Rockport, Arkansas

Rockport is a city in Hot Spring County in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, Rockport had a population of 676.

History

Rockport is one of the oldest named places in Arkansas. Although the present city is overshadowed by Malvern, Rockport served as the county seat of Hot Spring County from 1846 to 1879 and was a landmark community of Arkansas for many years both before and after that time.

European exploration and settlement through early statehood

Large novaculite boulders in the bed of the Ouachita River made the location of Rockport ideal as both a river crossing and a resting place for weary river travelers. These boulders gave the community its name. A plaque in Rockport states that Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto visited the location in 1541, although current historians are less certain about the exact route that de Soto and his group traveled while west of the Mississippi River. French hunters and trappers definitely forded the river at this location. The Hunter-Dunbar Expedition struggled to navigate the rapids here on December 3, 1804, recording their experience in a travel diary. During the 1830s, the development of the Military Road (also called the Southwest Trail) used the boulders as a ford to cross the river. Around 1847, a bridge was completed across the Ouachita River at Rockport, which is said to be the first toll bridge built in Arkansas. Over the years, it repeatedly washed away and was rebuilt.

Demographics

2020 census

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|+Rockport racial composition

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 580

| 85.8%

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 25

| 3.7%

!scope="row"| Native American

| 2

| 0.3%

!scope="row"| Asian

| 2

| 0.3%

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 61

| 9.02%

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 6

| 0.89%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 676 people, 303 households, and 235 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 792 people, 324 households, and 238 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 348 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.44% White, 2.40% Black or African American, 1.26% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, and 1.14% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino ethnicity of any race.

There were 324 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,250, and the median income for a family was $40,750. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $21,146 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,299. About 2.5% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Almost all of Rockport is served by the Malvern School District, while a small portion is in the Magnet Cove School District.

References

External links

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