Batesville, Arkansas

Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles (183 km) northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 9,556. The city serves as a regional manufacturing and distribution hub for the Ozark Mountain region and northeast Arkansas.

History
Batesville is the second oldest municipality in the state of Arkansas, after Georgetown. It was named for James Woodson Bates who settled in the town and was the first territorial delegate from Arkansas to the Congress of the United States. The town has also gone by the names of Napoleon and Polk Bayou.

In early days, Batesville was an important port on the White River and served as an entry point to the interior of northern Arkansas. Batesville played a large role in the settling of the Ozark Mountains region and served as the central land office for northern Arkansas.

The first known settlement of the Batesville area was in 1810 near the mouth of Polk Bayou, and by 1819 the town had a ferry across the White River and about a dozen houses. The town was partially laid out in early 1821, and on March 3, 1822 a bill of assurrance was recorded and executed and the town's plat was laid out. Batesville became the county seat in 1821. In January 1822, Judge Richard Searcy opened the town's first state circuit court. The town's first post office was established in 1822, and in 1830 became the home of a county court. On 25 September 1836, shortly after Arkansas was granted its statehood, Governor Conway incorporated Batesville Academy, the state's first academy. In the past, the area in and around the city had extensive quarries of manganese ore, phosphate rock, sandstone, limestone, and marble.

Batesville currently has only one high school within the city limits, Batesville High School. Also, Batesville is the home of Lyon College, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and noted for the annual Arkansas Scottish Festival each spring. In addition, the city is home to the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville(UACCB), and NASCAR driver Mark Martin. It contains three National Register Historic Districts and many properties separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed in Norman Crampton's 1992 book The 100 Best Small Towns in America, ranking at #74.

Geography
Batesville is located at 35.77361°N, -91.64139°W (35.773488, -91.641338). Batesville lies on the White River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 sqmi, of which 10.4 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (2.07%) is water.

List Of Highways

 * [[Image:US 167.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 167
 * [[Image:Arkansas 69.svg|20px]] Arkansas Highway 69
 * [[Image:Arkansas 69B.svg|20px]] Arkansas Highway 69 Business
 * Arkansas 106.svg Arkansas Highway 106
 * Arkansas 233.svg Arkansas Highway 233

Demographics
In 1890, 2,150 people lived in Batesville; in 1900, 2,327, in 1910, 3,399; and in 1940, 5,267.

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,445 people, 3,777 households, and 2,383 families residing in the city. The population density was 907.3 people per square mile (350.3/km²). There were 4,146 housing units at an average density of 398.3 per square mile (153.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.42% White, 4.65% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.40% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. 2.50% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

There were 3,777 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.92.

The age distribution was 22.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,133, and the median income for a family was $42,634. Males had a median income of $31,068 versus $20,506 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,753. About 11.1% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

 * Elisha Baxter, thirteenth governor of Arkansas
 * Daniel Haigwood, pitching prospect for the Boston Red Sox
 * Mark Martin, NASCAR driver, born and raised in Batesville
 * William R. Miller, first native-born governor of Arkansas, born in Batesville 1823
 * Rick Monday, born in Batesville, major league baseball player
 * Charlie Strong, head coach with the University of Louisville football team
 * Mutha's Day Out, 1990s rock band, signed to Chrysalis records, had 3 videos on MTV rotation and 2 world tours
 * Ryan Mallett, quarterback for the New England Patriots, formerly Arkansas Razorbacks, born in Batesville