Gurdon, Arkansas

Gurdon, Arkansas
—  City  —
Location in Clark County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates: 33°55′0″N 93°9′2″W
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Clark
Area
• Total	2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2)
• Land	2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	203 ft (62 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,276
• Density	875.4/sq mi (339.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	71743
Area code(s)	870
FIPS code	05-29200
GNIS feature ID	0049742

Gurdon is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,276 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Gurdon is located at 33°54′55″N 93°9′19″W (33.9152871, -93.155354).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (2.71%) is water.

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 2,276 people, 934 households and 625 families residing in the city. The population density was 908.0 per square mile (350.1/km²). There were 1,077 housing units at an average density of 429.7 per square mile (165.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.24% White, 35.76% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.12% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 4.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 934 households of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.01.

27.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.

The median household income was $26,446, and the median family income was $33,564. Males had a median income of $25,479 versus $18,158 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,043 About 14.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

Gurdon Light

The town is known for the presence of the Gurdon Light, a series of unexplained phenomena which occur in a wooded area by railroad tracks, which appears to viewers as a light or lights hovering in mid-air. Local folk legend explains the light appearances as a deceased railwayman's lantern. Scientific work on the origin of the lights has proven inconclusive. The light has been featured on local media and on the TV show Unsolved Mysteries.

Notable residents

• In 1923, blues musical artist Jimmy Witherspoon was born in Gurdon. He appeared on over 200 albums, establishing himself as a jazz-influenced bluesman.

• Gurdon is the hometown of Daniel Davis. He is best known for playing the role of Niles the butler, in the CBS sitcom The Nanny. Davis' natural accent is Southern American; however his English accent as Niles convinced many viewers that Davis was actually English.

• Musical performer, performance artist, actor, filmmaker and photographer Tav Falco was raised in Gurdon.

History

The town was founded in the late nineteenth century, one of numerous timber towns located along a railway. The town's name derives from railroad executive, Henry Gurdon Marquand's middle name.

External links

• Nash-Arnott shootout
• The Gurdon Chamber of Commerece website