Arkadelphia, Arkansas

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Downtown Arkadelphia

Arkadelphia is a city located in Clark County, Arkansas. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 10,548.^[1] The city is the county seat of Clark County^GR6.

1 Area Snapshot
2 Demographics
3 Etymology
4 Origin
5 Recreation
6 Notable former citizens
- 6.1 Education
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Area Snapshot

Arkadelphia is located at 34°7'19" North, 93°3'58" West (34.121920, -93.066178)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.1 km² (7.4 mi²). 19.0 km² (7.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.41% water.

Local population: 10,548 (2005)^[1] County: Clark Population: 23,401

U.S. Region: West Central Arkansas (the Ouachita Mountain Region).

Closest metro areas: Hot Springs (29 mi. north), Little Rock (63 mi. north)

The city is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains.Two universities, Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University are located there.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2000 Census, 70 percent of Arkadelphia is white alone or in combination, 27.2 percent African American alone or in combination, 1.1 percent Native American, 1.6 percent Asian, 0.1 percent Native Hawaiian, and 1.6 percent of other races.

There are 3,865 households, of which 56 percent are family households; 43.4 percent are classified as non-family households by the United States Census Bureau. Of 3,865 households, 1,492 are married-couple families while 58 are unmarried partner households.

[edit] Etymology

The city's name Arkadelphia was formed by combining Ark- from the state's name Arkansas and adelphia as in Philadelphia. Several towns in the area took similar names (e.g., Dalark, named for its location in Dallas County, Arkansas).

Arkadelphia was once known as the "City of Rainbows", perhaps because it receives more than its fair share of annual rainfall. Arc- (or Ark-) in the city's name may derive from the French for rainbow. The latter half of the name may be derived from adelphia (used to mean "brother" or "brotherhood" although it literally means "from the same womb") [1] or delphi (meaning "womb") which refers to a sacred place.

[edit] Origin

The site was settled in about 1811 by John Hemphill, operator of a nearby salt works. It was known as Blakelytown until 1838, when the settlement adopted its present name of Arkadelphia [2].

[edit] Recreation

Hiking through the Ouachita National Forest is a popular pastime around Arkadelphia. The DeGray Lake State Park has camping, water sports, golf, and hiking. Sailing and fishing are also popular.