Towns closest to Fort Smith grow
Proximity to population hubs cited as boon to gaining residents
FORT SMITH — The towns closest to the River Valley hub of Fort Smith gained population in the newly released 2020 census while more rural areas mostly lost people.
Every city in Logan, Franklin and Scott counties with more than 1,000 residents fell in population from 2010 to 2020 with the exception of Charleston.
Every county surrounding Sebastian — which holds Fort Smith — lost population in the census. Franklin and Scott counties shrunk more than 5%, while Crawford lost 2.9%, according to the census.
Scott County led the region in population decrease at 12.4%, data shows.
The census results of every city and county throughout the United States help determine how hundreds of billions of federal dollars are appropriated to those areas in the following decade. Projects determined by census data include grants and support for schools, roads and hospitals, according to the Census Bureau.
Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, said the decline in rural communities fits into the nationwide trend of migration out of rural areas. He said all of the largest cities in the United States have grown in the past 10 years — a change from the decade prior.
“That has been true for a long time, with the younger generation wanting to live in more metropolitan areas,” he said.
Jebaraj noted Crawford County’s population in recent years saw an influx of eastern Oklahoma residents moving there and commuting to work in Northwest Arkansas. He cited this factor in the
increase in some communities despite the county’s overall decrease in the 2020 census.
The population growth in Sebastian County is likely the result of Fort Smith’s efforts to mitigate population loss through job creation and amenities, he said. The city fell to third-largest in the state behind Fayetteville, yet it grew from 86,209 to 89,142, contributing to a 1.6% overall increase in the county, census data shows.
City officials list different reasons for their increases or declines in population. Officials in several western Arkansas cities that have shrunk in population said they’re skeptical of the census numbers.
In the cities that grew, some leaders touted efforts to make their towns desirable places to live in addition to proximity to larger population hubs.
“Without a doubt, we have to continue to invest in our citizens,” said Alma Mayor Jerry Martin, whose city climbed from 5,419 to 5,825 in the 10 years.
‘PEOPLE TAKING NOTICE’
Leaders in some of the towns that grew pointed to their proximity to Fort Smith and Van Buren — not Northwest Arkansas — as reason for growth.
Cedarville Mayor Mark Isenhower, whose city increased from 1,394 to 1,424, said his residents generally drive to Fort Smith or Van Buren for work. As a result, his town consists of people who don’t want to live in a larger city, he said.
“We’re the only town that doesn’t have a millage in the whole Crawford County, and we only have one penny sales tax. And our school millage for Cedarville is the lowest in the county,” Isenhower said.
Lavaca has a similar story, said Susan Hayden, the town’s bookkeeper. New housing units attributed to the city’s increase from 2,289 to 2,450, she said. The town sits just east of Fort Smith.
Charleston is also east of Fort Smith and grew from 2,494 to 2,588. South of Fort Smith, Greenwood grew from 8,952 to 9,516, census data shows. The mayors of these towns couldn’t be reached by phone for comment on the population change.
Bedroom community growth also happened in Barling, which sits just north of the Chaffee Crossing area in east Fort Smith. The town grew from 4,649 to 4,782, the data shows.
Barling borders Fort Smith and is near the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education in Fort Smith. It’s also nearby Fort Smith Public Schools’ incoming Peak Innovation Center on Painter Lane at Arkansas 255.
“If you look at the census data, one of the big clues is that education brings jobs and skills,” said Steve Core, Barling city administrator.
Core also said business and housing developments in the Chaffee Crossing area have attracted residents. The military base-turned land trust includes part of Barling and east Fort Smith. It’s had more than $2 billion in capital investments since the trust was established in 1997, according to Lorie Robertson, marketing director for Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority
Van Buren also grew from 22,791 to 23,218, data shows. It’s the second-largest city in the region and sits across the Arkansas River from Fort Smith.
Van Buren officials have worked to make the city a more attractive place to live, said Mayor Joe Hurst. These efforts include revitalizing the downtown area, making the city more walkable and retaining employers, he said.
The story in Alma, just northeast of Van Buren, is similar, Martin said. He spoke highly of the Alma School District, solar energy projects and a focus on the downtown area.
“Those are all things that start lending to people taking notice of what we’re doing,” he said.
MIGRATION OR LOW COUNT?
Census data shows Western Arkansas towns of more than 1,000 generally decreased if they were further away from Fort Smith. But city officials are skeptical of those numbers.
Mansfield, Ozark, Paris and Booneville each lost residents from 2010 to 2020, the census shows. Each of the towns is more than a 40-minute drive from downtown Fort Smith and further from Northwest Arkansas.
Amanda Faconer, Waldron finance director, said people are looking for jobs and entertainment larger cities can better afford. Waldron’s census count fell from 3,618 to 3,386 in 10 years.
“I see it slowly dying if things don’t change,” she said.
Faconer questioned her town’s census data. She said multiple census takers came to her house after she had submitted her information. She also believes covid-19 complicated the process.
Mayor Buddy Black of Mansfield holds a similar view. He said there are “no empty houses” to rent in his town. Yet Mansfield’s count decreased from 1,139 to 1,053, the data shows.
“I don’t think it was a good count,” Black said.
While the census is used to determine appropriations of federal dollars to localities, Booneville City Clerk Gayleene West said the lower count could affect how the city itself appropriates revenue from its 1% sales tax. Booneville dipped from 3,990 to 3,809 over the past decade, according to the data.
West also believes the count isn’t accurate. She’s worried a lot of people didn’t respond as they should have, she said. She also noted the Booneville School District has grown.
Fort Smith Mayor George McGill said the Census Bureau is establishing a process for governments to ask for a recount. Black and Waldron Mayor David Millard said they would like to request a recount, while West said she expects the Booneville mayor also will want one.
Black said he doesn’t know anyone in his part of the state who believes the numbers are accurate.
Paris Mayor Daniel Rogers said his city’s decreased tally isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Law enforcement in recent years has increased efforts to get drug traffickers out of the city — people he’d rather not have in town, he said.
Rogers noted the town’s loss of its American Axle & Manufacturing plant hurt the population. Some jobs remained in the county when the company opened a plant in Subiaco, but they are no longer in the city, he said.
Paris fell from 3,532 to 3,176, data shows.
“We’ve done some to try to bring some business back. We’ve put a smaller company in that building, and hopefully, they will grow over the years, and we’ve added an industrial park that’s about to expand their business.”
Rogers said he’s spoken to the City Council about annexing county land surrounding the city to increase the number of residents who can live there. He pointed to Ozark as a city with more land mass and thus more space for people to move in.
Despite Rogers’ praise, Ozark dipped from 3,684 to 3,542 in the 2020 census. Ozark Mayor Roxie Hall didn’t respond to three phone calls for comment on her town’s census results.