Arkansas City is a town located in Cowley County, Kansas, at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut Rivers. The name of this town is not pronounced like the nearby state of Arkansas, but rather as "Ar-Kansas". As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 11,963.
A couple of its famous former residents were the now deceased parents of British actress, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who both hailed from Arkansas City.
Additionally, Frank Denton (whose childhood home is now the Arts Center) lived in Arkansas City. He was chosen by Andrew Mellon, Secretary of Treasury in the Roosevelt Administration, as the youngest bank examiner in the United States. Frank befriended Andrew's son, Dick Mellon, and went on to become the Chairman of Mellon National Bank Pittsburgh in the 1960's--one of the largest in the US.
Arkansas City is located at 37°3'55" North, 97°2'23" West (37.065267, -97.039608).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.5 km2 (7.5 mi2). 19.5 km2 (7.5 mi2) of it is land and 0.1 km2 (0.04 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.27% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 11,963 people, 4,855 households, and 3,102 families residing in the city. The population density is 615.0/km2 (1,592.5/mi2). There are 5,628 housing units at an average density of 289.3/km2 (749.2/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 87.15% White, 4.51% African American, 2.69% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.95% from other races, and 3.04% from two or more races. 4.47% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,855 households out of which 30.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% are married couples living together, 11.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% are non-families. 31.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $29,158, and the median income for a family is $39,962. Males have a median income of $30,665 versus $19,919 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,933. 16.4% of the population and 12.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.5% of those under the age of 18 and 14.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
White settlers first congregated in the area where Arkansas City now stands in the 1860s. The natives referred to the place as "Nichonka," which roughly translates as "place between the waters" -- a reference to the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers.
The settlers established a town in around 1870, but had difficulty choosing a name; at first they hoped to flatter the Postmaster General (and earn a highly-sought-after post office) by naming the town Cresswell in his honor. Unfortunately, numerous other cities had already taken that tack. Next the town fathers, swooning with high expectations for their nascent community, briefly contemplated naming the city Delphi. Walnut City was considered and discarded. Finally, Arkansas City was chosen as the official name of the town.
Over the years there has been much confusion about the non-standard regional pronunciation of "Arkansas," which locals render as "Ar-KAN-zus" rather than "AR-ken-saw." Throughout much of Kansas, residents use this alternate pronunciation when referring to the Arkansas River -- and Arkansas Street in Wichita. Because of this, and for the sake of brevity, Arkansas City is most often referred to as simply "Ark City."
Though the people of the young Ark City believed their community should be the county seat, neighboring Winfield just 10 miles away was given the honor.
Ark City grew steadily through the latter part of the 19th century, and enjoyed a population explosion starting in 1891, when thousands of people moved into the area in anticipation of the Cherokee Strip Land Run. It has been estimated that the city's population swelled from 5,000 to 150,000 (most living in temporary encampments) as the nationally-hyped federal land giveaway approached, and shrank back to 5,000 in its aftermath.
The James-Younger Gang of outlaws famously hid out in a cave west of town when they rode through the area.
At the turn of the century, Arkansas City was a rival to Wichita in size and enterprise, boasting several busy rail lines, an elegant opera house, numerous fine hotels, a manufacturing base and a bustling agricultural economy. There was even a famous sanitarium (health spa) at nearby Geuda Springs, served by an electric railway running a triangular route from there to Ark City and Winfield. A popular swimming hole called Paris Lake was located west of downtown; the lake -- and the hot springs at Geuda as well -- was mired with silt in a flood in around 1919. Nearly 20 years later the WPA would build the Paris Park pool in the same spot.
In 1928, the city's official fall festival, Arkalalah, was inaugurated. This annual event still draws thousands of visitors each October, and features a queen, a carnival, dozens of homegrown fair food vendors and a spectacular parade typically lasting three hours or more. During the 1955 Arkalalah celebration, a retired Santa Fe locomotive was driven on temporary tracks down the city's main street, Summit, to the spot in Wilson Park where it remains today.
The city prospered through much of the 20th century, but by the 1980s, the community began facing economic challenges. The railroads shifted many of their crews to other stops, the old Rodeo meat packing plant closed as well as Total Petrolem. By 2003 other large employers in Cowley County, Binney & Smith (Crayola plant) and Winfield State Hospital in nearby Winfield, were also shuttered. However, the community is resilent and entrepreneurial.
Arkansas City is now home to state-of-the-art meat processor Creekstone Farms Premium Beef LLC which employees over 700 workers. Several smaller manufacturing companies are expanding their operations while new start ups are finding a home in Cowley County due to the great workforce supplied by the two local colleges in the county. Both cities, only ten miles apart, now have large Wal-Mart stores (A new Super Wal-Mart is under construction in Ark City with an early 2006 opening planned); conversely, both towns' movie theaters recently closed and were replaced by a single facility halfway between the cities, just south of the Strother Field industrial park. B & B Theatres donated the two downtown buildings to non-profit organizations in each of the respective communities. The Ark City Burford Theatre and Commercial Building is undergoing a transformation/renovation that will become a new community arts center and gathering space. Construction will begin in Spring 2006 on the planned downtown revitalization streetscape.
Progressive Arkansas City continues to be a viable rural community with plans and action for sustainable growth in today's global economy.
Source:
ArkansasCityKansas.com
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