Rison, Arkansas

Rison, Arkansas
City
Cleveland County Courthouse in Rison - listed on National Register of Historic Places
Location in Cleveland County and the state of Arkansas Location in Cleveland County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Cleveland
Government
• Mayor of Rison	Vernon R. Dollar
Area
• Total	2.6 sq mi (6.8 km2)
• Land	2.6 sq mi (6.8 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	269 ft (82 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,344
• Density	513/sq mi (197.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	71665
Area code(s)	870
FIPS code	05-59480
GNIS feature ID	0058495

Rison is a city in and the county seat of Cleveland County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 1,344 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Rison had its start in 1883, shortly after the railroad was built through that territory. It was named for William Richard Rison, an Alabama banker and friend of the founder of the town.

Geography

Rison is located in north-central Cleveland County at . U.S. Route 79 passes through the western side of the city, leading northeast 25 miles (40 km) to Pine Bluff and southwest 17 miles (27 km) to Fordyce.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	453		—
1910	725		60.0%
1920	685		−5.5%
1930	876		27.9%
1940	1,005		14.7%
1950	953		−5.2%
1960	889		−6.7%
1970	1,214		36.6%
1980	1,325		9.1%
1990	1,258		−5.1%
2000	1,271		1.0%
2010	1,344		5.7%
Est. 2014	1,305		−2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,271 people, 471 households, and 324 families residing in the city. The population density was 475.1 people per square mile (183.8/km²). There were 532 housing units at an average density of 198.9/sq mi (76.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.23% White, 33.36% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 1.73% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. 2.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 471 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 79.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,865, and the median income for a family was $30,833. Males had a median income of $26,500 versus $18,229 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,106. About 25.6% of families and 32.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.0% of those under age 18 and 30.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary school students is provided by the following:

• Cleveland County School District serves as the primary school district and is headquartered in Rison. Students graduate from Rison High School.
• Woodlawn School District with students graduating from Woodlawn High School.
• Star City School District with students graduating from Star City High School.

Famous residents

• Jeremy James, singer/songwriter originally from Rison
• Tyrell Johnson, NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings
• William Miller, Football player in the Canadian Football League and NFL