Russellville, Arkansas

Russellville is the county seat and largest city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 27,920, according to the 2010 Census. It is home to Arkansas Tech University and Arkansas Nuclear One, Arkansas' only nuclear power plant. Russellville borders Lake Dardanelle as well as the Arkansas River.

It is the principal city of the Russellville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Pope and Yell counties.

Geography
Russellville is located at 35.27833°N, -93.13694°W (35.278429, -93.136820).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.3 sqmi, of which 28.2 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (0.08%) is water. It is located on the Arkansas River.

Demographics
As of the 2010 Census, there were 27,920 people, 10,318 households, and 6,383 families residing in the city. The population density was 987.4 people per square mile (381.2/km²). There were 11,124 housing units at an average density of 393.4 per square mile (152.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.2% White, 5.5% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 6.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. 11.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,318 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 21.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,234, and the median income for a family was $49,440. Males had a median income of $30,133 versus $19,906 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,637. About 14.5% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

History
Pope County was established on November 2, 1829, seven years before Arkansas became a state. Before the founding of Russellville, there was a small town located on the Arkansas River directly south of what is now Russellville. This was Norristown and it served as the county seat from 1830-1840. All that remains of this port town is the Norristown Cemetery located near the modern day Dow Chemical Plant on the Arkansas River. In 1840, the county seat was moved to Dover Downs, north of Russellville. The county seat was then finally moved to Russellville in May 1888.

Before the town was named Russellville, it was known to local people as Chactas Prairie, The Prairie, or Cactus Flats. In the early 19th century, Osage from Missouri hunted frequently in the valley where Russellville is located. Between 1818 and 1828, the area was within a Cherokee reservation, but after 1828 the Cherokee were removed to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), and the land became available for white settlement. The first settler in the area was P.C. Holledger in 1834. One year later, Dr. Thomas Russell bought Holledger's house. The first business to be established in the town was owned by Mr. Shinn, who later built a masonry structure to replace his wooden store in 1875. This building still exists today, and is known as the Shinn Building, it was built at the intersection of an east-west road from Little Rock to Fort Smith and a north-south buffalo trail to a ford on the Arkansas River. Early travelers used these established trails to pass through the valley. When the town's residents decided to name it, it came down to two choices: Shinnville or Russellville, and Russellville won. On June 7, 1870 Russellville became an incorporated city. As with the war with Mexico in the 1840s, many men of Russellville served in the state’s military forces during the Civil War. Local men served in the state forces early in the war, with many transferring to Confederate regiments by 1862. Several local men were also formed into at least two pro-Union companies. No great battles occurred in or near Russellville, though actions did take place late in the war at nearby Dardanelle (Yell County). While the war came to an official end in 1865, peace did not immediately return to the area. Many areas of Pope County were disrupted in the early 1870s by the bloody and violent events of the Pope County Military War.

The town grew slowly, but during the early 1870s the railroad was built and the town exploded commercially and experienced a boom in population. It connected Russellville to other towns in the area, and ran eventually from Ft. Smith to Little Rock, connecting other river valley towns such as Morrilton, Conway, Atkins, London, and facilitating trade among them. Russellville’s first newspaper, the Herald was founded in 1870. By 1876, the town boasted a population of approximately 800 serviced by fifteen stores, two cotton gins, and six doctors. The town growth prompted a debate on moving the county seat, located in Dover since 1841, to one of the growing business centers adjacent to the new tracks. On March 19, 1887, an election was held in which Russellville beat out all competing towns, though Atkins finished a close second on the ballot.

While formal education came to the Russellville area early with the founding of nearby Dwight Mission in 1820, most early schools were either private or by subscription. The Russellville Public School District was formed in 1870, the year the city was incorporated. By 1876, it had evolved into a nine-month school. By 1890, approximately 400 students attended in ten grades, and in 1893, the first class to attend through twelve grades graduated.

Most 19th-century residents of the area farmed for a living or, with the coming of the railroad, harvested timber. By the end of the century, Russellville and the surrounding area had become a prosperous coal-mining area, with the Quita Coal Company being the first established. Other coal companies followed with deep mine shafts sunk north and south of town, which, by the 1950s, had given way to strip mining. Cotton became a profitable crop near Russellville; in the early 20th century, bales were sold from wagons in the middle of Main Street. Today, no coal is mined, and the cotton gins are gone.

In 1906 the town suffered a massive fire in its central business district. The fire consumed nearly half of the buildings but they were quickly rebuilt, most within six months after the fire. Many were built cheaply, using poor mortar. Today many of these historic buildings are in very bad condition due to the mortar that was used. In 1909 Arkansas Tech University was founded as an agricultural school, Arkansas Polytechnic College, and now has a student population of nearly 10,000. With America’s entry into World War II, many Russellville men enlisted or were drafted into the military. Many of the local men served in the 153rd Infantry. Battery D and Battery F of the 206th Coast Artillery Regiment of the Arkansas National Guard were initially stationed at ATU. Many of the men saw service in Alaska in what is known as the Williwaw War.

In the years following the war, Russellville’s growth was sparked by the construction of Interstate 40 in 1956. The highway has been a boon to the area’s growth, much like the railroad was in the 1870s. A major economic boost came as a result of the completion of a dam near the Arkansas River crossing between Dardanelle and Russellville in 1965. The dam created a lake, which led to the establishment of Lake Dardanelle State Park, a major tourist attraction in the area. The completion of the lock and power dam, a part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which brings in between $1 to $2 billion in trade to the state each year, has greatly improved the area’s business prospects. During the 1970s, the town, like so many other small American towns, witnessed the decentralization of its historic downtown area, due to the advent of large retail outlets such as Wal-Mart. Many of the historic buildings were left to decay or were torn down. Also in the 1970s, Arkansas' only nuclear power plant, Arkansas Nuclear One, was built just outside the city, on Lake Dardanelle. The plant brought more people and jobs to the city.

Industry
Russellville has a diverse manufacturing base. Frozen dinners, railroad crossties, elevator signal fixtures, parking meters, aluminum foil, graphite electrodes, microplanes, and aircraft and automotive parts are a few of the products manufactured in the city. The city is home to ten divisions of Fortune 500 companies, including Arkansas corporations such as Tyson Foods, Inc, and Innovation Industries Elevator Signal Fixtures. Forty-eight manufacturing plants employ more than 8,300 people. The city's first artist management company, Red Artist Management was opened in 2009 and in 2010 #River-Valley-Artists, another local art group made its way onto the local art scene. Russellville's music scene has grown significantly and for local music goers it has catered to them greatly.

Tourism
Russellville is known for its local music, art scene, and historic downtown area. The most notable of these events is the Art Walk, on the first Friday night of every month the city hosts the Downtown Art Walk, in which the public may listen to live music, wine and food tasting, appreciate, purchase and sell art, and connect with the community. Russellville also is the host of many sporting events and fishing tournaments, because of its location on Lake Dardenelle and is also close to Mt. Nebo and other state parks. Also many people commute to Russellville on a daily basis from its surrounding areas, for both work and recreation. Russellville is also home to the Pope County Fairgrounds, which hosts a number of events ranging from horse racing to fairs and conventions. At the end of every summer, Russellville is also host to the annual Pope county fair; featuring rides, live music, livestock, games, and other various forms of entertainment. The county fair attracts over 50,000 vistors each year, more than double the city's population. Recent economic growth is also turning Russellville into a regional shopping and dining destination, with new restaurants and businesses popping regularly along a new shopping center and hotel, featuring a convention center set for construction within the next several years; though both projects are running behind schedule, they are still moving forward.

Education
Russellville is home to Arkansas Tech University, which was founded in 1909 and as of 2010 has 8814 students enrolled with an 18:1 faculty ratio. Tech is marked by one of the highest graduation rates in the state as well as its quality of education. The school hosts over 100 different student organizations and enrolls students from of 34 foreign countries. The college is also popular due to its location, which boasts a small town appeal with city benefits.

Russellville has many elementary schools, and a newly built middle school, along with a junior high school. Russellville High School is one of the best equipped facilities in the state and has recently expanded to include a center for STEM fields. RHS is also recognized for providing the state's first class on world religions.

Russellville also is home to the Alternative learning center, which is made up of SLC (student learning center), SDC (student detention center), and an adult education center. The SLC program allows failing students to get more individualized attention so that they can catch up with the rest of their classmates or attain their high school diploma. The SDC program serves like an in-school suspension and serves students ranging from middle to high school. The adult learning center allows high school dropouts to come back and obtain their high school diplomas or GEDs.

Depictions in Cinema
In the NBC series Heroes, Russellville is the location of the plane crash in "Trust and Blood" in season three, episode fifteen. However, research on the area was clearly minimal and the representation of Russellville showed poor understanding of the city's geography and history.

Russellville was chosen as the setting for the short lived film project, The Valley Gods and Ranzy by Scarab Studios. Several scenes were filmed and completed, but the project was abandoned when Scarab Studios went under in 2010.

Russellville power plant, Arkansas Nuclear One was featured in the 2011 documentary Aerial America by the Smithsonian Channel.

Notable residents

 * American composer Scott Bradley, most known for his works in Tom and Jerry (MGM) cartoons, was from Russellville.
 * Natalie Canerday, actress (Sling Blade, October Sky, Walk the Line), graduated from Russellville High School.
 * Jeff Davis, the first governor to be elected to three terms and later a U.S. senator, lived there.
 * Brooks Hays began his law practice in Russellville with his father before becoming a U.S. representative and an adviser to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.
 * Famed knife maker Jimmy Lile was a Russellville native, best known for his work involving the Rambo (film series)Rambo film series.
 * Professional artist Mark Masters is from Russellville.
 * NBA player Corliss Williamson is a 1992 graduate of Russellville High School.
 * NFL player and All-Pro selection Eddie Meador graduated RHS in 1955, and played college football at Arkansas Tech university.
 * NFL punter and College All-American Greg Horne graduated from Russellville High School in 1983.
 * NFL player Ray Burnett was born in Russellville.
 * Elizabeth Ward, crowned Miss America in 1982, is a 1979 graduate of Russellville High School.
 * Virginia Hudson, American flautist and teacher who received both graduate and undergraduate degrees from ATU.
 * Mallory Hardin, KARK 4 "Today" Anchor, is a 2002 graduate of Russellville High School.
 * Dewey Lewis, retired Submarine Commander with the US Navy is also from Russellville.