on the Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP), which served as the primary facility for the development of fuses and denonators for World War II.^[2] Following the war, AOP ceased operations and the land was sold for commercial interests, including the development of the Little Rock Air Force Base in 1955. Today, portions of AOP still remain including the Arkansas Ordnance Plant Guard House which is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Jacksonville Museum of Military History. Despite Pulaski County being one of the few counties in Arkansas that is not a "dry" county, as it allows the sales of beer and liquor, the municipal limits of Jacksonville are "dry" as it does not allow the sales of alcohol in stores.

Geography

Jacksonville is located at 34°52′13″N 92°6′55″W / 34.87028°N 92.11528°W / 34.87028; -92.11528 (34.870345, -92.115164).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.5 square miles (68.8 km²), of which, 26.4 square miles (68.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.64%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 29,916 people, 10,890 households, and 8,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,134.2 people per square mile (437.9/km²). There were 11,890 housing units at an average density of 450.8/sq mi (174.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.17% White, 27.88% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 2.58% from two or more races. 6.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,890 households out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,460, and the median income for a family was $40,381. Males had a median income of $26,708 versus $21,804 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,369. About 11.9% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Since 1927, Jacksonville had been part of the Pulaski County Special School District, one of the largest school districts in Arkansas. In September 2008, Jacksonville decided to split from the Pulaski County Special School District and the measure was approved by the board of the PCSSD. ^[6]

The bulk of the city is contained in the district's Zone 6, with local campuses including the main high school, Jacksonville High School, hosting grades 9-12; two middle schools; and several elementary schools. The two middle schools [1] in central Jacksonville are unique in the state of Arkansas, having been segregated into single-gender schools, although certain extracurricular activities continue to be shared by students at both middle schools. The outlying areas surrounding Jacksonville, along with Little Rock Air Force Base, are served by North Pulaski High School, located in northwestern Jacksonville. Additional elementary, middle, and junior high school campuses in and near western Jacksonville serve the same area (the district's Zone 5), with one elementary campus — Arnold Drive Elementary — exclusively serving the Air Force base. Homer Adkins Elementary, on Jacksonville's southern edge, is in Zone 7 of the district.

A number of privately-operated daycare services and church-affiliated schools are also available throughout the city. In addition, Arkansas State University Beebe maintains a degree center at Little Rock Air Force Base for post-secondary education.

Public libraries

The Central Arkansas Library System includes the Esther Dewitt Nixon Library in Jacksonville.

References

External links

• City of Jacksonville municipal government website
• Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
  • Jacksonville history page
• The Leader, Jacksonville and northern Pulaski County's largest local newspaper
• The Jacksonville Patriot, a twice-weekly local newspaper published on Wednesdays and Fridays

• Jacksonville, Arkansas is at coordinates 34°52′13″N 92°06′55″W / 34.870345°N 92.115164°W / 34.870345; -92.115164 (Jacksonville, Arkansas)Coordinates: 34°52′13″N 92°06′55″W / 34.870345°N 92.115164°W / 34.870345; -92.115164 (Jacksonville, Arkansas)

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