Editing Clarendon, Arkansas

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Clarendon, Arkansas
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|image_skyline            = Monroe County Courthouse 003.jpg
|imagesize                = 225px
|image_caption            = [[Monroe County Courthouse (Arkansas)|Monroe County Courthouse]] in downtown Clarendon
|image_seal               = 
|image_map                = File:Monroe County Arkansas Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Clarendon Highlighted 0513990.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in Monroe County, Arkansas
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Arkansas|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Arkansas]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Monroe County, Arkansas|Monroe]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_date         = 
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021">{{cite web |title=2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Arkansas |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2021_Gazetteer/2021_gaz_place_05.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=June 22, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 5.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.93
|area_land_km2            = 4.53
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.75
|area_water_km2           = 0.46
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.18
|elevation_ft             = 174
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US0513990&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=P1. Race – Clarendon city, Arkansas: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=June 22, 2022}}</ref>
|population_total         = 1526
|population_metro         = 
|population_density_km2   = 336.84
|population_density_sq_mi = 872.50
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|coordinates              = {{coord|34|41|35|N|91|18|23|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 72029
|area_code                = [[Area code 870|870]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 05-13990
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2404054<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404054}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
|website                  = {{URL|www.cityofclarendonar.com}}
}}
'''Clarendon''' is a city in, and the [[county seat]] of, [[Monroe County, Arkansas|Monroe County]], [[Arkansas]], United States.<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> Located in the [[Arkansas Delta]], the city's position on the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]] at the mouth of the [[Cache River (Arkansas)|Cache River]] has defined the community since first incorporating in 1859. Although the river has brought devastation and disaster to the city occasionally throughout history, it has also provided economic opportunities, transportation, recreation and tourism to the city.

Once home to a variety of industries, today Clarendon's economy is largely based on agriculture. Similar to many Delta communities, the city's population has been dwindling since mechanization on the farm reduced the number of agricultural-related jobs in the area. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,526,<ref name="Census 2020"/> the lowest value recorded since 1890.<ref name="eoa" >{{cite encyclopedia|last=Mayo|first=W.R.|title=Clarendon (Monroe County)|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=942|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]]|publisher=[[Butler Center for Arkansas Studies]] at the [[Central Arkansas Library System]]|date=January 14, 2014|access-date=December 21, 2014}}</ref>

==History==

===Settlement through antebellum period===
The area around Clarendon was originally populated by various [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] groups. By 1799, French hunters and trappers had built cabins at the mouth of the [[Cache River (Arkansas)|Cache River]]. It was the point where the Military Road from [[Memphis, Tennessee]], to [[Little Rock]] crossed the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]]. The Military Road was begun in 1826 and completed in 1828. By that date, a ferry crossing and post office had been established in Clarendon, and the town served as the terminus for a stagecoach line to the west. The Military Road was used as the route for some groups of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] being relocated from eastern states to [[Oklahoma]] during the forced relocations commonly known as the [[Trail of Tears]]; [[Chickasaw]], [[Choctaw]], [[Creek people|Creek]], and [[Cherokee]] groups are known to have traveled along it.

The town also acquired railroad connections.  In 1872 the town was added to the Arkansas Central Railway, later the [[Arkansas Midland Railroad]], linking it to the Mississippi River port of Helena, Arkansas.<ref name=Narrow>{{cite book |last=Hilton |first=George W.|date=1990 |title= American Narrow Gauge Railroads|publisher= Stanford University Press|pages=75–80,313–314|isbn=0-8047-2369-9}}</ref><ref name=NarrowEnc>{{cite web|url= https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/narrow-gauge-railroads-5987/ |title=Narrow Gauge Railroads|publisher= Encyclopedia of Arkansas|accessdate=June 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Helena>{{cite web|url= https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/helena-west-helena-phillips-county-950/ |title=Helena-West Helena|publisher= Encyclopedia of Arkansas|accessdate=June 15, 2024}}</ref>  Though it required construction of a 4-mile-long White River bridge and trestle, Clarendon was added to the line of the [[Texas and St. Louis Railway]], a continuous system between Texas and Missouri, by mid-1883.<ref name=Museum>{{cite web|url= https://arkansasrailroadmuseum.org/about/cotton-belt-route.html  |title=St. Louis Southwestern Railroad History|publisher=Arkansas Railroad Museum|accessdate=October 5, 2023}}</ref>    The Texas and St. Louis Railway trackage became the [[St. Louis Southwestern Railway]] or “Cotton Belt” in 1891, and the Arkansas Midland trackage later became the part of the [[St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway]] in 1910.<ref name=Museum/><ref name=Narrow/>

===Civil War and Reconstruction===
The city of Clarendon was officially incorporated in 1859. In 1864, the city was burned to the ground by [[Union Army|Union]] forces in retaliation for the sinking of the tinclad Union gunboat ''USS Queen City'' by forces under the command of Confederate Brigadier General [[Joseph O. Shelby]]. The town's charter was dissolved in 1884, and it was reincorporated in 1898.

===Gilded age through early 20th century===
[[File:Merchant and Planters Bank 001.jpg|right|thumb|upright|The [[Merchants and Planters Bank (Clarendon, Arkansas)|Merchants and Planters Bank]] was built in 1921 and designed by [[Charles L. Thompson]].]]
In the early 1900s, Clarendon developed a number of industries, including lumber, staves and barrels, oars, and buttons made from the shells of the area's plentiful freshwater mussels. The mussels also provided freshwater pearls, which were bought and sold at the Clarendon Pearl Market. The Moss Brothers Bat Company supplied baseball bats to a number of major league baseball players during this era.

Like most of eastern Arkansas, Clarendon was devastated by the [[Great Mississippi Flood of 1927]]. The main [[levee]] at Clarendon held until the White River reached a height of {{convert|38.5|ft}}, {{convert|8.5|ft}} above normal flood stage; the flood eventually crested at {{convert|44|ft}}. While no fatalities were reported, the town was inundated by water up to the second floor of many buildings, and the catastrophic inrush of water when the levee broke caused considerable damage to many buildings. The cleanup of mud and debris took many years.

===World War II onwards===
The area around Clarendon today is primarily agricultural; tourism related to the area's hunting and fishing resources is the most common non-agricultural economic activity. The reported rediscovery of the [[ivory-billed woodpecker]] in 2004–2005 in the Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges has brought new attention to the area.

==Geography==
Clarendon is {{convert|16|mi}} southwest of [[Brinkley, Arkansas|Brinkley]], {{convert|21|mi}} northeast of [[Stuttgart, Arkansas|Stuttgart]], and {{convert|33|mi}} west-southwest of [[Marianna, Arkansas|Marianna]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.93|sqmi|km2|2}}, of which {{convert|1.75|sqmi|km2|2}} are land and {{convert|0.18|sqmi|km2|2}}, or 9.28%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021"/> Clarendon is located at the mouth of the [[Cache River (Arkansas)|Cache River]], where it empties into the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]].

===Climate===
According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Clarendon has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=29630&cityname=Clarendon%2C+Arkansas%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Clarendon, Arkansas]</ref> The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

{{Weather box
|location = Clarendon, Arkansas
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F =  79
|Feb record high F =  85
|Mar record high F =  86
|Apr record high F =  93
|May record high F =  95
|Jun record high F = 102
|Jul record high F = 106
|Aug record high F = 104
|Sep record high F = 101
|Oct record high F =  94
|Nov record high F =  85
|Dec record high F =  79
|year record high F =106
|Jan high F = 49
|Feb high F = 54
|Mar high F = 63
|Apr high F = 72
|May high F = 81
|Jun high F = 88
|Jul high F = 91
|Aug high F = 91
|Sep high F = 84
|Oct high F = 74
|Nov high F = 62
|Dec high F = 51
|year high F = 
|Jan low F = 30
|Feb low F = 34
|Mar low F = 42
|Apr low F = 50
|May low F = 60
|Jun low F = 68
|Jul low F = 72
|Aug low F = 69
|Sep low F = 60
|Oct low F = 49
|Nov low F = 41
|Dec low F = 33
|year low F =
|Jan record low F =  −4
|Feb record low F =   3
|Mar record low F =  15
|Apr record low F =  28
|May record low F =  35
|Jun record low F =  48
|Jul record low F =  53
|Aug record low F =  49
|Sep record low F =  36
|Oct record low F =  28
|Nov record low F =  16
|Dec record low F =  -2
|year record low F=  -4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.69
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.40
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.90
|Apr precipitation inch = 5.17
|May precipitation inch = 5.35
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.83
|Jul precipitation inch = 3.86
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.27
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.30
|Oct precipitation inch = 4.45
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.98
|Dec precipitation inch = 5.51
|year precipitation inch = 
|Jan snow inch = 0.7
|Feb snow inch = 0.2
|Mar snow inch =   0
|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
|year snow inch = 0.9
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days =  9.0
|Feb precipitation days =  9.2
|Mar precipitation days =  9.9
|Apr precipitation days =  8.7
|May precipitation days = 10.4
|Jun precipitation days =  7.8
|Jul precipitation days =  7.3
|Aug precipitation days =  5.8
|Sep precipitation days =  6.0
|Oct precipitation days =  7.5
|Nov precipitation days =  8.9
|Dec precipitation days =  9.0
|year precipitation days = 
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.1
|Feb snow days =   0
|Mar snow days =   0
|Apr snow days =   0
|May snow days =   0
|Jun snow days =   0
|Jul snow days =   0
|Aug snow days =   0
|Sep snow days =   0
|Oct snow days =   0
|Nov snow days =   0
|Dec snow days =   0
|year snow days = 0.1
|source 1 = The Weather Channel<ref name= Weather.com >{{cite web
  | url = http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/72029
  | title = Monthly Averages for Clarendon, AR (72029)
  | access-date = July 20, 2014
| publisher = [[The Weather Channel]]
  | format = Table}}</ref>
|date=February 2012
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 400
|1890= 1060
|1900= 1840
|1910= 2037
|1920= 2638
|1930= 2149
|1940= 2551
|1950= 2547
|1960= 2293
|1970= 2563
|1980= 2361
|1990= 2072
|2000= 1960
|2010= 1664
|2020= 1526
|align-fn=center
|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>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Clarendon Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US0513990&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 9, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|859
|56.29%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|541
|35.45%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|14
|0.92%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|4
|0.26%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|2
|0.13%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|45
|2.95%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|61
|4.0%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,526 people, 741 households, and 397 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 1,960 people, 814 households, and 520 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,072.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 925 housing units at an average density of {{convert|506.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 68.47% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 30.20% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.46% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.05% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], and 0.82% from two or more races. 2.35% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 814 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,927, and the median income for a family was $30,250. Males had a median income of $25,972 versus $18,125 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $11,902. About 20.8% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 44.4% of those under age 18 and 26.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Economy==
The economy of Clarendon is largely defined by the agricultural sector. The city and Clarendon School District are also key employers in the city.

== Education ==
[[File:Clarendon, AR 010.jpg|right|thumb|Clarendon High School]]
Public education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by the [[Clarendon School District]], which includes:

* Clarendon Elementary School, serving prekindergarten through grade 6.
* [[Clarendon High School (Arkansas)|Clarendon High School]], serving grades 7 through 12.

==Infrastructure==

===Healthcare===
The Mid-Delta Health Center in Clarendon provides medical and dental services to residents in Clarendon and the surrounding area. A total of 3,318 patients utilized the clinic in 2013 according to the [[Bureau of Primary Health Care]].<ref>{{ cite web |title= Mid-Delta Health Systems, Inc. |work= Health Center Profile |url= http://www.bphc.hrsa.gov/uds/datacenter.aspx?q=d&bid=062090&state=AR |year= 2013 |publisher= [[Department of Health and Human Services]] |access-date= December 21, 2014 }}</ref>

===Transportation===
[[File:Highway_79_bridge_near_Clarendon,_AR_004.jpg|right|thumb|Highway 79 Bridge over the White River]]
The major highway through Clarendon is [[U.S. Route 79 in Arkansas|U.S. Highway 79]], which gives access to [[Stuttgart, Arkansas|Stuttgart]] to the south, [[Marianna, Arkansas|Marianna]] to the east and [[Brinkley, Arkansas|Brinkley]] (via [[U.S. Route 49 in Arkansas|U.S. Highway 49]]) to the north. Within the city, [[U.S. Route 79B (Clarendon, Arkansas)|U.S. Highway 79B]] serves the central business district. [[Arkansas Highway 302|Highway 302]] is a north–south highway that begins at Madison Street in Clarendon and runs north to [[Arkansas Highway 17|Highway 17]] very near [[U.S. Route 70 in Arkansas|U.S. Highway 70]].

The historic [[Highway 79 Bridge|Clarendon Bridge]] over the White River has been replaced with a new alignment to the south of Clarendon by the [[Arkansas Department of Transportation]] (ARDOT). U.S. Highway 79 was slightly rerouted, with several miles of new bridges constructed over the White River, Cache River, Roc Roe Bayou, and several other waterways. The 1931 bridge, listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP) and [[Historic American Engineering Record]] (HAER),<ref>{{ cite web |title= Clarendon Bridge |date= 1988 |url= https://www.arkansashighways.com/historic_bridge/HAER%20Documents/AR-49%20Clarendon%20Bridge%20%2801253%29.pdf |publisher= AHTD |last= Smith |first= Corinne |access-date= December 21, 2014 }}</ref> has been subject to local restoration efforts as a bike and pedestrian path.<ref>{{ cite web |last= Briggs |first= Porter |title=Save the bridge |url= https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/jun/10/save-the-bridge-20190610/?news-columnists |date= June 10, 2019 |location= Little Rock |work= [[Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]] |publisher= [[WEHCO Media]] }}</ref> The main span of the bridge was demolished using explosives on the morning of November 19, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://katv.com/news/local/historic-bridge-in-monroe-county-to-be-demolished-tuesday-morning|title=WATCH: Historic White River Bridge in Monroe County demolished Tuesday morning|last=KATV|date=November 19, 2019|website=KATV|access-date=November 19, 2019}}</ref>

===Utilities===
Wastewater is collected and conveyed to the Clarendon Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) south of town. The facility uses a lagoon system, filters, and chlorination to produce treated effluent in accordance with the city's [[Clean Water Act|NPDES]] permit administrated by the [[Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality]] (ADEQ).<ref>{{ cite web |title= NPDES Permit AR0021644 |url= http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/ftproot/Pub/WebDatabases/PermitsOnline/NPDES/Permits/AR0021644.pdf |date= |publisher= ADEQ |access-date= December 21, 2014 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Clarendon, Arkansas}}

{{Monroe County, Arkansas}}
{{Arkansas county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Monroe County, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Cities in Arkansas]]
[[Category:County seats in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1859]]
[[Category:1859 establishments in Arkansas]]