Editing West Memphis, Arkansas

{{Short description|City in Arkansas, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = West Memphis, Arkansas
| settlement_type          = [[List of municipalities in Arkansas|City]]
| official_name            = City of West Memphis
| image_skyline            = West Memphis skyline.jpg
| image_caption            = Areal view of Tilden Rodgers Sports Complex
| image_flag               = Flag of West Memphis, Arkansas.svg
| image_seal               = 
| image_map                = Crittenden County Arkansas Incorporated and Unincorporated areas West Memphis Highlighted 0574540.svg
| mapsize                  = 250x200px
| map_caption              = Location in [[Crittenden County, Arkansas|Crittenden county]] and [[Arkansas]]
| pushpin_map              = USA
| pushpin_label            = West Memphis
| pushpin_relief           = yes
| pushpin_label_position   = left
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the [[United States]]
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Arkansas}}
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Arkansas|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Crittenden County, Arkansas|Crittenden]]
| subdivision_name3        = {{ublist|Jackson|Jasper|Mississippi|Mound City|Proctor}}
| subdivision_type3        = [[List of Arkansas townships|Townships]]
| government_type          = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]]
| leader_title             = [[Mayoralty in the United States|Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Marco McClendon{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
| leader_party             = [[Independent (politician)|I]]
| leader_title1            = [[City council|Council]]
| leader_name1             = City Council
| established_title        = Founded
| established_date         = {{start date|1916|09|09}}<!-- 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|1927|05|07}}
| named_for                = [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
| 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|access-date=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
| population_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2           = 74.96
| area_total_sq_mi         = 28.94
| area_land_km2            = 74.70
| area_land_sq_mi          = 28.84
| area_water_km2           = 0.26
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.10
| area_water_percent       = 
| area_urban_km2           = 
| area_urban_sq_mi         = 
| area_metro_km2           = 
| area_metro_sq_mi         = 
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_note          = 
| population_total         = 24520
| population_density_km2   = 328.24
| population_density_sq_mi = 850.15
| population_metro         = 
| population_blank1_title  = [[Demonym]]
| population_blank1        = West Memphian
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_urban       = 
| timezone               = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset             = −6
| timezone_DST           = CDT
| utc_offset_DST         = −5
| coordinates            = {{coord|35|09|41|N|90|11|40|W|region:US-AR_type:city|display=inline}}
| elevation_footnotes    = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft           = 213
| postal_code_type       = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code            = 72301, 72327, 72364, 72376
| area_code              = [[Area code 870|870]]
| blank_name             = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info             = 05-74540
| blank1_name            = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info            = 2405710<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405710}}</ref>
| website                = {{URL|https://westmemphisar.gov}}
| footnotes              = 
}}
'''West Memphis''' is the largest city in [[Crittenden County, Arkansas]], United States. The population was 24,520 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0574540| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212174310/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0574540| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Earle city, Arkansas| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=June 19, 2014}}</ref> ranking it as the state's 20th largest city. It is part of the [[Memphis metropolitan area]], and is located directly across the [[Mississippi River]] from [[Memphis, Tennessee]].

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2023}}

===Pre-European habitation===
[[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] lived in the Mississippi River Valley for at least 10,000 years, although much of the evidence of their presence has been buried or destroyed. The people of the [[Mississippian culture|Mississippian Period]] were the last indigenous inhabitants of the West Memphis area. Mound City Road, located within the eastern portion of the West Memphis city limits, has a marker indicating that the villages of Aquixo (Aquijo) or Pacaha were in the area. Several mounds are still visible.

===European exploration and settlement===
Explorers from both [[Spain]] and [[France]] visited the area near West Memphis. Among those explorers were [[Hernando de Soto]] and his men from Spain and Father [[Jacques Marquette]] and [[Louis Jolliet]] from France. By the time French hunters and explorers entered the region, the Mississippian towns and other settlements had been abandoned. The original site of West Memphis came from Spanish land grants issued during the 1790s. Grants were given to Benjamin Fooy, John Henry Fooy, and Isaac Fooy in the Hopefield (Crittenden County) area and to William McKenney in the Bridgeport-West Memphis area.

===Early history===
In the summer of 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto crossed the [[Mississippi River]] into what is now Crittenden County with an army of over 300 [[conquistador]]s and almost as many captured Native American slaves. The Spanish found the land to be the most densely populated that they had seen since starting their journey on the [[Florida]] coast, two years earlier. The Spanish expedition departed Arkansas two years later, leaving behind numerous [[Old World]] diseases. It was 130 years before Europeans visited this region again. The French expedition of Joliet and Marquette in 1673 found none of the towns or people that the Spanish had documented; all that remained were the many mounds that still dot the landscape along the rivers and creeks. The original inhabitants, like the later settlers, were drawn to this region because of its fertile river bottom soil, abundant game, and thick forest.

====First European settlement====
The earliest recorded immigrant to the area was Benjamin Fooy, a native of [[Holland]], who was sent in 1795 by the Spanish governor of the large area claimed by [[Spain]] to establish a settlement on the [[Mississippi River]]. He chose a location across the river from present-day Memphis. In 1797, the Spanish established Campo de la Esperanza,<ref>https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/about/ The Soldiers of Spain in Colonial Arkansas | Morris S. Arnold | Arkansas Historical Quarterly , Winter 2018, Vol. 77 Issue 4, p305-354, 50p</ref> which was a small fort along the Mississippi River. The Spanish abandoned the fort in 1802 and the area took its English translation "Field of Hope", which eventually became known as Hopefield shortly after the United States took possession of the [[Louisiana Territory]].

===Crittenden County===
Crittenden County is bounded on the east by the Mississippi River and was established in 1825, eleven years before Arkansas became a state. Named after [[Robert Crittenden]], the first secretary of the [[Arkansas Territory]], the county had a population of 1,272 in 1830. Hopefield became the eastern terminal for the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad in 1857. However, the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] forced a halt to track construction just east of the [[St. Francis River]] in 1861.

===Civil War and the end of Hopefield===
During the summer of 1862, Memphis fell into the hands of the [[Union Army|Union]] forces. Most [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] soldiers were ferried across the river to Hopefield, Arkansas, and surrounding farms. Many of these soldiers were moved on to other battle fronts, but some remained to harass the Union forces and disrupt river traffic. This became such a problem that on February 19, 1863, four companies of Federal forces burned down the entire town. The town of Hopefield was rebuilt after the war but never regained the prominence it once held in Crittenden County. After the St. Francis Levee District began the levee system in the [[Arkansas Delta]] during the 1890s, what little remained of Hopefield became part of the Mississippi River flood plain and was washed away.

===First settlement named West Memphis===
An early settlement that was established for ferry operations between Memphis and Arkansas in the early 1880s was given the name West Memphis. This small settlement, located directly south of the present day [[Memphis & Arkansas Bridge]], never incorporated and died out shortly after ferry traffic ceased due to the completion of the [[Frisco Bridge]] across the Mississippi River in 1892.  In addition to its lost ferry operations, this area, in the same fashion as its northern neighbor Hopefield, became part of the Mississippi River flood plain in the 1890s.<ref>Beauregard, Michael A. ''Images of American: West Memphis''. Arcadia Publishing, 2014.</ref>

The entire area usually flooded in the spring until the St. Francis Levee District was established in 1893. However, private landowners along the Mississippi River built levees that were only three or four feet high. In 1912 and 1913, the St. Francis main levee broke, flooding the area from the Mississippi River to [[Forrest City, Arkansas|Forrest City]] in [[St. Francis County, Arkansas|St. Francis County]]. The flood of 1913 was the last time the levee broke in Crittenden County.<ref name="Woolfolk, Margaret Elizabeth 1993">Woolfolk, Margaret Elizabeth. ''A History of Crittenden County''. Southern Historical Press, 1993.</ref>

===Founding of West Memphis===
After the levee system was built and strengthened, [[Zack Bragg|Zack T. Bragg]], a lumberman who had been logging in [[St. Francis County]] since 1905, purchased 300 acres of virgin timber and established a sawmill in 1914. The mill was located along a railroad spur and a dirt path that would eventually become Missouri Street in West Memphis.<ref name="Woolfolk, Margaret Elizabeth 1993"/><ref>Beauregard, Michael A. "Images of America: West Memphis". Arcadia Publishing, 2014.</ref> Bragg also acquired the timbering rights to thousands of acres of adjacent land clearing the area that eventually gave way to fertile farmland and to the future West Memphis. The area around Bragg's Mill was known for the first few years as Bragg, Arkansas. The small community consisted of the mill, a commissary and boarding house, and a few dozen dwellings for workers.<ref name="Beauregard, Michael A. 2014">Beauregard, Michael A. ''Images of America: West Memphis''. Arcadia Publishing, 2014.</ref>
  
In 1914, another operation began two miles south of Bragg's Mill when William H. Hundhausen began plans for the Bolz Slack Barrell Cooperage plant located at the southern end of present-day 8th Street in West Memphis. The Bolz Cooperage, which was a stave mill, purchased a great quantity of acreage for its lumber operation. Within a short time of the mill's beginning, a small community developed. In 1917, highways 70 and 61 were established and clearing began through the future West Memphis.<ref>Beauregard, Michael A. ''Images of America: West Memphis''. Arcadia Press, 2014.</ref> With the threat of river flooding diminished by a strengthened levee, the establishment of two lumber operations and the building of two major U.S. highways, the small lumber communities grew rapidly. In 1920 the population was approximately 132 and by 1928, the population had grown to 350.  The community incorporated as a city in 1927 with the name West Memphis. Zack T. Bragg, one of the city's founders, was elected as the first mayor and served for three consecutive one year terms. William H. Hundhausen, another founder of West Memphis, was elected as its third mayor and served from 1932 to 1944.<ref name="Woolfolk, Margaret Elizabeth 1993"/>

===Early 20th century===
[[File:Blind street musicians, West Memphis, Arkansas, Sept. 1935. (3109755531).jpg|alt=|thumb|Blind street musician in 1935]]
The construction of the railroads, the establishment of lumber operations and the construction of two new U.S. highways fueled the growth of West Memphis. In 1930, the population reached 895.  By 1940, the population grew to 2,225 and by the [[1950 United States census|1950 census]], the population had more than quadrupled in size to 9,112, making West Memphis the fastest growing city in Arkansas. Due to the rapid growth of the city that grew from thick forests and swamps earlier in the 20th century, West Memphis was nicknamed the "Wonder City" in the mid-1930s.<ref>Beauregard, Michael A. ''Images of America: West Memphis''. Arcadia Publishing 2014.</ref>

===20th century growth===
The first automobiles began crossing the Mississippi River at Memphis in 1917 by special roadways constructed on the [[Harahan Bridge]], which was built for rail traffic and opened in 1916. This heralded the growth of the future West Memphis as its main street, U.S. Highway 70, known as Broadway Avenue, brought an influx of automobile traffic through the area. U.S. Highway 61, named Missouri Street in West Memphis, was constructed at the same time and its juncture with Highway 70 would become the epicenter of downtown West Memphis.<ref name="Beauregard, Michael A. 2014"/>
  
West Memphis was officially incorporated in 1927 and continued to grow to become the largest city in Crittenden County. The availability of river and rail transportation transformed West Memphis into the manufacturing and distribution hub of the county. In the 1930s West Memphis, along with the rest of the Mississippi Delta, suffered due to the economic depression. However, the city grew and developed at a record pace. The most notable export of West Memphis from that era was its original [[blues]] music. At one time [[Sonny Boy Williamson II|Sonny Boy Williamson]], [[Howlin' Wolf]], [[Robert Lockwood, Jr.]], and [[B.B. King]] lived in West Memphis.

The growth and development of the city's main commercial thoroughfare, Broadway Avenue, was instigated by the increased traffic and by demand for the industrial products produced and shipped through West Memphis by rail and river. [[Motel|Tourist courts]], restaurants, hotels and other amenities geared toward the traveler were constructed along the traffic corridor through West Memphis. During the World War II years, transportation of soldiers and goods by road, river, and rail in the Memphis/West Memphis area created the need for lodging and other services. Construction in 1949 of a second automobile bridge across the Mississippi, connecting Memphis and West Memphis, created another influx of automobile traffic.

The buildings in the 700, 800 and 900 blocks of East Broadway reflect the growth of the city of West Memphis in the years 1930 to 1958. Until the national interstate highway system was opened in the late 1950s, diverting traffic away from former routes through the middle of America's towns, West Memphis' Broadway Avenue was the city's center of commerce, with retail stores, tourist courts and hotels and office buildings. Decline of Broadway Avenue was rapid after the traffic through the town diminished with the opening of the interstate highways. Although the three blocks of East Broadway contained in the West Memphis Commercial Historic District remain much as they appeared in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the remainder of the city's major traffic corridor, Broadway Avenue, has changed significantly.

===World War II to the modern era===
In the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, 8th Street was often called "[[Beale Street]] West", reflecting a music and nightlife scene to equal that in Memphis. Some places in West Memphis have been associated with entertainers such as [[B.B. King]] (who began his public entertaining at the Square Deal Café on South 16th Street){{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} and [[Elvis Presley]] (who ate his first breakfast after being inducted into the U.S. Army at the Coffee Cup on East Broadway on March 24, 1958).{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} Other night spots along Broadway Street included Willowdale Inn, the Cotton Club, and the Plantation Inn.

Legal [[greyhound racing]] began in the county in 1935. In the years that followed, the track closed several times—once for flooding, another due to World War II, and another time due to fire. However, the business currently known as Southland Park Gaming & Racing on North Ingram Boulevard has been in the same location since 1956 and is now open every day of the week, including 24 hours on weekends.

[[File:West Memphis I-40 Bridge.jpg|thumb|[[Hernando de Soto Bridge]]]]
West Memphis began its role as a trucking hub with the opening of parts of [[Interstate 55 in Arkansas|Interstate 55]] in the 1950s. With both I-55 and [[Interstate 40 in Arkansas|I-40]] traveling toward the Mississippi River, West Memphis became known as the "crossroads of America" in the trucking industry. In 1973, a six-lane highway bridge, known as the [[Hernando de Soto Bridge]] and located north of the Harahan, opened as part of I-40.

In 1980, Leo Chitman was elected as the city's first African American mayor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://arktimes.com/news/cover-stories/2012/11/14/west-memphis-revisited|title=West Memphis revisited|first=Grif|last=Stockley|publisher=Arkansas Times|date=November 12, 2020|access-date=September 13, 2020}}</ref> Current mayor Marco McClendon, who became the youngest West Memphis Mayor to be sworn into office in 2019,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://wreg.com/news/marco-mcclendon-sworn-in-as-west-memphis-mayor/ | title=Marco McClendon sworn in as West Memphis mayor | date=January 2, 2019 }}</ref> is African American as well.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://armoneyandpolitics.com/tide-is-turning-black-mayors-popping-up-across-arkansas/|title=Tide Is Turning: Black Mayors Popping Up Across Arkansas|first=Ryan|last=Nix|date=February 3, 2020|access-date=September 13, 2020}}</ref>

On December 14, 1987, a tornado killed six people and caused approximately $35&nbsp;million in damage. The town had not recovered from the tornado damage when it flooded from {{convert|12|in}} of rain on December 25, 1987. Additionally, {{convert|7|to|10|in}} of snow fell on January 6, 1988. When the snow began to melt, this added to the already existing flood problems and the destruction caused by the tornado.

Some of the major employers in the city are Schneider National Carriers, Southland Park Gaming & Racing, Family Dollar Distribution, FedEx National LTL, and Robert Bosch Power Tools. Family Dollar Distribution and FedEx National LTL are located in the Mid-America Industrial Park west of the city.

The 1993 murders of three young boys and the subsequent convictions of [[Damien Echols]], Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. brought much unwanted attention to West Memphis. The three young men convicted were known as the [[West Memphis Three]] and the case brought about a great amount of public intrigue. Four documentaries have been made about the incident, the first being ''[[Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills]]''. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were released from jail in 2011 after signing an [[Alford plea]], which allowed them to plead guilty while maintaining their innocence. They were released with time served and placed on probation until 2021.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/19/west-memphis-three-free_n_931449.html | work=Huffington Post | first=David | last=Lohr | title='West Memphis Three' Free After Serving 17 Years | date=August 19, 2011}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{See also|Arkansas Delta}}
West Memphis is located in eastern Crittenden County. It is bordered to the north by the city of [[Marion, Arkansas|Marion]]. A small piece of West Memphis extends south as far as the [[Mississippi River]], but in most places the river is from {{convert|0.2|to|2|mi}} south or east of the city limits. Downtown [[Memphis, Tennessee]], is {{convert|8|mi|0}} east of downtown West Memphis. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], West Memphis has a total area of {{convert|73.9|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|73.7|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.2|km2|order=flip}}, or 0.34%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

Ecologically, West Memphis is located on the border between the [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain (ecoregion)#Northern Backswamps (73d)|Northern Backswamps]] (western part of West Memphis) and [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain (ecoregion)#Northern Holocene Meander Belts (73a)|Northern Holocene Meander Belts]] (eastern section of West Memphis) [[ecoregion]]s within the larger [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]]. The Northern Backswamps are a network of low-lying overflow areas and [[floodplain]]s historically dominated by [[bald cypress]], [[water tupelo]], [[overcup oak]], [[water hickory]], and [[Nuttall oak]] forest subject to year-round or seasonal inundation. The Northern Holocene Meander Belts are the flat floodplains and former alignments of the [[Mississippi River]], including [[levee]]s, [[oxbow lake]]s, and [[point bar]]s. Much of the [[wetland]]s and  [[riverine]] habitat have been drained and developed for agricultural or urban land uses.<ref name=ark4>{{USGS|title=Ecoregions of Arkansas|comment=color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs |author= Woods, A.J., Foti, T.L., Chapman, S.S., Omernik, J.M. |display-authors=et al |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Level_IV_ecoregions,_Arkansas.pdf }}</ref> The [[Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge]], which preserves some of the year-round flooded bald cypress forest typical of this ecoregion prior to development for row agriculture lies north of West Memphis.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1930= 895
|1940= 3369
|1950= 9112
|1960= 19374
|1970= 26070
|1980= 28138
|1990= 28259
|2000= 27666
|2010= 26245
|2020= 24520
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|website=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''West Memphis city, Arkansas – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – West Memphis city, Arkansas |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US0574540&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – West Memphis city, Arkansas |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0574540&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – West Memphis city, Arkansas |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0574540&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|11,563
|8,843
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,024
|41.79%
|33.69%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |28.65%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|15,429
|16,608
|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,087
|55.77%
|63.28%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |65.61%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|57
|39
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54
|0.21%
|0.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|147
|103
|style='background: #ffffe6; |101
|0.53%
|0.39%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.41%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|5
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7
|0.02%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other Race]] alone (NH)
|19
|12
|style='background: #ffffe6; |40
|0.07%
|0.05%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|167
|217
|style='background: #ffffe6; |635
|0.60%
|0.83%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.59%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|279
|419
|style='background: #ffffe6; |572
|1.01%
|1.60%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.33%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''27,666'''
|'''26,245'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''24,520'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 24,520 people, 9,939 households, and 5,964 families residing in the city.

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States Census]], there were 26,245 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 63.3% Black, 33.7% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, <0.0% from some other race and 0.8% from two or more races. 1.6% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

===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 27,666 people, 10,051 households, and 7,136 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,044.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 11,022 housing units at an average density of {{convert|416.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 55.93% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 42.16% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.21% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.53% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.51% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.64% from two or more races.  [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 10,051 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 25.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. There were 553 unmarried partner households: 475 of both sexes, 52 same-sex male, and 26 same-sex female. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,399, and the median income for a family was $32,465. Males had a median income of $29,977 versus $21,007 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $13,679. About 23.7% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 40.9% of those under age 18 and 22.3% of those age 65 or over.

===Crime===
West Memphis tends to have crime levels considerably above the national average.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/offenses/standard_links/regional_estimates.html |title= Regional Estimates - Crime in the United States 2007|website=Fbi.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129164133/https://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/offenses/standard_links/regional_estimates.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n16_v87/ai_16609055 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710215526/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n16_v87/ai_16609055 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |work=Jet |title=Southern states have highest murder rates in U.S |year=1995 }}</ref> For the year of 2006, the [[violent crime]] index was 1989.3 violent crimes committed per 100,000 residents. The national average was 553.5 crimes committed per 100,000 residents. For 2008, the total murder risk for the city was over two and a half times the United States average, the same applied when compared to the [[Arkansas]] state average. Other forms of crime were roughly the same with the exception of [[larceny]] which was slightly above the national average.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clrsearch.com/RSS/Demographics/AR/West_Memphis/Summary |title=West Memphis, AR Demographics Summary |publisher=CLRSearch |access-date=October 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916050238/http://www.clrsearch.com/RSS/Demographics/AR/West_Memphis/Summary |archive-date=September 16, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While the crime within West Memphis is typically high<!-- This needs clarification.  Is it the crime rate or number of crimes that is high and that is being compared to other cities in the region? ... -->, it is relatively average when compared with its far larger neighbor [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], the same applies to other cities throughout the same region of the South.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clrsearch.com/RSS/Demographics/VA/Richmond/Crime_Statistics?compare=west+memphis%2C+ar |title=Richmond, VA Crime Rate Indexes |publisher=CLRSearch |access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clrsearch.com/RSS/Demographics/AR/West_Memphis/Crime_Statistics?compare=atlanta+ga |title=West Memphis, AR Crime Rate Indexes |publisher=CLRSearch |access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clrsearch.com/RSS/Demographics/AR/West_Memphis/Crime_Statistics?compare=birmingham+al |title=West Memphis, AR Crime Rate Indexes |publisher=CLRSearch |access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clrsearch.com/RSS/Demographics/AR/West_Memphis/Crime_Statisticscompare=jackson+ms |title=Real Estate, Foreclosures, Demographics and Luxury Property Listings |publisher=CLRSearch.com |access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clrsearch.com/RSS/Demographics/AR/West_Memphis/Crime_Statistics?compare=orlando+fl |title=West Memphis, AR Crime Rate Indexes |publisher=CLRSearch |access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref>

==Economy==
Primarily because of its central location and transportation infrastructure, West Memphis has become a hub for distribution and assembly operations. Healthcare is a noteworthy component of the city's economy, including Baptist Memorial Hospital – Crittenden, various clinics, medical suppliers, and nursing homes located in town.

The city lies at the point where two of the nation's most heavily traveled interstate highways, [[Interstate 40]] and [[Interstate 55]], intersect with the [[Mississippi River]] (a major cargo waterway) and large rail-lines operated by [[BNSF]] and [[Union Pacific]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westmemphis.com|title=West Memphis Economic Development|website=Westmemphis.com|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref> In particular, the Port of West Memphis, owned by the city and slightly south of city center along the Mississippi River, is a deepwater port and facilitates transloading among trucks, barges and trains.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.watco.com/service/terminals/west-memphis-ar/ |title=Port of West Memphis|publisher=Watco|accessdate=February 24, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.westmemphisutilities.com/373/Location-Assets |title= Location Assets (River)|publisher=West Memphis Economic Development|accessdate=February 24, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Port+of+West+Memphis,+South+Avalon+Street,+West+Memphis,+AR/West+Memphis,+AR/@35.1364798,-90.2426257,12.41z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x87d576d0fbc0f3b3:0x7eb11d1c4e061d44!2m2!1d-90.1822227!2d35.1036045!1m5!1m1!1s0x87d570e0406747bf:0xef0a2f9113976454!2m2!1d-90.1847862!2d35.1465418!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIxOS4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D |title=Port of West Memphis to West Memphis, Arkansas|publisher=Google Maps|accessdate=February 24, 2025}}</ref>  It is served by the West Memphis Base Railroad, a three-mile branch line that allows Union Pacific to reach customers at the Port.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://jag-transport.com/west-memphis-base-railroad/ |title=West Memphis Base Railroad|date=December 23, 2022 |publisher=Jaguar Transport|accessdate=February 24, 2025}}</ref>

Cable television, internet and digital phone service is offered through Comcast. AT&T provides telephone and internet service.

===Distribution centers===
Major operations include distribution centers for retailers such as [[Family Dollar]],<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.westmemphis.com/siteselectionnews/West%20Memphis%20Industrial%20and%20Distribution%20Site%20News/6C5E8EE0-EFE7-4138-8DC4-E51434E25981.html |title=Family Dollar Leverages Strong West Memphis Distribution Operation into 6,000th Store |website=Westmemphis.com |date=February 23, 2006 |access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref> [[Carvana]], Bosch Tools and manufacturers such as Stateside Steel & Wire.

==Parks and recreation==
===Public parks===
[[File:Tilden Rodgers Park.jpg|thumb|Tilden Rodgers Park]]
Public parks in the area include Franklin Park, Grimsley Park, Hicks Park, Hightower Park, Horton Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Park, Matthews Park, Rowe Park, Tenth Street Park, Tilden Rodgers Sports Complex and Worthington Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.westmemphisutilities.com/239/Parks-Facilities|title=Parks & Facilities &#124; West Memphis, AR|website=Westmemphisutilities.com}}</ref>

===West Memphis Gateway===
The West Memphis Gateway serves as the main entrance to the city of West Memphis. The [[LED]] lighting for the [[overpass]] support beams light at night according to the season of the year.

===Broadway Boulevard===
[[Image:StreetscapewithWideOpenbanners.jpg|thumb|upright|Broadway Boulevard]]
Broadway Boulevard is the downtown district for the city of West Memphis. This downtown area has more than 84 stores and restaurants lining the street.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} Broadway also hosts blues singers and events in the city's "Blues on Broadway".{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

===Gambling===
West Memphis is one of only two cities in Arkansas (along with [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]]) with a venue for [[Parimutuel betting|parimutuel gambling]], antedating the casino developments in nearby [[Tunica County, Mississippi]], by many years.

In the 1990s, [[Southland Greyhound Park]], one of West Memphis' largest employers, saw its attendance and revenues decline drastically, with a corresponding economic impact on both the town and state. This was largely attributed to the rise of casino gambling in nearby [[Tunica Resorts, Mississippi|Tunica, Mississippi]]. By 2002, Southland struggled to survive.<ref name="SouthlandYearns">{{Cite news| first=Jack | last=Whitsett | title=Southland yearns for dogs' glory days | date=January 14, 2002 | publisher=Arkansas Business Limited Partnership | url =http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/ | work=Arkansas Business Journal | access-date = September 4, 2008 }}</ref>

Following an estimated $40&nbsp;million investment by the park's owner<ref name="NewGames">{{Cite news| last=Editorial | title=New games make Southland park more competitive | date=May 4, 2007 | publisher=American City Business Journals | url =http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2007/05/07/editorial1.html | work=Memphis Business Journal | access-date = September 4, 2008 }}</ref> and the addition since 2006 of electronic games of skill and video poker machines,<ref name="SLG">{{Cite web|url=https://www.southlandcasino.com/|title=Southland Casino &#124; Slots, Live Table Games, Racing &#124; West Memphis, AR|website=Southlandcasino.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-regional/9257414-1.html |first=Dixie|last=Martin|title= ''Arkansas Business''|date= March 29, 1993}}</ref> Southland has added more than 300 new employees, making it the third largest employer in West Memphis with 660 employees.<ref name="NewGames"/>

==Education==

===College===
[[File:Arkansas State Mid-South.jpg|thumb|[[Arkansas State University Mid-South|ASU Mid-South]]]]
*[[Arkansas State University Mid-South]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asumidsouth.edu|title=ASU Mid-South – West Memphis, Arkansas -|website=ASU Mid-South – West Memphis, Arkansas|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>

===Public schools===
Most of West Memphis is served by the [[West Memphis School District]] while a portion of the city of West Memphis is located within the [[Marion School District (Arkansas)|Marion Public School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st05_ar/c05035_crittenden/DC10SD_C05035_001.pdf|title=SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Crittenden County, AR|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref>

West Memphis district schools:
{{div col}}
*[[Academies of West Memphis|Academies of West Memphis High School]], grades 10–12
*East Junior High School, grades 7–9
*West Junior High School, grades 7–9
*Wonder Junior High School, grades 7–9
*Bragg Elementary School, kindergarten-6th grade
*Richland Elementary School, kindergarten-6th grade
*Faulk Elementary School, kindergarten-6th grade
*Jackson Elementary School, prekindergarten-6th grade
*Maddux Elementary School, kindergarten-6th grade
*Weaver Elementary School, kindergarten-6th grade
*Wonder Elementary School, kindergarten-6th grade
* [closed] Wedlock Elementary School, kindergarten-6th grade
{{div col end}}
[[File:Academies of West Memphis Lehr Arena.jpg|thumb|Lehr Arena at the [[Academies of West Memphis|Academies of West Memphis High School]]]]
Marion district schools:
*[[Marion High School (Arkansas)|Marion High School]] (grades 10–12)
*Marion Junior High School  (7–9)
*Marion Math Science and Technology   (K-6)
*Marion Visual and Performing Arts  (K-6)
*Herbert Carter Global Community Magnet (K-6)

===Private schools===
*[[West Memphis Christian School]], prekindergarten-12th grade
*St. Michael's Catholic School <ref name="Woolfolk, Margaret Elizabeth 1993"/>

==Infrastructure==
[[File:Baptist Memorial Hospital- Crittenden.jpg|thumb|Baptist Memorial Hospital]]

===Major highways===
* [[Interstate 40 (Arkansas)|Interstate 40]]
* [[Interstate 55 (Arkansas)|Interstate 55]]
* U.S. Highway 61
* [[U.S. Highway 63 (Arkansas)|U.S. Highway 63]]
* [[U.S. Highway 64 (Arkansas)|U.S. Highway 64]]
* [[U.S. Route 70 in Arkansas|U.S. Highway 70]] (Broadway Boulevard)
* [[U.S. Highway 79 (Arkansas)|U.S. Highway 79]]
* [[Arkansas Highway 77|Highway 77]]
* [[Arkansas Highway 118|Highway 118]]
* [[Arkansas Highway 191|Highway 191]]

===Healthcare===
From 1951 until its closure in 2014,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kait8.com/2018/10/03/hospital-moves-into-west-memphis-location/|title=Hospital moves into West Memphis location|date=October 2, 2018|website=kait8.com|access-date=February 22, 2019}}</ref> the community was served by Crittenden Regional Hospital, a 152-bed JCAHO Accredited facility.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qualitycheck.org/qualityreport.aspx?hcoid=8687|title=Quality Report - QualityCheck.org|website=Qualitycheck.org|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref> Memphis-based Baptist Memorial Health System opened Baptist Memorial Hospital–Crittenden,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wreg.com/2018/12/13/new-baptist-memorial-hospital-opens-its-doors-in-crittenden-county/|title=New Baptist Memorial Hospital opens its doors in Crittenden County|date=December 13, 2018|website=Wreg.com|language=en|access-date=February 22, 2019}}</ref> an 11-bed facility focusing on acute care, in December 2018.

==Notable people==
*[[Betty Blue (model)|Betty Blue]], model and actress
*[[Corey L. Brewer|Corey Brewer]], current European professional basketball player
*[[Marcus Brown]], former [[NBA]] and European basketball player
*[[Shirley Brown]], [[Grammy]]-nominated [[Stax Records|Stax]] recording artist
*[[Michael Cage]], former NBA rebounding champion
*[[Jekalyn Carr]], gospel musician
*[[Sid Eudy]] aka Sid Vicious or Sid Justice, former four-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion ([[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]], [[World Championship Wrestling|WCW]])
*[[Ike Harris]], former NFL player
*[[Taylor Hunt]], former professional Australian footballer
*[[Howlin' Wolf]], blues guitarist, [[Chess Records]] artist, [[KWAM|KWEM]] radio performer
*[[Wayne Jackson (musician)|Wayne Jackson]], trumpet player for [[The Memphis Horns]]
*[[B.B. King]], blues guitarist, [[Modern Records]] artist, KWEM radio performer
*[[Keith Lee (basketball)|Keith Lee]], former NBA player
*[[Junior Parker]], blues musician
*[[Sonny Weems]], current basketball player for [[Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] of the [[Israeli Basketball Premier League|Israeli Premier League]] and the [[Euroleague]]
*[[Junior Wells]], blues harmonica player and vocalist
*[[Sonny Boy Williamson II]], blues musician
*[[Warren Smith (singer)|Warren Smith]], rockabilly musician
*[[Yebba]], singer and songwriter
*[[YTB Fatt]], rapper

==See also==
*[[Friday-Graham Rail Spur]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
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* {{official website}}
* {{osmrelation-inline}}
* {{Ballotpedia|West_Memphis,_Arkansas|West Memphis, Arkansas}}
* [https://westmemphischamber.com/ West Memphis Chamber of Commerce]
* [https://westmemphislibrary.org/ West Memphis Public Library]
<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please follow the [[WP:EL]] guideline where possible and consider discussing on the talk page. Thank you. -->

{{West Memphis, Arkansas}}
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[[Category:West Memphis, Arkansas| ]]
[[Category:1916 establishments in Arkansas]]
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