Ozark, Arkansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 35°29′34″N 93°50′14″W / 35.49278, -93.83722
Ozark, Arkansas
Location in Franklin County and the state of Arkansas
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Franklin
Area
- Total	7.2 sq mi (18.7 km²)
- Land	7.2 sq mi (18.6 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	407 ft (124 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,525
- Density	489.6/sq mi (188.5/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	72949
Area code(s)	479
FIPS code	05-52970
GNIS feature ID	0072973

Ozark is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States, and (along with Charleston) one of the two county seats of Franklin County.^[1] It is part of the Fort Smith Arkansas-Oklahoma Statistical Area. The population was 3,525 at the 2000 census, making Ozark the ninth largest municipality in the metro area. It is named for the Ozarks, the mountain range in which it is situated.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Notable citizens
4 National Recognition
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Ozark is located at 35°29′34″N, 93°50′14″W (35.492713, -93.837096)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.7 km²), of which, 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.

Ozark River Bridge

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 3,525 people, 1,453 households, and 940 families residing in the city. The population density was 491.6 people per square mile (189.8/km²). There were 1,607 housing units at an average density of 224.1/sq mi (86.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.48% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 2.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,453 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,057, and the median income for a family was $31,537. Males had a median income of $25,409 versus $17,353 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,583. About 17.9% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 19.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable citizens

Roy Buchanan, (1939-1988) was a guitar innovator whose skill inspired an aptly titled documentary, The Best Unknown Guitarist in the World. For more than thirty years, the guitarist melded blues, country, jazz, and rock music into a unique sound. Roy Buchanan was born September 23, 1939, in Ozark, the third of four children born to Bill Buchanan and Minnie Bell Reed Buchanan. Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture entry on Roy Buchanan.
Stephanie Childers Dill, born and reared in Ozark, an Arkansas firefighter, is the first and only person from Arkansas to have appeared on the popular CBS television sereis Survivor. [1] [2]
Elizabeth Gracen was Miss Arkansas, Miss America 1982, an American actress, and on the cover of Playboy Magazine. [3]
Dr. Rebecca Johnson, local Millionaire medical doctor who was found murdered. She was the subject of an A&E documentary (City Confidential) about Ozark.[4][5]
The Leding Family, co-stars of the FOX reality TV show The Simple Life. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie stared in the film and stayed with the family for over a month. The family has lived in Franklin County near Ozark and Altus. [6]
Clifton Clay Long, Jr. (1919-2008), was a family physician in Ozark from 1946-1975, who helped to establish Turner Memorial Hospital. A native of Warrensburg, Missouri, he received his M.D. degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy Medical Corps. He was active in the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons, founded the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, and was a former vice-president of the Arkansas Medical Society. He spent his later years in Fort Smith, where he died of ALS.^[4]
Morgan Nick, six year old girl missing since 1995. Her disappearance was the subject to large national attention. Creating programs such as the Morgan Nick Alert, Morgan Nick Foundation, and TV specials such as Robert Stack's Unsolved Mysteries. Morgan's mother, Colleen, heads the Morgan Nick Foundation from her home, which was recently rebuilt on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition. [7]
John Outlaw, a native of Ozark, Extremely successful football coach at Lufkin, Texas. His record is 221-72-5.
Bill Dees Original songwriter of Roy Orbison hit "Oh! Pretty Woman"

[edit] National Recognition

In a 1950 Warner Brothers cartoon entitled "Hillbilly Hare", Bugs Bunny vacations in Ozark, Arkansas and encounters two dimwitted hillbillies named Curt and Pumpkinhead Martin.
In the first season of the reality TV series The Simple Life, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie worked at the Sonic Drive-In located in Ozark, Arkansas.^[5]
On April 17, 2007, late show host Craig Ferguson mentioned Ozark during his guest appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. While telling Dave a story about traveling the country, Craig said he had stopped in "Ozark, which is a town in Arkansas," and discovered catfish. It was the first time Craig had eaten catfish. He described it as being "a tasty fish."
On June 14, 2007, late show host Craig Ferguson displayed a letter from Ozark mayor, Vernon McDaniels making Ferguson an honorary citizen of Ozark.