Paragould, Arkansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paragould is a city in Greene County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,775. ranking it as the state's 17th largest city, behind Russellville.^[1] It is the fastest growing city in the Arkansas Delta, and the county seat of Greene County.^GR6 The city's name is a portmanteau, combining the last names of J.W. Paramore and Jay Gould, the owners of the two railroads that originally crossed there; it is believed to be the only city in the world with this name.

It is home to Crowley's Ridge College, a junior college affiliated with the Churches of Christ. Other colleges that call Paragould home include Arkansas State University Paragould, Arkansas Northeastern College's Paragould campus, and the Greene County Industrial Training Center operated by Black River Technical College.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 Paragould as a regional hub 4 Trivia 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Geography

Paragould is located at 36°3′25″N, 90°30′11″W (36.057075, -90.502938).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 80.2 km² (31.0 mi²). 79.8 km² (30.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.52%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 22,017 people, 8,941 households, and 6,133 families residing in the city. The population density was 275.9/km² (714.6/mi²). There were 9,789 housing units at an average density of 122.7/km² (317.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.77% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,941 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. There are 320 unmarried partner households: 291 heterosexual, 29 same-sex male, 0 same-sex female households.

27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,815, and the median income for a family was $39,431. Males had a median income of $28,103 versus $20,623 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,076. About 8.4% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Paragould as a regional hub

Paragould's booming population and proximity to the Jonesboro and Memphis metropolitan areas have made the city a regional hub for industry, entertainment, shopping, medicine, and more. Paragould has more than 8,000 high-paying industrial jobs, and many people from surrounding communities commute to its plants. The city's recently-constructed movie theatre complex brings in several thousand people from the surrounding area, and several shopping centers and a large community and convention center help support large state-wide meetings and convocations.

Paragould is also home to Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, a 129-bed regional healthcare facility.

The trademark of the city of Paragould is its Loose Caboose Festival held every May to celebrate the railroad heritage of the city.

[edit] Trivia

• Two Major League Baseball players were born in Paragould...Marlin Stuart (1918) and Weldon Bowlin (1940).
• Famed bank robber and Kansas City Massacre figure Frank "Jelly" Nash lived in Paragould and is entombed in Linwood Cemetery.
• The Arkansas Crime Information Center recently recorded Paragould as the “Safest City in Arkansas” and Paragould was ranked as 2nd Best Place to live in America.

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Home of legislative veteran Tim Wooldridge [1] . Wooldridge served in the Arkansas State Senate and Arkansas House. Also, he made a 2006 bid for Lt. Governor.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Paragould/Green County Chamber of Commerce
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 36.057075° -90.502938°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA