Altus, Arkansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Altus is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 817 at the 2000 census. The name is the Latin word for high and refers to the surrounding Ozark Mountains.

Several wineries are located in Altus and it is the location of the Altus American Viticultural Area.

Altus was the location for the first season of the television show The Simple Life, starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.

Altus is the site of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (St. Mary's Catholic Church) and Wiederkehr Wine Cellar both of which are on the National Register of Historic places. St. Mary's Catholic Church was built in 1902 and is known for its beautful paintings, orgnate Gold Leaf walls, and Roman Architecture. Post Family Wines, Mt. Bethel, and Chateau Aux Arc also reside in Altus.

Altus is also the former site of Hendrix College. The annual Winefest, Spring Gala, Grapefest, Dinner in the Vinyards, and Winestock are held in Altus each year.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Education
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Altus is located at 35°27′17″N, 93°46′19″W (35.454627, -93.771859)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 817 people, 339 households, and 220 families residing in the city. The population density was 172.4/km² (445.2/mi²). There were 372 housing units at an average density of 78.5/km² (202.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.80% White, 0.12% Black or African American, 0.86% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 2.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 339 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,842, and the median income for a family was $29,286. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $18,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,376. About 19.7% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Altus is served by the Ozark School District. The Altus-Denning School District was closed in 2004 after an Arkansas law was passed requiring many small schools in the state to consolidate, usually with a bigger school close by. Prior to closing the Altus High School mascot was the Owls and competed in the 1A classification of the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA).