West Memphis, Arkansas
City of West Memphis | |
|---|---|
 Location of West Memphis, Arkansas | |
| County | Crittenden |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | William H. Johnson |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 27,666 |
| Website | http://www.ci.west-memphis.ar.us/ |
West Memphis is a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 27,666 at the 2000 census. It is considered part of the Memphis metropolitan area.
Three children were killed in the Robin Hood Hills section in 1993. Three people, known as the West Memphis 3, were convicted of the crime, but are claimed to be innocent by some.
West Memphis was the home of Sonny Boy Williamson II, influential blues singer and harmonica player. One of his songs, "West Memphis Blues", tells the story of how his home there was damaged by fire in 1949. The song mentions several local personalities, white and black, who supported him when he was falsely accused of arson.
Geography
West Memphis is located at 35°9′1″N 90°10′44″W / 35.15028°N 90.17889°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (35.150294, -90.178831)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.8 km² (26.6 mi²). 68.6 km² (26.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.26%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 27,666 people, 10,051 households, and 7,136 families residing in the city. The population density was 403.2/km² (1,044.3/mi²). There were 11,022 housing units at an average density of 160.6/km² (416.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 42.16% White, 55.93% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,051 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 25.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. There are 553 unmarried partner households: 475 heterosexual, 52 same-sex male, and 26 same-sex female. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,399, and the median income for a family was $32,465. Males had a median income of $29,977 versus $21,007 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,679. About 23.7% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.9% of those under age 18 and 22.3% of those age 65 or over.
