Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387.

On February 11, 1922, masked men lynched Mr. Norman, an African-American man, in Texarkana, Miller County, Arkansas. Lynchings were perpetrated by white men primarily against black males, although some black women were also lynched in the South.

Geography

200px|right|thumb|Municipal Auditorium is located in the City Hall complex.

200px|right|thumb|The Texarkana Fire Department adjoins the Municipal Auditorium.

thumb|right|200px|Highland [[Church of Christ at 1705 Highland Street]]

Texarkana is southwest of Little Rock, north of Shreveport, Louisiana, and northeast of Dallas, Texas. According to the United States Census Bureau, Texarkana has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.54%, are water.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Texarkana city, Arkansas – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>

!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|-

|White alone (NH)

|17,191

|18,356

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,113

|65.00%

|61.35%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |54.83%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|8,163

|9,853

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,347

|30.86%

|32.93%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |35.21%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|122

|160

|style='background: #ffffe6; |158

|0.46%

|0.53%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.54%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|131

|166

|style='background: #ffffe6; |175

|0.50%

|0.55%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.60%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|6

|15

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2

|0.02%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|19

|30

|style='background: #ffffe6; |102

|0.07%

|0.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.35%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|344

|495

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,246

|1.30%

|1.65%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.24%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|472

|844

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,244

|1.78%

|2.82%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.23%

|-

|Total

|26,448

|29,919

|style='background: #ffffe6; |29,387

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Texarkana had a population of 29,387 and 11,831 households, of which 7,348 were families. The median age was 39.1 years. 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.2 males age 18 and over.

There were 11,831 households in Texarkana, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.1% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 16,427 || 55.9%

|-

| Black or African American || 10,408 || 35.4%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 182 || 0.6%

|-

| Asian || 175 || 0.6%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 604 || 2.1%

|-

| Two or more races || 1,589 || 5.4%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,244 || 4.2%

|}

2016 estimates

The median income for a household in the city was $31,343, and the median income for a family was $38,292. Males had a median income of $35,204 versus $21,731 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,130. About 17.2% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or above.

Government and infrastructure

The Arkansas Department of Correction operates the Texarkana Regional Correction Center in Texarkana.

Arkansas residents whose permanent residence is within the city limits of Texarkana, Arkansas, are exempt from Arkansas individual income taxes.

The Federal Courthouse (which holds the city's only post office) is located directly on the Arkansas-Texas state line. It is the only federal office building to straddle a state line.

According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the area are:

  1. Red River Army Depot & Tenants 4,135,
  2. Christus St. Michael Health Care 1,800,
  3. Cooper Tire & Rubber Company 1,750,
  4. AECOM/URS 1,300,
  5. Southern Refrigerated Transport 1,235,
  6. Wal-Mart 1,200,
  7. Texarkana TX Independent School District 1,150,
  8. Domtar, Inc. 900,
  9. Graphic Packaging 800,
  10. Wadley Regional Medical Center 755,
  11. Texarkana Arkansas School District 785,

Transportation

  • Texarkana (Amtrak station)
  • Texarkana Regional Airport

Education

Public education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by two school districts:

  • Texarkana Arkansas School District, which leads to graduating from Arkansas High School. The high school mascot is the Razorback. The University of Arkansas selected this mascot in exchange for giving the school some used athletic equipment. This practice no longer occurs.
  • A very small portion of the city is within the Genoa Central School District, which leads to graduation from Genoa Central High School. The high school mascot is the Dragon; green and white serve as the school colors.

Private education opportunities include:

  • Trinity Christian School, a Baptist school serving pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

In 2012, a branch of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope was established at Texarkana. It is known as University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT). In 2015 UAHT began partnering with the University of Arkansas Little Rock, to offer bachelor's degree programs through UALR Texarkana, with classes held on the UAHT Texarkana campus.

Pop culture

  • In 2016, a video of a Texarkana minister defending LGBT rights in a speech went viral online.
  • Cornelius, a random sorghum seedling that struggled to survive in a crack in the sidewalk in 2024. By early October 2024, Cornelius had sprouted and found a Facebook following numbering in double digits.
  • The town, along with its counterpart across the state line of Texas, is the location setting of the cult-classic film, The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

Notable people

<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->

<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->

  • Buster Benton, blues singer-guitarist
  • Ben M. Bogard, founder in 1924 of the American Baptist Association
  • Mike Cherry, New York Giants football, Murray State quarterback
  • Willie Davis, player with Green Bay Packers in the NFL and Super Bowl champion
  • Martin Delray, country music singer
  • Wayne Dowd, Arkansas state senator and lawyer
  • Wilhelm L. Friedell, U.S. Navy rear admiral, Navy Cross recipient, and submariner
  • Mike Huckabee, governor; pastored Beech Street First Baptist Church, 1986–1992
  • Parnelli Jones, 1963 Indianapolis 500 champion
  • Scott Joplin, composer and pianist of ragtime music
  • Jeff Keith, lead singer of rock band Tesla
  • Dana Kimmell, actress
  • A. Lynn Lowe, farmer and former Arkansas Republican Party state chairman
  • Jimmy Means, NASCAR driver and owner
  • Bryce Mitchell, professional mixed martial artist competing in the UFC
  • Dustin Moseley, Major League Baseball player with the San Diego Padres in the MLB
  • Conlon Nancarrow, composer who specialized in works for the player piano
  • Charles B. Pierce, director and movie producer of The Legend of Boggy Creek and The Town That Dreaded Sundown
  • Don Rogers, football player with Cleveland Browns in the NFL
  • Mike Ross, former congressman and 2014 Arkansas gubernatorial nominee
  • Max Sandlin, former congressman from Texas, and husband of former congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
  • Rod Smith, football player with the Denver Broncos in the NFL; two-time Super Bowl Champion
  • Jasper Taylor, early jazz drummer, recorded with Jelly Roll Morton, Freddy Keppard, many others
  • Jerry Turner, former Major League Baseball outfielder
  • Pamela Veuleman Trammell, President General of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
  • Dennis Woodberry, player with Washington Redskins in the NFL and one-time Super Bowl champion

References

  • Texarkana Business Reviews
  • History of Texarkana's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)
  • Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Texarkana (Miller County)