Osceola, Arkansas

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Osceola, Arkansas
City
250px
Location in Mississippi County and the state of Arkansas
Location in Mississippi County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country United States
State Arkansas
County Mississippi
Area
 • Total 7.8 sq mi (20.2 km2)
 • Land 7.8 sq mi (20.2 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 246 ft (75 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 7,757
 • Density 1,137.8/sq mi (439.4/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC−6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC−5)
ZIP code 72370
Area code 870
FIPS code 05-52580
GNIS feature ID 0077931
Website City Website

Osceola is a city in and one of the two county seats of Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States.[1] Located along the Mississippi River within the Arkansas delta, the settlement was founded in 1837 and incorporated in 1853. Occupying an important location on the river, the city's economy grew as steamboat traffic increased. Timber and cotton harvesting would develop, and the city experienced rapid growth and development throughout the early 20th century. The city's economy has since diversified to include a robust industrial sector. The population was 7,757 at the 2010 census.

History

Osceola was the original county seat of Mississippi County and remains one of two county seats, after Blytheville was named a dual county seat in 1901. Anchoring the town square is the 1912 neoclassical Mississippi County Courthouse, which a copper roofed dome. The courthouse is bordered by the Hale Avenue Historic District and other structures on the National Historic Register of Historic Places. Visitors will also find the Mississippi County Historical Center located in a 1904 building that once housed a dry goods store.

Osceola is famous for its role in the development of blues music, and many famous blues musicians either came from Osceola or performed there. To celebrate this heritage, Main Street Osceola has been hosting the Osceola Heritage Festival since 1998.

Geography

Osceola is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (35.702276, -89.975807).[2] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.7 square miles (25 km2), all land.

Climate

Osceola has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Climate data for Osceola, Arkansas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 45
(7)		 51
(11)		 60
(16)		 71
(22)		 80
(27)		 89
(32)		 92
(33)		 90
(32)		 84
(29)		 74
(23)		 60
(16)		 49
(9)		 70.4
(21.4)
Average low °F (°C) 28
(−2)		 32
(0)		 41
(5)		 49
(9)		 59
(15)		 67
(19)		 71
(22)		 68
(20)		 60
(16)		 48
(9)		 40
(4)		 31
(−1)		 49.5
(9.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.69
(93.7)		 3.78
(96)		 4.87
(123.7)		 4.90
(124.5)		 5.57
(141.5)		 4.06
(103.1)		 3.56
(90.4)		 2.67
(67.8)		 3.65
(92.7)		 3.38
(85.9)		 4.84
(122.9)		 4.55
(115.6)		 49.52
(1,257.8)
Source: [3]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880 317 —
1890 458 44.5%
1900 953 108.1%
1910 1,769 85.6%
1920 1,755 −0.8%
1930 2,573 46.6%
1940 3,226 25.4%
1950 5,006 55.2%
1960 6,189 23.6%
1970 7,892 27.5%
1980 8,881 12.5%
1990 8,930 0.6%
2000 8,875 −0.6%
2010 7,757 −12.6%
Est. 2014 7,320 [4] −5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census[6] of 2010, there were 8,875 people, 3,183 households, and 2,314 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,135.9 people per square mile (438.8/km²). There were 3,551 housing units at an average density of 454.5 per square mile (175.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.39% White, 51.03% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,724 households out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the city the age distribution of the population shows 29.4% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,163, and the median income for a family was $26,588. Males had a median income of $27,526 versus $18,788 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,327. About 26.0% of families and 31.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.0% of those under age 18 and 25.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Mayor–city council

Osceola operates within the mayor-city council form of government. The mayor is elected by a city-wide election to serve as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the city by presiding over all city functions, policies, rules and laws. Once elected, the mayor also allocates duties to city employees. The city council consists of six members who form the legislative body for the city. Also included in the council's duties is balancing the city's budget and passing ordinances. The body also controls the representatives of specialized city commissions underneath their jurisdiction.

Education

Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary students is provided by the Osceola School District, which leads students to graduate from Osceola High School. The mascot and athletic emblem is the Seminole with purple and gold serving as the school colors.

Infrastructure

File:Osceola, AR 017.jpg
The Public Works Department is based out of City Hall at 303 W. Hale in the former Mississippi County Bank building

The City of Osceola Public Works Department contains seven subdivisions responsible for providing essential city services to the citizens and businesses of Osceola. Directly under city administration are the Animal Shelter, Code Enforcement, Fire Department and Police Department. A municipally-owned entity named Osceola Power & Light houses the Electric, Street and Sanitation, and Water & Wastewater departments.

Electric

Osceola Municipal Light & Power provides power to customers within Osceola, and some nearby customers beyond the city limits via a distribution system they own and operate. The power source is a mixture of city generation facilities and purchased power from Constellation Energy.

Water/Wastewater

Osceola's source for drinking water is the Wilcox Aquifer, located 1,500 feet (460 m) beneath the city. Three sites throughout town pump raw water from this aquifer to the ground surface, where air is added to lower the iron content. Next, chlorine, lime and polymer are added to soften the water. The water is then clarified, filtered and held in ground storage tanks (600,000 US gallons (2,300,000 L) total capacity) before being pumped into a 120 feet (37 m), 1.25-million-US-gallon (4,700,000 L) elevated storage tank, which set the city's static water pressure.[7] The city owns and operates approximately 45 miles (72 km) of water mains, ranging in diameter from 2–16 inches (51–406 mm) with an average static pressure of 52 pounds per square inch (360 kPa). Osceola experiences an average demand of 1.75 million US gallons (6,600,000 L) per day.[8] A wellhead protection ordinance has been in effect since 2002.

Wastewater is collected from customers and conveyed using gravity sewers, lift stations and force mains. The system has 21 lift stations to pump wastewater over rises in terrain where gravity flow is not economical. Wastewater ultimately reaches the Osceola Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF), which has a design capacity of 2.5 million US gallons (9,500,000 L) per day. At the WWTF, influent wastewater is treated in faculative lagoons in accordance with the city's NPDES permit administrated by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).[9] Water is treated within the lagoons for two to four months before being discharged to the Mississippi River via a pumping station. An industrial pretreatment program has been in effect since 2004.

Notable people

References

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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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