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Fort Smith was founded in 1817 as a military settlement to patrol the neighboring Indian Territory. The fort was abandoned in 1824 but a town founded by John Rogers had formed alongside the fort by that time. In 1838 the fort was re-occupied and expanded. In 1871 the fort was again abandoned. However, the town continued to thrive despite the absence of the fort.
Fort Smith was founded in 1817 as a military settlement to patrol the neighboring Indian Territory. The fort was abandoned in 1824 but a town founded by John Rogers had formed alongside the fort by that time. In 1838 the fort was re-occupied and expanded. In 1871 the fort was again abandoned. However, the town continued to thrive despite the absence of the fort.


One of Fort Smith's most notable historic figures was [[Judge Isaac Parker]]. He served as US District Judge from 1875-1896. He was nicknamed the "Hanging Judge" because in his first term after assuming his post he tried eighteen people for murder, convicted fifteen of them, sentenced eight of those to die, and hanged six of them on one day. Over the course of his career in Fort Smith, Parker sentenced 160 people to hang, of those 79 actually were executed on the gallows. Judge Parker represented the only real law the rough and tumble frontier bordertown had at the time. His [[Fort Smith National Historic Site|courthouse]] is now a [[National Historic Site]] where "More men were put to death by the U.S. Government... than in any other place in American history."
One of Fort Smith's most notable historic figures was [[Judge Isaac Parker]]. He served as US District Judge from 1875-1896. He was nicknamed the "Hanging Judge" because in his first term after assuming his post he tried eighteen people for murder, convicted fifteen of them, sentenced eight of those to die, and hanged six of them on one day. Over the course of his career in Fort Smith, Parker sentenced 160 people to hang, of those 79 actually were executed on the gallows. Judge Parker represented the only real law the rough and tumble frontier bordertown had at the time. His [[Fort Smith National Historic Site|courthouse]] is now a [[National Historic Site]] where "More men were put to death by the U.S. Government... than in any other place in American history." The jail cell below Judge Parker's courthouse was infamous for its unsanitary conditions and dangerous inmates. It was a single room where thieves, rapists, and murderers of all kinds awaited trial. The cell was nicknamed "Hell on the Border," but after the jail was closed the name began to be regularly applied to the city of Fort Smith. Today, "Hell on the Border" is still the official nickname of the city.


==Geography==
==Geography==

Revision as of 16:04, 11 December 2006

Fort Smith, Arkansas
Motto: 
Where life is worth living
Location of Fort Smith, Arkansas
Location of Fort Smith, Arkansas
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountySebastian
Founded1817
Incorporated1842
Government
 • MayorRay Baker
Elevation
463 ft (141 m)
Population
 (2005)
 • City82,481
 • Metro
207,290
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Websitehttp://www.fsark.com/

Fort Smith is a city situated at the junction of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers. It is one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas. It is also the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Fort Smith, Arkansas and the counties of Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian, Arkansas and Le Flore and Sequoyah, Oklahoma. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 82,481[1], making it the state's second most populous city behind Little Rock. There are only two high schools in the city of Fort Smith (leading to quite a rivalry between them), Northside High School (the Grizzlies) and Southside High School (the Rebels). The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is the city's only state supported institution of higher learning, however, Webster University and John Brown University each have a satellite campus located in the city.

History

Fort Smith was founded in 1817 as a military settlement to patrol the neighboring Indian Territory. The fort was abandoned in 1824 but a town founded by John Rogers had formed alongside the fort by that time. In 1838 the fort was re-occupied and expanded. In 1871 the fort was again abandoned. However, the town continued to thrive despite the absence of the fort.

One of Fort Smith's most notable historic figures was Judge Isaac Parker. He served as US District Judge from 1875-1896. He was nicknamed the "Hanging Judge" because in his first term after assuming his post he tried eighteen people for murder, convicted fifteen of them, sentenced eight of those to die, and hanged six of them on one day. Over the course of his career in Fort Smith, Parker sentenced 160 people to hang, of those 79 actually were executed on the gallows. Judge Parker represented the only real law the rough and tumble frontier bordertown had at the time. His courthouse is now a National Historic Site where "More men were put to death by the U.S. Government... than in any other place in American history." The jail cell below Judge Parker's courthouse was infamous for its unsanitary conditions and dangerous inmates. It was a single room where thieves, rapists, and murderers of all kinds awaited trial. The cell was nicknamed "Hell on the Border," but after the jail was closed the name began to be regularly applied to the city of Fort Smith. Today, "Hell on the Border" is still the official nickname of the city.

Geography

Fort Smith is located at 35°22′7″N 94°23′55″W / 35.36861°N 94.39861°W / 35.36861; -94.39861Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (35.368691, -94.398737)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 137.1 km² (52.9 mi²). 130.4 km² (50.3 mi²) of it is land and 6.7 km² (2.6 mi²) of it (4.89%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 80,268 people, 32,398 households, and 20,637 families residing in the city. The population density was 615.5/km² (1,594.2/mi²). There were 35,341 housing units at an average density of 271.0/km² (701.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.99% White, 8.65% Black or African American, 1.69% Native American, 4.59% Asian (predominantly Vietnamese), 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.03% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. 8.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 32,398 households, of which 30.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 32,398 households, 1,388 are unmarried partner households: 1,259 heterosexual, 84 same-sex male, and 45 same-sex female households. (Note: Stigmatization of homosexuality may prevent same-sex couples from reporting themselves as such on the US Census.) 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,157, and the median income for a family was $41,012. Males had a median income of $29,799 versus $22,276 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,994. About 12.1% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Other information

Downtown fountain after a freeze.

Trivia

References

  1. ^ "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 November 16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)

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