- Ozark, Arkansas
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Ozark, Arkansas — City — Location in Franklin County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates: 35°29′34″N 93°50′14″W / 35.49278°N 93.83722°WCoordinates: 35°29′34″N 93°50′14″W / 35.49278°N 93.83722°W Country United States State Arkansas County Franklin Area – Total 7.2 sq mi (18.7 km2) – Land 7.2 sq mi (18.6 km2) – Water 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) Elevation 407 ft (124 m) Population (2000) – Total 3,525 – Density 489.6/sq mi (188.5/km2) Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) – Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) ZIP code 72949 Area code(s) 479 FIPS code 05-52970 GNIS feature ID 0072973 Ozark is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States, and (along with Charleston) one of the two county seats of Franklin County.[1] It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,525 at the 2000 census, making Ozark the ninth largest municipality in the metro area. Ozark is the point at which the Arkansas River is farthest north in the state. The name "Aux Arc", later simplified to Ozark, was given to this bend of the river by the French explorers when they were mapping out this land.[2]
Contents
Geography
Ozark is located at 35°29′34″N 93°50′14″W / 35.49278°N 93.83722°W (35.492713, -93.837096)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (19 km2), of which, 7.2 square miles (19 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.55%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 3,525 people, 1,453 households, and 940 families residing in the city. The population density was 491.6 people per square mile (189.8/km²). There were 1,607 housing units at an average density of 224.1 per square mile (86.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.48% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 2.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,453 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,057, and the median income for a family was $31,537. Males had a median income of $25,409 versus $17,353 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,583. About 17.9% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 19.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable citizens
Roy Buchanan (1939–1988) was a guitar innovator whose skill inspired an aptly titled documentary, The Best Unknown Guitarist in the World. For more than thirty years, the guitarist melded blues, country, jazz, and rock music into a unique sound. Roy Buchanan was born September 23, 1939, in Ozark, the third of four children of Bill Buchanan and the former Minnie Bell Reed.Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture entry on Roy Buchanan.
Bill Dees, original songwriter of Roy Orbison's "Oh! Pretty Woman"
Stephanie Childers Dill, born and reared in Ozark, an Arkansas firefighter, is the first person from Arkansas to have appeared on the CBS television series Survivor. [1] Survivor: Thailand
Marshall Chrisman (born 1933) is a former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Ozark who ran unsuccessfully in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 1980 and 1982.
Elizabeth Gracen was Miss Arkansas, Miss America 1982, an American actress, and on the cover of Playboy Magazine.[5]
William A. "Bill" Hudspeth, Jr. (October 13, 1928—October 24, 2008) was a former mayor and water commissioner of Ozark. A Harrison native, Hudspeth was a retired banker, insurance agent, and cattleman. He was a member of the Ozark First United Methodist Church. Interment was in Highland Cemetery in Ozark. Survivors included a daughter, Jan Hudspeth of Ozark; a son, W.A. Hudspeth, III, of Berryville, and three grandchildren.[6]
Rebecca Johnson, a millionaire physician was found murdered. Her story was the subject of an A&E documentary (City Confidential) about Ozark.[2][3]
Jon M. Kuykendall received the 2008 Emmy Award for Cultural Documentary for his work as Audio Producer on the University of Arkansas' film "Silas Hunt: A Documentary". The film details the life of a civil rights pioneer who became the first African American enrolled into a major land grant University in the South.
Theodore H. Laban, a highly decorated U.S. Army Air Forces soldier.
The Leding Family, co-stars of the Fox reality TV show The Simple Life. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie starred in the film and stayed with the family for over a month. The family has lived in Franklin County near Ozark and Altus.[7]
Clifton Clay Long, Jr. (1919–2008), was a family physician in Ozark from 1946–1975, who helped to establish Turner Memorial Hospital. A native of Warrensburg, Missouri, he received his M.D. degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy Medical Corps. He was active in the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons, founded the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, and was a former vice-president of the Arkansas Medical Society. He spent his later years in Fort Smith, where he died of ALS.[8]
John Outlaw, a native of Ozark, is a successful football coach at Lufkin, the seat of Angelina County. His record is 221-72-5.
Joe Purdy - Independent recording artist. Folk/Indie. Currently has ten albums with another coming.
National recognition
Ozark Arkansas was the first to be incorporated with that name.
In a 1950 Warner Brothers cartoon entitled "Hillbilly Hare", Bugs Bunny vacations in Ozark, Arkansas and encounters two dimwitted hillbillies named Curt and Pumpkinhead Martin.
In the first season of the reality TV series The Simple Life, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie worked at the Sonic Drive-In located in Ozark.[9]
On April 17, 2007, late show host Craig Ferguson mentioned Ozark during his guest appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. While telling Dave a story about travelling the country, Craig said he had stopped in "Ozark, which is a town in Arkansas," and discovered catfish. It was the first time Craig had eaten catfish. He described it as being "a tasty fish."
On June 14, 2007, late show host Craig Ferguson displayed a letter from Mayor Vernon McDaniels, making Ferguson an honorary citizen of Ozark. After becoming an honorary citizen, Ferguson set out to become an honorary citizen of as many U.S. cities as possible and later became an official U.S. citizen all thanks to Ozark starting the trend.
Again, on June 25, 2009, Craig Ferguson mentioned Ozark, AR during his opening monologue. He told his audience that Ozark was the place to stop for good catfish and described it as a "lovely town."
In 2010 financed a bond to build a $415,000 turf field for their high school football team.[10]
Notes
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ for history information see: http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/ozark/history.htm
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Elizabeth Gracen
- ^ Obituary of William A. Hudspeth, Jr.: http://www.swtimes.com/obituaries/
- ^ The Simple Life
- ^ NWAnews.com :: Northwest Arkansas' News Source
- ^ The Simple Life
- ^ "PBS Frontline Transcript". Football High. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/football-high/etc/transcript.html.
External links
- History of Ozark-Franklin Co AR
- Ozark Chamber of Commerce Website
- State Department of Tourism Website
- Ozark School District Website
Municipalities and communities of Franklin County, Arkansas Cities Altus | Branch | Charleston | Ozark | Wiederkehr Village
Town Unincorporated
communitiesAlix | Cecil
Categories:- Cities in Arkansas
- Populated places in Franklin County, Arkansas
- County seats in Arkansas
- Fort Smith metropolitan area
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