ALMA, ARKANSAS

'Alma' is a town located in Crawford County in western Arkansas. It is about 13 miles from the Oklahoma border along the I-40 corridor. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 4,734. Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Arkansas

Contents

Geography

Demographics

The Spinach Capital of the World

Trivia

Oddities

Notable Natives

References

External links

Geography

Alma is located at 35°29'17" North, 94°13'15" West (35.488013, -94.220796). Alma has no airport, and the train station, which is in a state of dilapidation, does not accommodate passengers. Much of its commerce derives from interstate highway traffic, as Interstates 40 and 540, as well as U.S. Highways 64 and 71, pass through the town.
The town gets its water supply from Lake Alma, which is perched above the town on the northeast, held back by a tall earthen dam that blocks Little Frog Bayou. Lake Alma is the reservoir that supplies the town's tap water, which is often tainted by algae levels in the lake. There are many other manmade ponds in the area, along the many streams that cut through the rolling hills.
Alma sits along the border between the Boston Mountains and the Arkansas River Valley, so while most of the city lies on flat land, immediately to the north is scenic hill country. Alma is surrounded by several rural towns as well, including Rudy and Dean Springs to the north, Dyer to the east, and Kibler to the southwest.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 4,160 people, 1,560 households, and 1,168 families residing in the city. There are 1,688 housing units in the town. In the same census, 94.66% of Alma's residents identified themselves as white, 1.71% identified themselves as black or African American, 1.56% identified themselves as Native American, 0.10% identified themselves as Asian, 0.12% identified themselves as Pacific Islander, 0.75% claimed other races, and 1.11% claimed to be from two or more races. 3.70% of the population claim to be Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Compared to larger cities, Alma has quite a youthful population. Of the town's 1,560 households, 42.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% are married couples living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% are non-families. 22.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.66 and the average family size is 3.11.
Alma has quite a broad age distribution, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,906, and the median income for a family is $34,068. 16.3% of the population and 11.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.7% are under the age of 18 and 25.4% are 65 or older.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 km² (5.0 mi²). 12.5 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.61% water.
The average range of home prices in 2000 was between $95,000 and $250,000

The Spinach Capital of the World

The city of Alma claims to be "the spinach capital of the world." This designation was adopted because Alma surrounds the spinach plant of the Allen Canning Company. The city has several landmarks and events to commemorate its connection with the green, leafy vegetable:
# A statue of Popeye stands in the downtown area.
# The city's water towers, which stand prominently above Lake Alma, have been painted green, and one of them displays a Popeye Brand spinach can label. The towers are known as the "largest cans of spinach in the world."
# The city also hosts a Spinach Festival each April. Popeye himself has been known to make an appearance at this event.
#Allen's canning company cans and ships spinach.
#Due to the large export of spinach, and other canned goods, from The Allen Canning Co. Alma, AR is called the "Spinach Capital of the World".

Trivia

★ Alma has an unfortunate reputation derived from the abduction of Morgan Nick, a seven year old girl from Ozark, Arkansas visiting the town with her mother, who disappeared from Alma's Little League ballpark in June 1995. Despite an extensive, ongoing investigation, Morgan remains missing after more than a decade. Morgan's mother, Colleen, today heads the Morgan Nick Foundation from her office, a small house, but has had her current home recently rebuilt on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

★ Before Alma received its current name in 1904, it was known as "Gumtown."

★ The Alma Police Department has lost one officer in the line of duty. On June 26, 1933, Town Marshal Henry Humphrey was shot outside his office by robbery suspects and members of the Bonnie and Clyde gang.

Oddities

"Gravity Hill" as it is so called by the natives, seems to defy gravity. Supposedly, if you shut off your car on the hill and put it in park, your car will start to roll uphill by itself. Many bored teenagers have often gone here on slow nights. Some insist this location is haunted. Although no real logical reason has been documented.
The Alamo family cult grew to local prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Followers of the cult gave all their possessions to a man named Tony Alamo and lived on his premises. Since he fled the area and was eventually imprisoned for tax evasion, the cult has severely declined in numbers and influence, but still maintains a compound in the hills near Dyer. However, no longer a base camp for the cult but simply an updated series of apartments and duplexes.

Notable Natives

★ Kiley Dean-R&B singer

References

External links

★ Alma Performing Arts Center

★ Alma School District

★ History of Alma (pdf) from the Alma Chamber of Commerce website