Malvern, Arkansas

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Coordinates: 34°21′50″N 92°48′39″W / 34.36389, -92.81083
Malvern, Arkansas
Location in Hot Spring County and the state of Arkansas
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Hot Spring
Government
- Mayor	Steve Northcutt
Area
- Total	7.5 sq mi (19.2 km²)
- Land	7.4 sq mi (19 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
Elevation	315 ft (96 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	9,021
- Density	1,202.8/sq mi (469.8/km²)
- Demonym	Malvernite
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	72104-72105
Area code(s)	501
FIPS code	05-43610
GNIS feature ID	0077584

Malvern is a city in and the county seat of Hot Spring County, Arkansas, United States.^[1] The population was 9,021 at the 2000 census. The city is also called the "Brick Capital of the World" [1] due to having three Acme Brick plants in the area. Malvern hosts an annual event called "Brickfest" held the last weekend in June that fills the town with music, food, and activities that include a brick toss, brick car derby, and a best dressed brick contest. Malvern also hosts the Hot Spring County Fair and Rodeo each fall. In addition to Acme Brick, Malvern is also home to several manufacturing companies including Weyerhaeuser, Borden Chemical, Adams Face Veneer Company Inc, Leggett & Platt Precision, and Pactiv Corporation. Malvern is also home of Grapette International manufacturer of Grapette soda.

Noted Malvern natives include Academy-Award winner Billy Bob Thornton, three-time Super Bowl winner Keith Traylor, and unique musician and stage performer Beth Clayton [2][3].

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Media
- 4.1 Periodicals
- 4.2 Radio
5 Transportation
6 Education
- 6.1 Public Schools
- 6.2 Colleges and Universities
7 Noteworthy natives
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Geography

Malvern is centrally located at 34°21′50″N, 92°48′39″W (34.363818, -92.810971).^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²), of which, 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.94%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 9,021 people, 3,769 households, and 2,431 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,227.1 people per square mile (473.9/km²). There were 4,193 housing units at an average density of 570.4/sq mi (220.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.16% White, 28.66% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 1.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,769 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,007, and the median income for a family was $34,563. Males had a median income of $27,232 versus $18,929 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,848. About 15.7% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Named after Malvern Hill in Virginia, Malvern was created in 1870 by the Cairo and Fulton Railroad as a city site 21 miles south of Hot Springs. On October 15, 1878, Malvern officially become the county seat of Hot Spring County. Original inhabitants of the county were Native Americans, trappers, hunters, and farmers. The Hot Springs Railroad [4], often referred to as the Diamond Jo line, was established as a narrow-gauge railroad by Chicago businessman Joseph Reynolds in 1874[5]. Reynolds had endured stagecoach rides to Hot Springs, AR. The stagecoach rides were less than satisfactory, and in 1874 Reynolds began building the Hot Springs Railroad, extending north from Malvern Junction, a station on the Cairo & Fulton, to Hot Springs. Because Malvern was the closest railroad station to Hot Springs, it became an important junction point for passengers transferring from rail to stagecoach to complete their journey to the spas in Hot Springs. This was the only railroad into Hot Springs for 15 years. The opening of the Little Rock, Hot Springs & Western Railroad in April 1900 provided a more direct access to Hot Springs from Little Rock and the north. Both the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf and the Iron Mountain took advantage of this route, effectively cutting the volume of interchange traffic into Malvern. By 1902 passenger train shuttle service through Malvern had essentially ended [6].

The Malvern Police Department has lost three officers in the line of duty, all shot to death, and all during the turbulent 1930s. They were Clyde Davis, Leslie Lee Potts, and Hiram Potts. Davis and Leslie Lee Potts were both shot on the same incident, during an April 21st 1933 domestic dispute, during a shootout in which they also killed the suspect. Hiram Potts, who was related to Leslie Lee Potts, was shot and killed during his March 4th, 1935 attempt to arrest two men who were illegally boarding a train.

[edit] Media

[edit] Periodicals

The daily newspaper is the Malvern Daily Record. This newspaper was established in 1916 and continues publishing an afternoon edition Tuesday through Friday with a Saturday morning "Weekend Edition".

[edit] Radio

Oldies: KLEZ-FM (101.5)
Country: KBOK-AM (1310)

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Roads

Malvern is connected by the following routes: Interstate 30, U.S. Route 270, and U.S. Route 67.

[edit] Airport

The Malvern area is serviced by the Malvern Municipal Airport FAA Identifier M78.

[edit] Rail

Amtrak's Texas Eagle provides daily passenger train service to Malvern on a route extending from Chicago to Dallas and Los Angeles. Railroad freight service to Malvern is provided by Union Pacific Railroad and the Arkansas Midland Railroad, the latter operating over the route of the original Hot Springs Railroad.