Editing Augusta, Arkansas

{{Short description|City in Arkansas, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Augusta, Arkansas
|official_name            = City of Augusta
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|image_skyline            = Woodruff County Arkansas Courthouse.jpg
|image_caption            = Woodruff County Courthouse in Augusta
|image_seal               = 
|image_map                = Woodruff County Arkansas Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Augusta Highlighted 0502740.svg
|map_caption              = Location in Woodruff County and Arkansas
|pushpin_map              = USA
|pushpin_label            = Augusta
|pushpin_relief           = yes
|pushpin_label_position   = left
|pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the United States
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Arkansas|County]]
|subdivision_name         = {{Flagu|United States}}
|subdivision_name1        = {{Flag|Arkansas}}
|subdivision_name2        = [[Woodruff County, Arkansas|Woodruff]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              =  
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = {{start date|1848|2|21}}<!-- Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. -->
|established_title1       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date1        = {{start date|1860|7|9}}
|founder                  = Thomas Hough
|named_for                = Augusta Cald
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_05.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 5.41
|area_total_sq_mi         = 2.09
|area_land_km2            = 5.37
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.07
|area_water_km2           = 0.04
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.02
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 217
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1998
|population_metro         = 
|population_density_km2   = 372.25
|population_density_sq_mi = 964.29
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = −06:00
|coordinates              = {{coord|35|17|19|N|91|22|09|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = −05:00
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
|postal_code              = 72006
|area_code                = [[Area code 870|870]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 05-02740
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2403137<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2403137}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
|website                  = 
}}
'''Augusta''', officially the '''City of Augusta''', is a [[city]] in [[Woodruff County, Arkansas|Woodruff County]], [[Arkansas]], United States, located on the east bank of the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]]. The population was 1,998 as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 Census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Augusta%20city,%20Arkansas |title=Augusta (city), Arkansas|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=July 11, 2024}}</ref> The city is the [[county seat]] of Woodruff County.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref>

==History==
In 1848, Thomas Hough had the [[village]] of '''Chickasaw Crossing, Arkansas''', surveyed and laid out. The location was a natural [[riverboat]] landing spot on the navigable [[White River (Arkansas–Missouri)|White River]].<ref name=Woodruff>{{cite web|url= https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/woodruff-county-815/ |title=Woodruff County|publisher=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> In 1850, Hough renamed the settlement after his niece, Augusta Cald. [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]] on July 9, 1860, in [[Jackson County, Arkansas|Jackson County]], the town of Augusta became a part of Woodruff County when it was formed in the 1860s.<ref name=Augusta>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Barnett |first=Paula Harmon |date=October 15, 2024 |title=Augusta (Woodruff County) |url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1017 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Arkansas]] |location=Little Rock, Arkansas |publisher=[[Central Arkansas Library System|CALS]] |access-date=April 1, 2025}}</ref>

After the chaos of the [[American Civil War]] and its immediate aftermath, Augusta entered its greatest period of prosperity in the [[1870s]] as a year-round riverboat transport point for a wide variety of goods, serving vessels from as far away as [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] and [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]].<ref name=Augusta/> Thus, when railroads began entering the county in the late 1800s, Augusta opted out of the apparently-unnecessary innovation and allowed their town to be bypassed by the tracks.<ref name=Augusta/> When river traffic began to decline, the citizens realized their mistake, and decided to build their own railroad to link to the national rail grid.<ref name=Augusta/> What became the [[Augusta Railroad]] lasted from 1886 to 1958 or 1959.<ref name=Augusta/><ref name=ICC>{{cite web|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VM1DAAAAIAAJ |title= Augusta Railroad Company, Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States (Valuation Reports), April-June 1926, pp.756-766|date= 1926|publisher=Interstate Commerce Commission|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.railroadcollectibles.com/augusta-railroad/ |title=Augusta Railroad Memorabilia Value Guide|publisher=Railroad Collectibles|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref>

==Geography==
Augusta is located approximately {{convert|75|mi|km}} northeast of [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] and {{convert|81|mi|km}} west of [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]].{{#tag:ref|Mileages are based on highway miles.<ref>{{cite web
  |title=Google Maps (Search for Augusta, AR)
  |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Augusta,+AR+72006/@35.2910104,-91.3958146,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x87d382fd3ee3f87d:0xf61b3a456d735e23
  |access-date=January 22, 2016 }}</ref>
|group=Note}} According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.0|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

===Region===
{{See also|Arkansas Delta}}
Augusta is located in the Arkansas Delta, one of the six primary geographic regions of Arkansas. The Arkansas Delta is a subregion of the [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]], which is a flat area consisting of rich, fertile sediment deposits from the [[Mississippi River]] between [[Louisiana]] and [[Illinois]]. Prior to settlement, Woodruff County was densely forested, with bayous, sloughs, and swamps crossing the land. Seeking to take advantage of the area's fertile soils, settlers cleared the land to better suit [[row crops]].

===County===
Although some swampland has been preserved in the Cache River NWR and some former farmland has undergone reforestation, the majority (56 percent) of the county remains in cultivation.{{#tag:ref|In 2014, 114 thousand acres of soybeans, 58.7 thousand acres of rice, 14.6 thousand acres of wheat, 17 thousand acres of corn and 7 thousand acres of sorghum were planted in Woodruff County.<ref name=AgStats>{{cite web|title= National Agricultural Statistics Service County Level Data |url= http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Arkansas/Publications/County_Estimates/index.php |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture |access-date= January 22, 2016 |year= 2014 }}</ref> Total acreage for those two crops is 211,600.  Woodruff County is 594 square miles, which is 380,160 acres based on 640 acres per square mile.  Acreage for the total crops (211,600) divided by acreage for the county (380,160) is 55.7&nbsp;percent.|group=Note}}

The nearby Cache River NWR, owned by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]], is a preservation area maintaining the original features of the area. Stretching approximately {{convert|90|mi|km}} across adjacent counties, the NWR is listed as a [[List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance|Ramsar wetlands of international importance]], and serves as a key wintering area for [[duck]]s and the largest contiguous tract of [[bottomland hardwood forest]] in [[North America]].

===Climate===
Woodruff County has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa''). Woodruff County experiences all four seasons, although summers can be extremely hot and humid and winters are mild with little snow. July is the hottest month of the year, with an average high of {{convert|93|°F|1}} and an average low of {{convert|70|°F|1}}. Temperatures above {{convert|100|°F}} are not uncommon. January is the coldest month with an average high of {{convert|49|°F|1}} and an average low of {{convert|27|°F|1}}. The highest temperature was {{convert|112|°F|1}}, recorded in 1936 and 1972. The lowest temperature recorded was {{convert|-11|°F}}, on January 8, 1942.

{{Weather box
| location    = Augusta Climate Data
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 87
| Feb record high F = 85
| Mar record high F = 90
| Apr record high F = 97
| May record high F = 99
| Jun record high F = 109
| Jul record high F = 112
| Aug record high F = 112
| Sep record high F = 109
| Oct record high F = 98
| Nov record high F = 87
| Dec record high F = 81
| year record high F = 112
| Jan high F = 49
| Feb high F = 54
| Mar high F = 63
| Apr high F = 73
| May high F = 81
| Jun high F = 89
| Jul high F = 93
| Aug high F = 92
| Sep high F = 85
| Oct high F = 74
| Nov high F = 62
| Dec high F = 51
| year high F = 
| Jan low F = 27
| Feb low F = 31
| Mar low F = 39
| Apr low F = 48
| May low F = 58
| Jun low F = 67
| Jul low F = 70
| Aug low F = 69
| Sep low F = 60
| Oct low F = 48
| Nov low F = 39
| Dec low F = 30
| year low F = 
| Jan record low F = −11
| Feb record low F = −10
| Mar record low F = 9
| Apr record low F = 24
| May record low F = 36
| Jun record low F = 44
| Jul record low F = 52
| Aug record low F = 48
| Sep record low F = 34
| Oct record low F = 24
| Nov record low F = 11
| Dec record low F = −4
| year record low F = −11
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 3.6
| Feb precipitation inch = 3.8
| Mar precipitation inch = 4.8
| Apr precipitation inch = 5.0
| May precipitation inch = 5.5
| Jun precipitation inch = 2.9
| Jul precipitation inch = 3.7
| Aug precipitation inch = 2.7
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.4
| Oct precipitation inch = 4.7
| Nov precipitation inch = 5.2
| Dec precipitation inch = 5.0
| year precipitation inch =
| Jan snow inch = 0.8
| Feb snow inch = 1.0
| Mar snow inch = 0.1
| Apr snow inch = 0
| May snow inch = 0
| Jun snow inch = 0
| Jul snow inch = 0
| Aug snow inch = 0
| Sep snow inch = 0
| Oct snow inch = 0
| Nov snow inch = 0
| Dec snow inch = 0.1
| year snow inch = 2.0
| source 1   = The Weather Channel<ref name= Weather.com >{{cite web
| url        = http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/l/USAR0023:1:US
| title      = Monthly Averages for Augusta, AR
| access-date = January 23, 2016
| publisher  = [[The Weather Channel]]
| format     = Table}}</ref>
| date       = January 2016
| source 2   = Weather Database<ref>{{cite web
 |url        = https://snowfall.weatherdb.com/l/1159/Augusta-Arkansas
 |title      = Monthly Snowfall Averages for Augusta, AR
 |access-date = January 23, 2016
|publisher  = Weather Database
 |format     = Table
}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 702
|1890= 519
|1900= 1040
|1910= 1520
|1920= 1731
|1930= 2243
|1940= 2235
|1950= 2317
|1960= 2272
|1970= 2777
|1980= 3496
|1990= 2759
|2000= 2665
|2010= 2199
|2020= 1998
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br />2014 Estimate<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014-3.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014|access-date=June 4, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522132816/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014-3.html|archive-date=May 22, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Augusta Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US0502740&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 9, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|959
|48.0%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|908
|45.45%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|3
|0.15%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|4
|0.2%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|87
|4.35%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|37
|1.85%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,998 people, 966 households, and 597 families residing in the city.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,665 people, 1,070 households, and 741 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|1,357.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 1,164 housing units at an average density of {{convert|592.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the city was 55% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 42.99% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 2% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.08% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.64% from two or more races.  0.38% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 1,070 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 22.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,500, and the median income for a family was $24,506. Males had a median income of $24,781 versus $18,176 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $12,865.  About 23.6% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 41.9% of those under age 18 and 24.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
[[File:Augusta, AR 001.jpg|thumb|Augusta High School]]
Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary school students is provided by the [[Augusta School District (Arkansas)|Augusta School District]], which leads to graduation from [[Augusta High School (Arkansas)|Augusta High School]].

==Transportation==
Augusta sits on [[US Route 64]] and [[Arkansas State Highway 33|State Highway 33]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.google.com/maps/place/Augusta,+AR+72006/@35.2833306,-91.4112083,12.77z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x87d382fd3ee3f87d:0xf61b3a456d735e23!8m2!3d35.2823375!4d-91.3618239!16zL20vMHF4czA?entry=ttu |title=Augusta, Arkansas|publisher=Google Maps|accessdate=July 10, 2024}}</ref>

[[Woodruff County Airport]] {{airport codes|||M60}} is a county-owned public-use [[airport]] four [[nautical mile]]s (5 [[mile|mi]], 7 [[kilometre|km]]) east of the [[central business district]] of Augusta.<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=M60|use=PU|own=PU|site=00871.11*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration, effective 7 September 2023.</ref>

==Historic places==
{{main|National Register of Historic Places listings in Woodruff County, Arkansas}}
Multiple sites in and around Augusta are on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] including the [[Augusta Commercial Historic District]] (roughly bounded by 1st, Main, 2nd, and Pearl streets), the [[Augusta Electrical Generating Plant]], the [[Augusta Memorial Park Historic Section]], the [[Augusta Presbyterian Church]], the [[Ferguson House (Augusta, Arkansas)|Ferguson House]], the [[George Washington Carver High School Home Economics Building]], [[Gregory House (Augusta, Arkansas)|Gregory House]], the [[Jess Norman Post 166 American Legion Hut]], the [[Mathis-Hyde House]], and the [[Woodruff County Courthouse]].

==Tourist attractions==
[[Cache River National Wildlife Refuge]], headquartered in Augusta but located just south of town, protects wetland habitats for migrating waterfowl together with other wildlife, and includes some of the most intact and least disturbed bottomland hardwood forests in the Mississippi Valley region.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.fws.gov/refuge/cache-river |title= Cache River National Wildlife Refuge|publisher=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service|accessdate=July 11, 2024}}</ref>

The 64 Speedway was a popular [[short track motor racing#Arkansas|short track]] motor racing location which closed in 2007.<ref>{{cite web | title = MUST SELL: 64 Speedway, Augusta Arkansas | publisher = STL Racing | date = January 6, 2008 | url = http://www.stlracing.com/community/index.php?threads/must-sell-64-speedway-augusta-arkansas.106190/}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Michael John Gray]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] former member of the [[Arkansas House of Representatives]] (2015-2019) and state Democratic Party chairman<ref>{{cite web|url=http://arkansashouse.org/member/365/Michael%20John-Gray|title=Michael John Gray|publisher=arkansashouse.org|access-date=April 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416055032/http://arkansashouse.org/member/365/Michael%20John-Gray|archive-date=April 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Jimmy Gunn]], professional football player.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Jimmy Gunn 
 |publisher=databaseSports.com 
 |url=http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=GUNNJIM01
 |access-date=October 31, 2013 |url-status=usurped
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103203700/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=GUNNJIM01 
 |archive-date=November 3, 2013 
}}</ref>
* [[John D. Price]], U.S. Navy admiral who held five aviation world records.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-Aviator John Price Dies at 65 |newspaper=[[The Victoria Advocate]] |date=December 20, 1957 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19571220&id=iKpTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DYgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6162,5670893}}</ref>
* [[Billy Ray Smith, Sr.]], professional football player; father of [[Billy Ray Smith, Jr.]]<ref>{{cite web | title = Billy Ray Sr. Smith | publisher = Pro-Football Reference | url = https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitBi23.htm?redir | access-date = January 21, 2014}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Stillwell |first=Leander |year=1917 |title=The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War |url=https://archive.org/details/storyofcommonsol00stil_0 |edition=1st |location=Erie, Kansas |publisher=Press of the Erie Record |pages=107–113 |chapter=Chapter XV. Little Rock.&mdash;Expeditions to Augusta and Springfield.&mdash;March, April, and May, 1864 |lccn=17029817 |oclc=1085327623 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Ballotpedia}}
* {{osmrelation-inline}}

{{Woodruff County, Arkansas}}
{{Arkansas county seats}}

{{Portal bar|Arkansas|Cities}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Augusta, Arkansas|*]]
[[Category:Cities in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Cities in Woodruff County, Arkansas]]
[[Category:County seats in Arkansas]]
[[Category:1848 establishments in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Planned communities in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1848]]