Vilonia, Arkansas

Vilonia, Arkansas
City
Drone Flyover, Welcome Sign, Veterans Memorial, Baseball Fields, Fire Department, Veterans Museum
Location of Vilonia in Faulkner County, Arkansas.
Coordinates: 35°4′38″N92°12′45″W / 35.07722°N 92.21250°W / 35.07722; -92.21250
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Faulkner
Incorporated	1938
Government
•  Mayor	Preston Scroggins
Area [1]
• City	7.98 sq mi (20.66 km2)
• Land	7.97 sq mi (20.65 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation [2]	312 ft (95 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	4,288
• Density	537.82/sq mi (207.66/km2)
•  Metro	748,031
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	72173
Area code	501
FIPS code	05-71960
GNIS feature ID	2405655 [2]
Website	www.cityofvilonia.net

Vilonia City Hall

Vilonia is a city ^[3] in Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 4,288 in 2020 and estimated at 4,429 in 2021, ^[4] up from 3,815 at the 2010 census ^[5] and 2,106 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Central Arkansas region.

History

Vilonia was first settled in 1861 as Vilsonia. By 1870, a cottin gin, a gristmill, general stores and a drug store were in Vilsonia. In 1873, an error caused the town name to be changed to Vilonia.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 1874, the first schoolhouse was built on what is now U.S. Highway 64. In 1879, the first post office was established. In 1887, a blacksmith shop was opened. In 1905, the Arkansas Holiness College was built in Vilonia. Sometime in the 1930s, the college closed and was burned. On August 23, 1938, Vilonia was incorporated under mayor Thomas H. Hill. ^[6]

Tornadoes

2011 tornado

Main article: 2011 Super Outbreak

A small portion of the town was destroyed by a tornado on the evening of April 25, 2011. The devastated area was a mobile home park. The tornado was confirmed and rated high-end EF2 by National Weather Service survey crews. Four people were killed in the Vilonia area. ^[7]

2014 tornado

Main article: 2014 Mayflower–Vilonia tornado

On April 27, 2014, in the late evening hours, a violent EF4 tornado passed through Mayflower and continued into Vilonia shortly before 7:50 p.m. (0050 UTC). 16 people were killed, several homes in one subdivision were swept clean off their foundations, a 15-ton fertilizer tank was thrown ¾ of a mile and several businesses were damaged or destroyed, including the new Vilonia Intermediate School, which had been set to open in the fall. The NWS office in Little Rock said that if it had occurred before the Enhanced Fujita scale was implemented in 2007, it would more than likely have been rated F5. There was consideration for upgrading the tornado to EF5 status, but due to the low quality of construction, the EF4 rating stands. ^[8]

On May 7, 2014, President Barack Obama visited the city to view the damage and reconstruction efforts. With him were Governor Mike Beebe (D), Senator Mark Pryor (D) and Representative Tim Griffin (R). ^[9]

Geography

Vilonia is located in southeastern Faulkner County at 35°4′38″N92°12′45″W / 35.07722°N 92.21250°W / 35.07722; -92.21250 (35.077299, −92.212617). ^[10] It is bypassed to the south by US 64 which leads west 13 miles (21 km) to Conway, the county seat, and east 21 miles (34 km) to Beebe.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Vilonia has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18.4 km²), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km²), or 0.05%, is water. ^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1940	259		—
1950	215		−17.0%
1960	234		8.8%
1970	423		80.8%
1980	736		74.0%
1990	1,133		53.9%
2000	2,106		85.9%
2010	3,815		81.1%
2020	4,288		12.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [11]

2020 census

Vilonia racial composition ^[12]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	3,694	86.15%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	53	1.24%
Native American	32	0.75%
Asian	25	0.58%
Pacific Islander	2	0.05%
Other/Mixed	299	6.97%
Hispanic or Latino	183	4.27%

At the 2020 United States census, there were 4,288 people, 1,432 households and 1,211 families residing in the city.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, ^[13] there were 2,106 people, 726 households and 612 families residing in the town. The population density was 327.6 per square mile (126.5/km²). There were 785 housing units at an average density of 122.1 per square mile (47.1/km²). The racial make-up was 98.39% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.19% from other races and 0.57% from two or more races. 1.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 726 households, of which 51.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 15.7% were non-families. 13.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.16.

33.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64 and 7.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median household income was $45,147 and the median family income was $50,184. Males had a median income of $33,684 and females $26,563. The per capita income was $17,495. About 6.1% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education of early childhood, elementary and secondary school students is primarily provided by the Vilonia School District, which leads to graduation from Vilonia High School.

Nearby secondary educational institutions include the Arkansas State University: Beebe Campus, Central Baptist College, Hendrix College, and University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

Notable people

• J. B. Chapman (1884–1947), minister, president of Arkansas Holiness and Peniel Colleges, editor of the Herald of Holiness and general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene ^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vilonia, Arkansas
3. Local.Arkansas.gov – Vilonia , retrieved September 3, 2012
4. "Vilonia - Place Explorer - Data Commons". datacommons.org. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
5. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Vilonia city, Arkansas". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
6. "History of Vilonia, Arkansas". City of Vilonia. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
7. "Little Rock AR - Public Information Statement". National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office. NOAA. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
   - Bruce Olson (April 26, 2011). "Five dead in Arkansas as floods, tornadoes hit again". Reuters. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
8. "NWS Little Rock, AR - No EF5 This Time: Anchor Bolts Not Detected in Most Construction". National Weather Service Forecast Office on Little Rock, Arkansas. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
9. "President Obama Tours Tornado-Ravaged Arkansas, Pledges Support". NBC News. May 7, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.

External links

• City of Vilonia official website
• "Vilonia (Faulkner County)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture.