Stuttgart, Arkansas

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Location of Stuttgart in Arkansas.

Rural Stuttgart, looking toward town

Stuttgart is the county seat of the northern district of Arkansas County, Arkansas. It is located on U.S. Highway 79 about 70 miles southeast of Little Rock. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 9,376.^[1]

The town proclaims itself the "Rice and Duck Capital of the World". It is headquarters to Riceland Foods, the world's biggest rice miller.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Trivia
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Stuttgart was founded by Adam Bürkle, a native of Plattenhardt in Germany. He moved to the US in 1852 and founded a settlement in Gum Pond. In 1880 he opened a post office and had thus to name the village. In memory of his native home he called it Stuttgart after Stuttgart in Germany. In 1882 the railroad was opened. Stuttgart became a city in 1884. In 1902 rice farming was first introduced in Stuttgart.

[edit] Geography

Stuttgart is located at 34°29′49″N, 91°33′3″W (34.497043, -91.550917)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.0 km² (6.2 mi²), none of which is covered by water. Hard clay underlying the area's topsoil is what made Stuttgart a good place to grow rice, which grows best in flooded fields made possible by the clay.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 9,745 people, 3,994 households, and 2,731 families residing in the city. The population density was 610.8/km² (1,583.0/mi²). There were 4,384 housing units at an average density of 274.8/km² (712.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.96% White, 34.49% Black or African American, 0.58% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.25% Native American, 0.21% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,994 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,664, and the median income for a family was $39,126. Males had a median income of $30,860 versus $21,817 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,490. About 13.8% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.