Altus, Arkansas

Altus
City
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Altus, Arkansas
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Franklin
Area
• Total	1.8 sq mi (4.8 km2)
• Land	1.8 sq mi (4.8 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	541 ft (165 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	817
• Density	453.9/sq mi (170.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	72821
Area code	479
FIPS code	05-01210
GNIS feature ID	0045850

Altus is a town in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 817 at the 2000 census. When the Iron Mountain Railroad laid rails up the Arkansas River Valley in the 1870s from Little Rock to the Oklahoma border at Fort Smith, Altus was the highest point on the track. In recognition of this highest railroad elevation between Little Rock and Fort Smith, the station was originally known as Summit. The town's initial development was due to railroad efforts encouraging German immigration to settle lands adjacent to the railroad. In 1903, the railroad mainline was shifted to a more favorable alignment along the Arkansas River. The track through Altus was removed in the 1930s, but the railroad station has been preserved as a commercial establishment.

Altus is located in the Boston Mountain range between the Ozark Mountains to the north and the Ouachita Mountains to the south. The soil type here is generally Linker on the hilltops; a sandy loam, slightly acid soil and good for grape growing. Several wineries are located in Altus and it is the location of the Altus American Viticultural Area.

Altus is the site of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (St. Mary's Catholic Church), of which is on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Mary's Catholic Church was built in 1902 and is known for its beautiful paintings, ornate gold leaf walls, and Roman architecture.

It is also home to three of the six Arkansas wineries and the Altus AVA, (Chateau aux Arc Winery), (Mount Bethel Winery), and (Post Familie Winery). The Wiederkehr Winery is located north of Altus in Wiederkehr Village. The annual Spring Gala, Grapefest, Dinner in the Vineyards, and Wineaux Fest are held in Altus each year.

Altus is also the former site of Hendrix College, and the historical novelist Janice Holt Giles was born there.

Altus was the location for the first season of the television show The Simple Life, starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.

Geography

Altus is located at 35°27′17″N 93°46′19″W (35.454627, -93.771859).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 817 people, 339 households, and 220 families residing in the city. The population density was 445.2 people per square mile (172.4/km²). There were 372 housing units at an average density of 202.7/sq mi (78.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.80% White, 0.12% Black or African-American, 0.86% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 2.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 339 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.2% 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 2.41 and the average familiar size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,842, and the median income for a family was $29,286. Males had a prime meridian income of $25,000 versus $18,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,376. About 19.7% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Altus is served by the Ozark School District, leading to graduation at Ozark High School. The Altus-Denning School District was closed in 2004 after an Arkansas law was passed requiring many small schools in the state to consolidate, usually with a bigger school close by. Prior to closing the Altus High School mascot was the Owls and competed in the 1A classification of the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA).