Atkins, Arkansas | |
Settlement Type: | City |
Pushpin Map: | USA Arkansas |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Arkansas. |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Name1: | Arkansas |
Subdivision Name2: | Pope |
Area Total Km2: | 15.89 |
Area Total Sq Mi: | 6.14 |
Area Land Km2: | 15.88 |
Area Land Sq Mi: | 6.13 |
Area Water Km2: | 0.01 |
Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
Elevation Ft: | 367 |
Population As Of: | 2020 |
Population Total: | 2859 |
Population Density Km2: | 180.09 |
Population Density Sq Mi: | 466.39 |
Timezone: | Central (CST) |
Utc Offset: | −06:00 |
Coordinates: | 35.2436°N -92.9383°W |
Timezone Dst: | CDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | −05:00 |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code |
Postal Code: | 72823 |
Area Code: | 479 |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank Info: | 05-02590 |
Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Blank1 Info: | 2403125 |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Area Footnotes: | [1] |
Atkins is a city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,016 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Russellville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Atkins is located at 35.2436°N -92.9383°W (35.243485, -92.938212).[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1sqmi, all land. Many Atkins residents commute to nearby Russellville for work, school, and recreation.
The town is named after Elisha Atkins,[3] a Boston sugar importer who financed the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad which spawned the growth of the town after the Civil War. It was formally platted in 1872. Atkins built its first school in 1875 and boasted its own newspaper, the Atkins Chronicle in 1894. The town served as a local cotton depot with a number of cotton gins operating in town. The 1927 flooding of the Arkansas River damaged the town and subsequent road buildings gradually shifted the town to orient northwards away from the river.[4]
Atkins was the site of the Goldsmith Pickle Company which started producing pickled cucumbers in 1946. The town thus laid claim to be the “Pickle Capital of the World” with some 1200 acres devoted to growing cucumbers. Along the same line Atkins was the original home of the fried dill pickle, created by Bernell “Fatman” Austin.[5] The pickle plant came under owners through the years until 2002 when the plant shuttered but left the town with the two-day "Picklefest" legacy held each May.[6]
Number | Percentage | ||
---|---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 2,556 | 89.4% | |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 21 | 0.73% | |
Native American | 19 | 0.66% | |
Asian | 7 | 0.24% | |
Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.03% | |
Other/Mixed | 156 | 5.46% | |
Hispanic or Latino | 99 | 3.46% |
As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 3,016 people in 1,118 households, including 849 families, in the city. The population density was 471.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,288 housing units at an average density of 211.1/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.6% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 2.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 1,118 households 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 25.3% of households were one person and 11.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95.
The age distribution was 23.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% 65 or older. The median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
The median household income was $40,112 and the median family income was $49,754. Males had a median income of $33,191 versus $38,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,605. About 6.4% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.