Van Buren, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| City of Van Buren | |
 Clockwise, from top:US 64/US 71B bridge over theArkansas River, Van Buren Old Frisco Depot, Crawford County Bank Building, Main Street in theVan Buren Historic District,Crawford County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
 Location of Van Buren in Crawford County, Arkansas | |
  Van Buren Location within thecontiguous United States of America | |
| Coordinates:35°26′54″N94°21′10″W / 35.44833°N 94.35278°W /35.44833; -94.35278 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Crawford |
| Township(s) | Dora, Van Buren |
| Incorporated | January 4, 1845 |
| Named after | Martin Van Buren |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Mayor | Joe Hurst (I) |
| • Council | Members
|
| Area | |
• City | 16.10 sq mi (41.70 km2) |
| • Land | 15.42 sq mi (39.94 km2) |
| • Water | 0.68 sq mi (1.76 km2) |
| Elevation | 650 ft (200 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• City | 23,218 |
• Estimate (2024) | 24,396 |
| • Density | 1,505.7/sq mi (581.34/km2) |
| • Metro | 227,213 (Fort Smith metropolitan area) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code(s) | 72956 |
| Area code(s) | 479 |
| FIPS code | 05-71480 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405637[4] |
| Major airport | FSM |
| Website | vanburencity |
Van Buren (/vænˈbjʊərən/vanBURE-ən) is the second-largest city in theFort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and thecounty seat ofCrawford County,Arkansas, United States.[5] The city is located directly northeast ofFort Smith at theInterstate 40 – Interstate 540 junction. The city was incorporated in 1845 and as of the2020 census had a population of 23,218,[6] ranking it as the state's 21st largest city. According to 2023 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau,[7] Van Buren’s population is 24,138. With a 4% growth rate from 2020 to 2023, Van Buren is Arkansas’s eighth-fastest growing city.
The area was settled by David Boyd and Thomas Martin in 1818. After Arkansas became a territory in 1819, Daniel and Thomas Phillips constructed alumber yard in the community to serve as a fuel depot for traffic along theArkansas River. In 1831, apost office was constructed for the community, at the time known as Phillips Landing. This post office was named after newly appointedSecretary of State and future PresidentMartin Van Buren.[8]
John Drennen, along with his partner David Thompson, purchased the area forUS$11,000. They moved their business of supplying firewood for steamboats to this new location on higher ground. The courthouse was constructed on a lot of land donated by Drennen on the condition that Van Buren become the county seat. The Drennen Reserve is one of the town's existing historical sites from the 1830s.[9]
Van Buren was incorporated on January 4, 1845.[10] Walker Institute was established near Van Buren[11] in 1857. Peter A. Moses was principal.[12]
On December 28, 1862,Union andConfederate forces clashed in and around Van Buren, resulting in a defeat for the Confederates, led by Major GeneralT. C. Hindman, driving them south across the river with minimal casualties. Federal forces captured 100 prisoners, as stated in an official report by Major GeneralSamuel R. Curtis.[13]
VFW Post 1322 located in Van Buren was founded on February 13, 1925, making it the oldestVFW Post in the State of Arkansas.[14] It was named after local veteran Robert W. Jack, who served in the United States Army with the 2nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment and was killed in action on September 22, 1918 in theBattle of Saint-Mihiel inWorld War I.[14] Jack was buried atSt. Mihiel American Cemetery and there is a monument in his honor in Van Buren.[14] In 2018, the town dedicated the Veterans Memorial Plaza in the heart of the downtown area.[15]
In lateMay to early June 2019, the Arkansas River flooded near Van Buren, cresting at nearly 41 feet (12 m), which is 21 feet (6.4 m) above the flood stage.[16] Significant rainfall in theSouth-central United States forcedU.S. Army Corps of Engineers workers to release large amounts of water to ease flooding upstream. The river approached 41 feet (12 m) at the Van Buren gauge over the course of several days, and the flooding damaged 25 homes in the Crawford County area. While one Crawford County levee sustained damage, no levee breaches occurred in Van Buren.[17]
OnApril 21, 1996, at 11:12 p.m., an F3 tornado hit the Fort Smith/Van Buren area causing extensive damage. The tornado, which spawned inOklahoma and crossed into west Fort Smith near the confluence of the Arkansas andPoteau rivers, killed two, injured 89 and caused $300 million in damage. The fatalities were small children from Fort Smith. At its worst, the tornado was one half mile across. After leaving the downtown area of Fort Smith, it traveled northeast through industrial and residential sections of north Fort Smith, then crossed the Arkansas River again into the Mount Vista area on the west side of Van Buren and damaged a highly residential area where no fatalities occurred, although this area was very populated at the time. The total distance it traveled on the ground was 7 miles (11 km). In total, there were around 1,800 homes damaged, the majority of which were in Van Buren.[18]
Van Buren is located in the southwest corner of Crawford County with the Arkansas–Oklahoma state line just 2 miles (3 km) to the west. TheArkansas River forms the southern boundary of the city, separating it from Fort Smith ofSebastian County.Lee Creek flows through the western side of the city into the Arkansas River. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Van Buren has a total area of 16.5 square miles (42.7 km2), of which 15.4 square miles (40.0 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.7 km2), or 6.34%, is water.[19]
Van Buren lies within a humid subtropical climate area. The city also lies on the eastern edge of the region known asTornado Alley. Average temperatures range from 36°F in January, to as high an average of 81 °F in July[20] with temperatures reaching the high 90s and low 100s in August. The average annual temperature is approximately 60 °F. Averageprecipitation is about 41 total inches, with only six inches being snow.
July and August are the hottest months of the year, with an average high of 93 °F (34 °C) and an average low of 71.5 °F (21.9 °C). Temperatures above 100 °F (37.8 °C) are not uncommon, occurring on average eleven times a year. December and January are the coldest months with an average high of 50.5 °F (10.3 °C) and an average low of 30 °F (−1 °C). Highs below 32 °F (0.0 °C) occur on average five times a year, with 0.2 nights per year dropping below 0 °F (−17.8 °C). The city's highest temperature was 113 °F (45.0 °C), recorded in 1936. The lowest temperature recorded was −15 °F (−26.1 °C), in 1899.
| Climate data for Van Buren, Arkansas | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) | 87 (31) | 94 (34) | 96 (36) | 99 (37) | 106 (41) | 111 (44) | 113 (45) | 109 (43) | 96 (36) | 86 (30) | 82 (28) | 113 (45) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50 (10) | 56 (13) | 65 (18) | 74 (23) | 81 (27) | 88 (31) | 93 (34) | 93 (34) | 85 (29) | 75 (24) | 63 (17) | 51 (11) | 72.7 (22.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 29 (−2) | 33 (1) | 41 (5) | 50 (10) | 59 (15) | 68 (20) | 72 (22) | 71 (22) | 62 (17) | 51 (11) | 40 (4) | 31 (−1) | 50.4 (10.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) | −15 (−26) | 7 (−14) | 22 (−6) | 34 (1) | 47 (8) | 50 (10) | 45 (7) | 33 (1) | 22 (−6) | 8 (−13) | −5 (−21) | −15 (−26) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.81 (71) | 2.86 (73) | 3.85 (98) | 4.30 (109) | 5.47 (139) | 4.28 (109) | 3.30 (84) | 2.59 (66) | 4.05 (103) | 4.32 (110) | 4.44 (113) | 3.29 (84) | 45.40 (1,153) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.8 (4.6) | 1.3 (3.3) | 0.7 (1.8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.7 (1.8) | 4.6 (12) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 7.5 | 7.8 | 9.7 | 9.1 | 10.7 | 9.3 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 7.7 | 8.4 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 98.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 2.9 |
| Source 1: NOAA[21] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: The Weather Channel[22] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 549 | — | |
| 1860 | 979 | 78.3% | |
| 1870 | 985 | 0.6% | |
| 1880 | 1,029 | 4.5% | |
| 1890 | 2,291 | 122.6% | |
| 1900 | 2,573 | 12.3% | |
| 1910 | 3,878 | 50.7% | |
| 1920 | 5,224 | 34.7% | |
| 1930 | 5,182 | −0.8% | |
| 1940 | 5,422 | 4.6% | |
| 1950 | 6,413 | 18.3% | |
| 1960 | 6,787 | 5.8% | |
| 1970 | 8,373 | 23.4% | |
| 1980 | 12,020 | 43.6% | |
| 1990 | 14,979 | 24.6% | |
| 2000 | 18,986 | 26.8% | |
| 2010 | 22,791 | 20.0% | |
| 2020 | 23,218 | 1.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 24,396 | 5.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[23] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 16,509 | 71.1% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 570 | 2.45% |
| Native American | 553 | 2.38% |
| Asian | 708 | 3.05% |
| Pacific Islander | 14 | 0.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,805 | 7.77% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 3,059 | 13.18% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 23,218 people, 8,990 households, and 6,011 families residing in the city.
As of thecensus[25] of 2000, there were 18,986 people, 6,947 households, and 5,182 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,260.7 inhabitants per square mile (486.8/km2). There were 7,427 housing units at an average density of 493.2 per square mile (190.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.37%White, 1.64%Black orAfrican American, 1.96%Native American, 2.82%Asian, 3.17% fromother races, and 3.03% from two or more races. 6.04% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 6,947 households, of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% weremarried couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were classified as non-families by theUnited States Census Bureau.Of 6,947 households, 362 were unmarried partner households: 304 heterosexual, 12 same-sex male, and 46 same-sex female households. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,608, and the median income for a family was $37,198. Males had a median income of $28,798 versus $21,201 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $14,948. About 13.5% of families and 16.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Van Buren is home to many large corporations within the state and employs a great deal of the city's population within its Port and Industrial Park district. Manufacturing, food processing, and medicine are sustaining industries in Van Buren. Major employers include poultry processorSimmons Foods, theVan Buren School District, USA Truck, and Baptist Health.
Van Buren is home of theKing Opera House, aVictorian-style performance hall from the late 19th century, part of the old downtown historic area. At the south end of the historical downtown is the Crawford County courthouse, the oldest functioning courthouse west of theMississippi River. To the north is the Old Frisco Station which was originally a station on theSt. Louis-San Francisco Railway, pictured at the top of this page.
As part of the primary Fort Smith metropolitan area, manyFort Smith based television stations includingKHBS andKFSM, whose radio mast is built in Van Buren, provide local news and weather.The city's major newspaper is theVan Buren Press Argus-Courier; however many people also read Fort Smith'sSouthwest Times Record, as well as the Northwest Edition of theArkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Van Buren's location at the junction ofInterstate 40,Interstate 540, and theArkansas/Oklahoma border yields surprisingly large tourism and hospitality industries. The city is also located at the junction of several state andU.S. highways includingArkansas Highway 59,US 64, andUS 71. A private airport, Twin Cities Airport (code 39AR),[26] was operational to the southeast of the city, but has been closed for many years. Modern railroads in the city include theArkansas and Missouri Railroad and theUnion Pacific Railroad. Intercity bus service to the city is provided byJefferson Lines.[27]
TheVan Buren School District is the largest school district in Crawford County, consisting of sixelementary schools (grades K-5), twomiddle schools (grades 6–8), one ninth grade academy (grade 9) and one high school (grades 10–12). TheVan Buren High School is in the 5A/6A-West Division of Arkansas high school sports.
Municipalities and communities ofCrawford County, Arkansas,United States | ||
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| Other unincorporated communities | ||
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