Arp, Texas

Arp, Texas
City
Water tower in Arp, Texas
Motto:  Don’t be shy be high
Show Arp Show Smith County Show Texas Show the United States
Coordinates: 32°13′40″N95°03′13″W / 32.22778°N 95.05361°W / 32.22778; -95.05361
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Smith
Area [1]
• Total	2.64 sq mi (6.83 km2)
• Land	2.62 sq mi (6.78 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation [2]	489 ft (149 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	892
• Density	393.58/sq mi (151.97/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	75750
Area code(s)	430, 903
FIPS code	48-04156 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2409733 [2]

Arp State Bank at the Thanksgiving season

Arp is a city in Smith County, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Tyler metropolitan statistical area. According to the United States Census Bureau. The population was 892 in the 2020 census. ^[4]

History

The area where the town of Arp now sits was occupied by Caddoan peoples in pre-Columbian periods and was a part of the Treaty of Bowles Village in 1836 that granted Smith and Cherokee counties along with parts of Rusk, Gregg and Van Zandt counties to the Texas Cherokee and twelve associated tribes. The Cherokee War of 1839 forced the Native Americans out. However, the area was again occupied by Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Creek Indians after 1845. The descendants of these people formed the Mount Tabor Indian Community and a number continue to reside in Smith and Rusk counties today.

The settlement that would become Arp was called Bissa, from the Choctaw/Chickasaw word for blackberry, as early as the 1800s. It was later called Jarvis Junction and then Strawberry, after the fruit that was grown in the area. It was finally renamed "Arp" for Bill Arp (pen name of Charles Henry Smith), a Georgia humorist who was nationally known in the late 19th century. Supposedly, the three-letter name was also chosen for its brevity, which allowed local strawberry producers to spend less time hand-marking their crates. ^[5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.3 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1940	1,139		—
1950	909		−20.2%
1960	812		−10.7%
1970	816		0.5%
1980	939		15.1%
1990	812		−13.5%
2000	901		11.0%
2010	970		7.7%
2020	892		−8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [6]

Arp racial composition as of 2020 ^[7]
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	721	80.83%
Black or African American (NH)	37	4.15%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	8	0.9%
Asian (NH)	1	0.11%
Pacific Islander (NH)	4	0.45%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	26	2.91%
Hispanic or Latino	95	10.65%
Total	892

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 892 people, 383 households, and 292 families residing in the city.

As of the census ^[3] of 2010, there were 970 people, 361 households, and 259 families residing in the city. The population density was 367.6 inhabitants per square mile (141.9/km²). There were 405 housing units at an average density of 165.2 per square mile (63.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.34% White, 3.22% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.44% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population.

There were 361 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $38,807. Males had a median income of $27,443 versus $22,202 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,619. About 4.2% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Arp is served by the Arp Independent School District, and includes an elementary school, junior high school and high school. ^[9]

Notable people

• Joe B. Foster, founder of Newfield Exploration
• Guy Lewis, legendary men's basketball coach for Houston
• DeMarvion Overshown, NFL linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Arp, Texas
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "2010 Census: Population of Texas Cities Arranged in Alphabetical Order | TSLAC".
5. Cannon, Bill (January 1, 2004). Texas: Land of Legend and Lore. Taylor Trade Publications. p. 124. ISBN   9781556229497.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
7. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
8. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
9. "Arp ISD". Arp ISD. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.

1. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. ^[8]