West Memphis, Arkansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of West Memphis | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| County | Crittenden | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | William H. Johnson | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 68.8 km² (26.6 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 68.6 km² (26.5 sq mi) | ||
| - Water | 0.2 km² (0.1 sq mi) 0.26% | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - City | 27,666 | ||
| Website: http://www.ci.west-memphis.ar.us/ | |||
West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 28,181, ranking it as the state's 14th largest city, behind Bentonville.[1] It is considered part of the Memphis metropolitan area, and is located directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis.
West Memphis was the home of Sonny Boy Williamson II, influential blues singer and harmonica player. One of his songs, West Memphis Blues, tells the story of how his home there was damaged by fire in 1949. The song mentions several local personalities, white and black, who supported him when he was falsely accused of arson.
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[edit] Geography
West Memphis is located at (35.150294, -90.178831)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.8 km² (26.6 mi²). 68.6 km² (26.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.26%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 27,666 people, 10,051 households, and 7,136 families residing in the city. The population density was 403.2/km² (1,044.3/mi²). There were 11,022 housing units at an average density of 160.6/km² (416.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.93% Black or African American, 42.16% White, 0.21% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,051 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 25.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. There are 553 unmarried partner households: 475 heterosexual, 52 same-sex male, and 26 same-sex female. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,399, and the median income for a family was $32,465. Males had a median income of $29,977 versus $21,007 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,679. About 23.7% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.9% of those under age 18 and 22.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable residents
- Sid Justice - former 4 Time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion (WWE, WCW)
- Betty Blue - model and actress
- Marcus Brown - former NBA and current European basketball player
- Shirley Brown - Grammy-nominated Stax recording artist
- Michael Cage - former NBA rebounding champion
- Keith Lee - former NBA player
- Sonny Boy Williamson II - blues musician
[edit] References
- ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Arkansas (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (June 21, 2006). Retrieved on November 16, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Crittenden County Open Portal Website
- City of West Memphis
- The Evening Times, West Memphis & Crittenden County's daily afternoon newspaper
- Maps and aerial photos
- 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
