Texarkana metropolitan area

Last updated
Texarkana, United States
Texarkana, TX–AR MSA
ChrisLitherlandTexarkana.jpg
Texarkana Post Office, located in two states.
Nickname(s): 
TK, Flexarkana
Motto: 
Twice as Nice
Texarkana metropolitan area
Interactive Map of Texarkana, TX–AR MSA
Coordinates: 33°26′14″N94°4′3″W / 33.43722°N 94.06750°W / 33.43722; -94.06750
Country Flag of United States.svg United States
State Flag of Texas.svg Texas
Flag of Arkansas.svg Arkansas
County Miller County, AR
Bowie County, TX
Government
  AR MayorAllen L. Brown
  TX MayorRob Bruggeman. [1]
Elevation
91 m (299 ft)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
148,838
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
(AR) 71854
(TX) 75500-75599
Area code(s) (AR) 870
(TX) 430 & 903
FIPS code 48-72368 [2]
GNIS feature ID1369752 [3]
Website Texarkana MSA
Vietnam Memorial in Texarkana honors those killed from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Vietnam Memorial, Texarkana, TX IMG 6390.jpg
Vietnam Memorial in Texarkana honors those killed from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The Texarkana metropolitan statistical area (MSA), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is a two-county region anchored by the twin cities of Texarkana, Texas (population 37,333) and Texarkana, Arkansas (population 30,259), and encompassing surrounding communities in Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas. As of the 2016 census, the MSA had a population of 150,098. [4] Texarkana is a subset of the broader Ark-La-Tex region.

Contents

History

State Line Avenue State Line Avenue.jpg
State Line Avenue
Map of the city in 1888 Old map-Texarkana-1888.jpg
Map of the city in 1888

Texarkana

Texarkana was founded in 1873 on the junction of two railroads. The name is a portmanteau of Texas, Arkansas, and nearby Louisiana. One tradition tells of a Red River steamboat named The Texarkana, c. 1860. Another story mentions a storekeeper named Swindle in Red Land, Louisiana who concocted a drink called "Texarkana Bitters". A third account states that Col. Gus Knobel, a railroad surveyor, coined the name. [6] Local lore suggests that, before Texas's annexation by the US, lawlessness ruled in the area that at times was claimed by various nations.

In 1876, Texarkana, Texas, was granted a charter under an act of the Texas legislature, and a Texarkana, Texas, post office operated from 1886 to 1892. Later, Congressman Morris Sheppard (D-TX) secured a postal order officially changing the name to "Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas". [6]

Texarkana metropolitan area

The Texarkana metropolitan area was first defined in 1960. [7] Then known as the Texarkana, TX–Texarkana, AR Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, it consisted of Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas. In 1963, the area was renamed the Texarkana, TX–AR Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, [8] only to return to its original name in 1971. [9]

Little River County, Arkansas, was added to the SMSA in 1973. [10] In 1983, the official name was shortened to the Texarkana, TX–Texarkana, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is still in use. [11] That same year, Little River County was removed from the MSA. The two-county MSA had a population of 137,486 in 2000.

Demographics

As of the census [2] of 2000, there were 137,486 people, 72,695 households, and 55,524 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 66.0% White, 25.0% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population.

The median income for a household in the MSA was $31,976, and the median income for a family was $38,887. Males had a median income of $32,482 versus $21,408 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $16,901.

Economy

Texarkana began as a railroad and lumber center, and developed in the 20th century as a regional agricultural processing, retail, wholesale, and service center. [12] Red River Army Depot and Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant were the largest regional employers from the 1940s through the 1970s. Paper mills near Ashdown and Atlanta, as well as other industrial facilities, brought new jobs to the area in the 1970s. Today the Texarkana area is a diversified economy whose pattern of employment categorized by industry is very similar to the entire state of Arkansas. [13]

Top employers in Texarkana [14]
EmployerLocal employees
Red River Army Depot & Tenants 7,200
Christus St. Michael Health System 1,883
Cooper Tire & Rubber 1,700
Domtar 1,300
Texarkana (TX) Independent School District 1,100
Walmart 967
International Paper 960
Texarkana (AR) School District 835
Wadley Regional Medical Center778
Southern Refrigerated Transport750

Geography

Texarkana consists of two separate municipal designations:

State Line Avenue follows the Texas-Arkansas state line throughout much of Texarkana. The two "sides" of Texarkana are separate only from a political standpoint. Thousands of locals actually live in one state and work in the other.

Owing to its divided political nature, Texarkana has two mayors and two sets of city officials; however, the two sides share a federal building, courthouse, jail, post office, labor office, chamber of commerce, water utility, and several other offices. [6]

Transportation

Texarkana is located at the intersection of Interstate 30 and Interstate 49. It is situated approximately halfway between Dallas, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas.

Air service

Texarkana Regional Airport [15] is located inside the northeastern city limits on the Arkansas side and is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.

The airport covers an area of 964 acres (390 ha) at an elevation of 390 feet (119 m) above mean sea level and it has two runways with asphalt surfaces:

Highways

Major routes in Texarkana include:

As of October 2015, new interchanges had been completed at the junctions of I-30/US 59, and I-30/I-49. Interstate 49 had been extended south to Shreveport with its northern extension planned into Kansas City along the U.S. Route 71 corridor. Multiple projects were under construction to relieve the strain on local roadways, including continuous access roads and the expansion of area highways and bridges.

Railways

Rail service in Texarkana is provided by:

Culture and education

Museum of Regional History in downtown Texarkana Museum of Regional History, Texarkana IMG 6368.jpg
Museum of Regional History in downtown Texarkana
Four States Auto Museum in downtown Texarkana Four States Auto Museum April 2016 34.jpg
Four States Auto Museum in downtown Texarkana

Notable historical buildings in Texarkana include the United States Post Office and Courthouse, the Ace of Clubs House, the Perot Theater, Museum of Regional History, the Four States Auto Museum, TRAHC Regional Arts Center, and the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium.

The Texarkana Post Office is the second-most photographed post office in the United States, as it straddles the state line that separates Arkansas and Texas. [16] The Ace of Clubs House is a house shaped like a club on a playing card and supposedly inspired by a winning poker hand. [17] The Perot Theater (Originally the Saenger Theater - Texarkana) is a 1924 theater renamed after Texarkana native business magnate and politician Ross Perot. [18] Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council has transformed the 1909 US Courthouse into their offices as well as gallery space. [19] Famous musicians such as Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley performed at the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium. [20]

As of 2020, Texarkana officials have been promoting the arts and the improvement of the downtown area by encouraging the painting of murals across Downtown Texarkana. At least 13 murals have been painted since the initiative began. [21]

The Texarkana Symphony Orchestra was established in 2005, providing the community with several professional concerts of classical music every year. In 2007, the Texarkana Youth Symphony Orchestra was established, presenting spring and winter concerts. Both perform in the Perot Theater.

Texarkana College, a community college whose origins date to 1927, enrolls more than four thousand annually. In 1971, East Texas State University began offering classes at the campus, this institution later became Texas A&M University–Texarkana.

Texas A&M University-Texarkana has constructed a large campus at Bringle Lake. Historically an institution for upperclassmen and graduate students, in 2010, TAMU-T began accepting freshmen and sophomores. In 2011 the first residence hall, Bringle Lake Village, opened on campus.

A branch of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT), based in Hope, Arkansas, opened in Texarkana in 2012, and in 2015 UALR Texarkana, a branch of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, began offering bachelor's-degree programs on the Texarkana campus of UAHT. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) offers a residency program in Texarkana serving Wadley Regional Medical Center, Christus Saint Michael Hospital, as well as the UAMS clinics in Texarkana. [22]

Local Lore

Phantom Killer

In 1946, Texarkana was in fear of an unidentified serial killer who attacked eight people, five of whom were murdered. The term "serial killer" did not yet exist, but the town knew they were dealing with an unknown killer who was attacking couples on "lovers' lanes". The local paper dubbed him "The Phantom Killer". The attacks became known as the "Texarkana Moonlight Murders" by the media. Since the killer was never identified or apprehended, their description came from the only two survivors. They described their attacker as six foot tall with a white mask over his head and with holes cut out for his eyes and mouth. He had a pistol and a flashlight. They disagreed on his race. One survivor thought he was a light-skinned African American while the other thought he was a dark-tanned Caucasian man.

The attacks inspired the 1976 film The Town That Dreaded Sundown and its 2014 sequel. The original film was written and directed by Charles B. Pierce, a former Texarkanan who played the comedic role as officer A.C. Benson, a clumsy patrolman. The movie also starred Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine and Dawn Wells. Most of the facts of the original case were fictionalized which created much of the myth and lore for several years. Many of the rumors are still believed and spread by locals. One of the more prominent rumors is that blood-stained clothing hidden by The Phantom was found in a school attic many years after the crime spree. This was, however, only a rumor. [23]

Over the years the case files from both police departments went missing. [24] All official files, photographs, evidence and notes are now lost. Some locals believe that the Phantom Killer died long ago, while some think he may still be alive. Some claim that he was a member of the local upper class aristocracy, which collaborated to keep his identity quiet to avoid scandal. The case is still open.

Fouke Monster

The swampy terrain of Boggy Creek, near Fouke, Arkansas, a small Miller County town southeast of Texarkana, is the reputed home of an anthropoid cryptid similar in appearance and behavior to the Pacific Northwest's Bigfoot or Sasquatch, and to the Skunk Ape of Florida legend. A film dramatizing these stories, entitled The Legend of Boggy Creek , was released in 1972. Two sequels, Return to Boggy Creek (1977) and The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II (1985) (a.k.a. Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues; the "official" sequel made by the original film's director, Charles B. Pierce) followed with very little commercial success (although The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II was featured in the 10th season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 ). Locals commonly refer to this creature as the "Fouke Monster" and a number of persons have reported seeing the creature in various locations in and around Fouke. Most of the reported sightings have occurred during the hours of darkness, which has contributed to the lack of adequate descriptions of the creature itself. The Fouke Monster's credibility is generally doubted. [25] [26] [27]

Notable people from the Texarkana MSA

Sports

Football

Baseball

Golf

Racing

Film and theater

Music

Science

Politics

Books

TV shows

Movies

Music

Restaurants

Texarkana in Greenwich Village, New York City, New York. The restaurant is defunct and in its former location is a restaurant called Alta. [30]

Local newspaper

Local TV stations

Texarkana is part of a television market that also includes Shreveport, Louisiana as its central city.

KTAL-TV Channel 6 is an NBC affiliate licensed to Texarkana, Texas and serving the Shreveport - Texarkana market; its primary studios are located in Downtown Shreveport, with a secondary facility located at 3716 Summerhill Road in Texarkana.

Related Research Articles

In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the region. Such regions are not legally incorporated as a city or town would be and are not legal administrative divisions like counties or separate entities such as states. As a result, sometimes the precise definition of a given metropolitan area will vary between sources. The statistical criteria for a standard metropolitan area were defined in 1949 and redefined as a metropolitan statistical area in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller County, Arkansas</span> County in Arkansas, United States

Miller County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,600. The county seat is Texarkana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fouke, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Fouke is a city in Miller County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Texarkana, Texas - Texarkana, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 810 in 2024

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texarkana, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. It is the twin city of Texarkana, Texas, located just across the state line. The city was founded at a railroad intersection on December 8, 1873, and was incorporated in Arkansas on August 10, 1880. Texarkana and its Texas counterpart are the principal cities of the Texarkana metropolitan area, which in 2021 was ranked 289th in the United States with a population of 147,174, according to the United States Census Bureau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texarkana, Texas</span> City in Bowie County, Texas, United States

Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately 180 miles (290 km) from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census.

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<i>The Town That Dreaded Sundown</i> (1976 film) 1976 film by Charles B. Pierce

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a 1976 American thriller horror film directed and produced by Charles B. Pierce, and written by Earl E. Smith. The film is loosely based on the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders, crimes attributed to an unidentified serial killer known as the Phantom Killer. It is narrated by Vern Stierman, who had narrated Pierce's 1972 film The Legend of Boggy Creek. Ben Johnson stars as Captain J.D. Morales, a fictionalized version of Texas Ranger Captain M. T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas. The Phantom is played by Bud Davis, who later worked as stunt coordinator on films such as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and Inglourious Basterds. The film was mostly shot around Texarkana, and a number of locals were cast as extras. The world premiere was held in Texarkana on December 17, 1976, before its regular run in theaters on December 24.

<i>The Legend of Boggy Creek</i> 1972 American docudrama horror film

The Legend of Boggy Creek is a 1972 American docudrama horror film about the "Fouke Monster", a Bigfoot-like cryptid reportedly seen in and around Fouke, Arkansas, since the 1940s. The film combines staged interviews with local residents who claim to have encountered the creature, along with reenactments of these encounters. Director and producer Charles B. Pierce, an advertising salesman, secured funding from a local trucking company and hired local high school students to help complete the film. Made on a budget of $160,000, the film was released theatrically on August 8, 1972.

In Arkansas folklore, the Fouke Monster, also known as the Boggy Creek Monster and the Swamp Stalker, is purported to be a humanoid creature, similar to descriptions of Bigfoot, that was allegedly sighted in the rural town of Fouke, Arkansas during the early 1970s. The creature was alleged to have attacked a local family. It has since become a part of Arkansas folklore. Stories of the creature influenced the 1972 docudrama horror film The Legend of Boggy Creek, which became the 11th highest-grossing film of 1972 and is today considered to be a cult classic.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles B. Pierce</span> Director, screenwriter, producer, set decorator, cinematographer, and actor (1938–2010)

Charles Bryant Pierce was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, set decorator, cinematographer, and actor. Pierce directed thirteen films over the span of 26 years, but is best known for his cult hits The Legend of Boggy Creek (1973) and The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976).

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Doddridge is an unincorporated community in southern Miller County, Arkansas, United States, approximately five miles north of the Louisiana border. Doddridge is located at the junction of Arkansas Highway 160 and U.S. Route 71, and I-49 passes through the area, connecting it to Texarkana and Louisiana, as well as the confluence of the Sulphur and Red rivers. Although unincorporated, Doddridge has a post office, with the ZIP code of 71834.

Days Creek is a creek in the Texarkana metropolitan area. The creek forms in southern Texarkana, Texas when the Nix Creek and Swampoodle Creek meet, before flowing south where Wagner Creek meets the creek near the Arkansas border. The creek then passes into Arkansas flowing east where it meets Sulphur River south-west of Fouke.

References

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