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'Newport' is a city in Jackson County, Arkansas, 84 miles (135 km) northeast of Little Rock, on the White River. In 1900, 2,866 people lived in Newport, Arkansas; in 1910, 3,557. The population was 7,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jackson County. The city is also home to a campus of the Arkansas State University system, with particular focus on training in transportation careers. Newport is perhaps best known as the town Sam Walton owned a Ben Franklin store prior to starting Wal-Mart.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Famous Residents

Entertainment

Politics, Military & Education

Sports

External links

Geography

Newport is located at (35.611820, -91.262158). Newport lies on the White River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.4 km² (13.3 mi²). 33.7 km² (13.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (2.03%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,811 people, 2,690 households, and 1,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 231.5/km² (599.2/mi²). There were 3,118 housing units at an average density of 92.4/km² (239.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.57% White, 31.76% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,690 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 16.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,151, and the median income for a family was $33,500. Males had a median income of $29,943 versus $17,437 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,757. About 17.7% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.1% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Famous Residents

Entertainment

★ Sonny Burgess, rockabilly artist and a member of Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

★ Mary Steenburgen (b. February 8, 1953), an Academy Award-winning actress.

Politics, Military & Education

★ Mike Beebe, current Governor of Arkansas.

★ Kaneaster Hodges, Jr. (b. August 20, 1938), appointed to succeed John McClellan as United States Senator upon McClellan's death in 1977.

★ Dr. Ed Madden, activist, poet, and professor at the University of South Carolina.

★ Martha Shoffner, current Treasurer of the State of Arkansas.

★ Army Major General James Simmons, a current deputy commander of the U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq.

★ Jim Wood, Arkansas State Auditor (2003-present) and former state representative.

Sports

★ Charles Balentine, star basketball player for University of Arkansas.

★ Trey Crawford, 3 time World Champion duck caller.

★ Bernis Duke, started and coached the Oral Roberts University men's tennis team for 33 years, inducted into Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2002.

★ George Kell, member of Baseball Hall of Fame.

★ Rob McDonald, IPRA 1977 World Champion bull rider.

★ Theo Young, played two seasons with NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and a coach at the college level, most recently with Rice University.

External links

★ Newport official city website

★ ''The Newport Independent'', the city's newspaper published since 1901

★ Arkansas State University-Newport official website

★ History of Newport's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)