Des Arc

Des Arc is the largest city in Prairie County, Arkansas, and the county seat for the county's northern district. Incorporated in 1854, Des Arc's position on the White River has shaped its culture, history, and economy. The city's population stopped growing in the 1980s and has been declining since, with a population of 1,717 at the 2010 Census. Des Arc is located in the Lower White River segment of the Arkansas Delta (in Arkansas, usually referred to as "the Delta"). The Arkansas Delta is a subregion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which is a flat area consisting of rich, fertile sediment deposits from the Mississippi River between Louisiana and Illinois. The White River Lowlands contain swamps and forests, in contrast to southern portions of Prairie County within the Grand Prairie, a subdivision of Arkansas Delta known today for rice farming and aquaculture. The highest temperature was 109 °F (42.8 °C), and the lowest temperature recorded was 5 °f (21 °C). Record snowfall in Des Arc occurred January 7, 1912, with 18 inches (46 cm). The city has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Prairie County experiences all four seasons, although summers can be extremely hot and humid and winters are mild with little snow. July is the hottest month of the year, with an average high of 92 °C and an average low of 73 °C. January is the coldest month with anAverage high of 48 °F. (8.9 °C) and anAverage low of 31 °F [0.6 °C].

History

White settlement in the area began in the Lower White River Valley while the area was within French Louisiana, which lasted from 1686-1763. French from Canada and South Louisiana passed through the area while hunting and trapping bears and other animals. They shipped furs and bear oil downriver to Arkansas Post, then likely onto New Orleans. During this period, several places were named by the French, including Des Arc and other places in Prairie County such as La Grue. Des Arc was founded in 1854. A map shows the original town included 80 residential blocks, and two blocks for a commercial district. The gridded street pattern has never been fully developed, though most of the streets and blocks match the 1854 plan. The town ran from Foster Street (present-day First Street) on the eastern side, to present-day Eighth Street. The southernmost east-west street was Barrier Street, near where present- day Highway 38 is located along the northern edge of the city. The city's name comes from the French town of Des Arc, which was named after a town in the French province of La Arc in the early 1800s. The original name of the town was "Des Arc", which means "the place" or "the town" in French. The current name is "DesArc" and was adopted by the city in the late 19th century to refer to the town's former name of "des Arc" The town's original name was "Arkansas Post", which was the only established settlement.

Geography

Des Arc is located in the Lower White River segment of the Arkansas Delta (in Arkansas, usually referred to as "the Delta"). The Arkansas Delta is a subregion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which is a flat area consisting of rich, fertile sediment deposits from the Mississippi River between Louisiana and Illinois. Within Prairie County, Des Arc is the northernmost city, located 1015 miles (1624 km) north of Hazen, DeValls Bluff, and Fredonia (Biscoe) Prairie County experiences all four seasons, although summers can be extremely hot and humid and winters are mild with little snow. The highest temperature was 109 °F (42.8 °C), and the lowest temperature recorded was 5 °f (21 °C). Record snowfall in Des Arc occurred January 7, 1912, with 18 inches (46 cm). The city has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with an average high of 92°F (33.3°C) July is the hottest month of the year, and January is the coldest month, with a high of 48°C (8.9°F) and a low of 31°C. Des Arc has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), of which 0.49% is land and 0.1% is water. The city is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) east of Little Rock and 95 miles (153 km) west of Memphis, Tennessee.

Demographics

As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 1,933 people, 783 households, and 534 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 83.03% White, 14.80% Black or African American, 1.30% Native American, 0.31% Asian,0.62% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. The city's median income was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $28,264. About 16.3% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.2% of those under age 18 and 12.9% ofThose age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was2.93. The median age was 40 years, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0%. For every 100 females, there are 89.0 males. The per capita income for the city is $14,629. It is the second-smallest city in the state with a population of more than 1,000. It has a population density of 948.0 inhabitants per square mile (366.0/km²) The city has a median age of 40 years and a median income of $23.750. The U.N. estimates the city's population will rise to 1,905 by 2020.

Culture and contemporary life

Des Arc has seven properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Bethel House, at Erwin and 2nd Streets, designed by architect Charles L. Thompson, is one of them. The town is located on the banks of the San Francisco Bay. It has a population of about 2,000. It is located in the foothills of the Yavapai County mountains. The city's main street is called "Des Arc" and was built in the 19th century. It was named after the town's founder, William "Des" Arc, who was born in the town in 1881. The community is home to a number of historic buildings, including the Bethel house, which was built by Charles Thompson in the early 1900s.

Government

Des Arc operates within the mayor-city council form of government. The mayor is elected by a citywide election to serve as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the city. Mayors serve four-year terms and can serve unlimited terms. The city council is the unicameral legislative of the City, consisting of six aldermen. Also included in the council's duties is balancing the city's budget and passing ordinances. For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. For support in the United States, call the national Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-877-788-7255 or click here. For help in the Philippines, visit http://www.suicidesprevention Lifeline.com/. For help with local issues, call  the Samaritans on 01457 909090 or visit http:// www.saracenet.org or the Saracene Telephone Service Network on 08457 9 09090.

Human resources

Des Arc is served by the Des Arc School District. The city is under the jurisdiction of the 23rd District Court, a state district court. State district courts in Arkansas are courts of original jurisdiction for criminal, civil (up to $25,000), small claims, and traffic matters.Superseding district court jurisdiction is the 17th Judicial Circuit Court, which covers Prairie and White counties. The 17th Circuit contains three circuit judges, elected to six-year terms circuitwide. Circuit court is held in Searcy. The circuit also contains a drug court. Des Arc is located on the Arkansas Turnpike, which runs from Little Rock to Fayetteville. The turnpike is one of the busiest roads in the state, with more than 100,000 vehicles a day. The Turnpikes are also the busiest roadways in Arkansas, with over 50,000 people a day using them. The town is home to the Arkansas State Museum. The Arkansas State Library is located in the town of Searcy, which has a collection of more than 2,000 books. The state library is the only library in Arkansas that is not located in a city or county. The library is open seven days a week, seven months a year. It is open to the public in the evenings and on the weekends. It also has a 24-hour emergency dispatch center. The Des Arc Police Department and the DesArc Fire Department are based in the city. The school district has three elementary and two high schools.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Des Arc, Prairie County, Arkansas = 97. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 73. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 100. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Des Arc = 5.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,905 individuals with a median age of 41.7 age the population dropped by -12.78% in Des Arc, Prairie County, Arkansas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 906.28 residents per square mile of area (349.83/km²). There are average 2.29 people per household in the 703 households with an average household income of $30,435 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.20% of the available work force and has dropped -6.75% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 19.30%. The number of physicians in Des Arc per 100,000 population = 33.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Des Arc = 50.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 3.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 94. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 222. 93 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 30.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 31, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Des Arc, Prairie County, Arkansas which are owned by the occupant = 58.63%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 39 years with median home cost = $66,030 and home appreciation of 0.24%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $6.35 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,911 per student. There are 11.9 students for each teacher in the school, 328 students for each Librarian and 328 students for each Counselor. 2.18% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 5.11% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 3.77% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).