Van Buren is a city located in Crawford County, Arkansas, 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Fort Smith on the Arkansas River. In 1900, 2,573 people lived here; in 1910, 3,878; and in 1940, 5,422. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,986. The city is the county seat of Crawford County. Located near the junction of Interstate 40 and the Arkansas/Oklahoma border, Van Buren is known to many travellers as a welcomed rest stop.
The small town has a number of claims to fame.
Business
Van Buren is the home town and headquarters of publicly-traded trucking company, USA Truck.
Radio
Bob Burns, a Van Buren native, was a celebrity in the early days of radio.
Sport
Van Buren is the hometown of NFL football player Matt Jones, a wide receiver with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tall, fast, athletic, and with unusually sure hands, Jones seemed destined to play the wide receiver role. But as a teenager, Jones rocked the Van Buren sports world by transferring to neighboring Fort Smith for his senior year of high school in order to continue playing quarterback. Jones then started as a college quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks for four years, from 2001 - 2004. Jones is best known for his athleticism and freakish combination of size and speed: the tall, laid-back blond shocked NFL scouts at the 2005 NFL combine by clocking a 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds. That sprint time set a combine record for quarterbacks, and appears to be unprecedented for an athlete as tall or as massive as Jones, who is over 6' 6 tall and some 240 pounds. It also secured his spot in the first round of the 2005 draft in the NFL, where Jones has at long last accepted his role as a wide receiver.
Literature
Van Buren has at least one literary appearance of note. In the science fiction classic Stranger in a Strange Land by sci-fi legend Robert Heinlein, a group of Christian fundamentalists in Van Buren is briefly mentioned as organizing an effort to send missionaries to Mars.
Van Buren is located at 35°26'40" North, 94°20'48" West (35.444339, -94.346737).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.1 km2 (15.9 mi2). 39.0 km2 (15.1 mi2) of it is land and 2.1 km2 (0.8 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 5.05% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 18,986 people, 6,947 households, and 5,182 families residing in the city. The population density is 486.8/km2 (1,260.7/mi2). There are 7,427 housing units at an average density of 190.4/km2 (493.2/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 87.37% White, 1.64% Black or African American, 1.96% Native American, 2.82% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.17% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. 6.04% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,947 households out of which 40.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% are married couples living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% are non-families. 21.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.67 and the average family size is 3.12.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $33,608, and the median income for a family is $37,198. Males have a median income of $28,798 versus $21,201 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,948. 16.7% of the population and 13.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.4% of those under the age of 18 and 13.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Source:
VanBurenArkansas.com
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