Hope, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Hope is a small city
in Hempstead County, Arkansas
, United States
. According to 2008 United States Census Bureau
estimates, the population
of the city was 10,378. The city is the county seat
of Hempstead County and the principal city of the Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area
, which includes all of Hempstead and Nevada counties.
, Bill Clinton
(see Bill Clinton Birthplace
). At the 1992 Democratic National Convention
in New York City
, Clinton ended his acceptance speech by saying, "I still believe in a place called Hope." The city tagged this statement as their unofficial motto
. The city converted its railroad depot
to a museum
on Clinton's life.
, a candidate for the 2008 Republican
presidential nomination
. In his autobiographical From Hope to Higher Ground (2007), Huckabee recalls the Hope of the 1960s as "a wonderful community. A child could leave his house in the morning on a bicycle and not return until after dark, and it caused no one alarm. It was the kind of place where I could misbehave eight blocks from home, but by the time I pedaled back to 309 East Second Street, six people would have called my parents to report my behavior. I am not sure that it took a village to raise a child, but I am quite sure that an entire village did its part to help raise me!"
As a teenager, Huckabee cleaned windows, swept floors, and stocked shelves for J.C. Penney
. He also worked at a radio
station in Hope, a job which he maintains led to his decision to become active in evangelical organizations and politics.
; attorney Vincent Walker Foster, Jr.
(1945–1993); U.S. Representative Mike Ross; former Louisville, Kentucky
, Mayor
David L. Armstrong
; Gary Dee
; former Arkansas Secretary of State Kelly Bryant
(1908–1975), PGA
golfer Ken Duke
, actress/vocalist Ketty Lester
and actress Melinda Dillon
. Country Music Hall of Fame singer Patsy Montana
attended school in Hope.
A leading figure in the restoration of nearby Historic Washington State Park in Washington
, Arkansas, was James H. Pilkinton (1914–1994) of Hope, who served as president of the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation, Inc., from 1959–1960 and again from 1973-1990. In 1966, Pilkinton was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor
, having narrowly been defeated by the Republican Maurice L. Britt, the running-mate of Winthrop Rockefeller
, who won the first of his two two-year terms as governor that year. Pilkinton is interred in Rose Hill Cemetery.
A former Republican U.S. Representative from Michigan
, Robert James Huber, is buried in Hope, but he did not live there. It was the hometown of his wife, the former Mary Pauline "Polly" Tolleson, a graduate of Hope High School
. Also, Hope is home to a few African-American figures such as Henry C. Yerger, who established a school for blacks in 1895.
Paul Klipsch founded Klipsch and Associates
in Hope in 1946. Klipsch invented the world famous Klipschorn speaker, a folded horn loaded speaker that revolutionized the industry. The Klipschorn and a number of other speaker lines are still manufactured in Hope by Klipsch Audio Technologies.
U.S. Representative Mike Ross, currently of Prescott in Nevada County, is a former resident of Hope, graduating from Hope High School in 1979. His father, Gene Ross, is a former administrator in the Hope School District.
was the Southwestern Proving Ground during World War II
and had the claim of the third longest runway in the United States. Paul Klipsch used to joke that his desk was not in the same spot as the one he had during his United States Army
service at the Proving Ground; it was on the other side of the room. Years later, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
used land near the airport as a staging area for manufactured homes intended for transport as temporary housing for hurricane victims. Many of these homes remain at the airport as of summer 2009, long after the disaster, eliciting wide criticism of the federal agency.
service, but with actual service "to begin on a date to be announced". The Texas Eagle travels daily in each direction between Chicago
and San Antonio.
s and continues to produce records for the largest specimens in the world. The last record was set by Lloyd Bright in 2005 with a 268.8 pound watermelon. The Watermelon Festival is celebrated annually from Thursday-Saturday during the second week of August. The watermelon is used in the municipal logo and the Hope slogan: A Slice of the Good Life.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26.2 km²), of which, 10 square miles (25.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.
of 2000, there were 10,616 people, 3,961 households, and 2,638 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,061.9 people per square mile (409.9/km²). There were 4,301 housing units at an average density of 430.2 per square mile (166.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.71% White
, 43.17% Black
or African American
, 0.38% Native American
, 0.30% Asian
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
, 6.63% from other races
, and 1.78% from two or more races. 13.48% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 3,961 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. Of 3,961 households, 192 are unmarried partner households: 175 heterosexual, 11 same-sex male, and 6 same-sex female households. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,385, and the median income for a family was $28,445. Males had a median income of $23,525 versus $17,394 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $12,783. About 22.3% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.1% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Hempstead County, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. According to 2008 United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
estimates, the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of the city was 10,378. The city is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Hempstead County and the principal city of the Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area
Hope micropolitan area
The Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas, anchored by the city of Hope....
, which includes all of Hempstead and Nevada counties.
Bill Clinton
The town is best known as the hometown of the 42nd President of the United StatesPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
(see Bill Clinton Birthplace
Bill Clinton Birthplace
President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site is located at 117 South Hervey Street in Hope, Arkansas. Built in 1917 by Dr. H. S. Garrett, in this house the 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton spent the first four years of his life, having been born at...
). At the 1992 Democratic National Convention
1992 Democratic National Convention
The 1992 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas for President and Senator Al Gore of Tennessee for Vice President; Clinton announced Gore as his running-mate on July 9, 1992. The convention was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Clinton ended his acceptance speech by saying, "I still believe in a place called Hope." The city tagged this statement as their unofficial motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
. The city converted its railroad depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
to a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
on Clinton's life.
Mike Huckabee
Hope is also the hometown of the former Governor Mike HuckabeeMike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, a candidate for the 2008 Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
presidential nomination
Nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
. In his autobiographical From Hope to Higher Ground (2007), Huckabee recalls the Hope of the 1960s as "a wonderful community. A child could leave his house in the morning on a bicycle and not return until after dark, and it caused no one alarm. It was the kind of place where I could misbehave eight blocks from home, but by the time I pedaled back to 309 East Second Street, six people would have called my parents to report my behavior. I am not sure that it took a village to raise a child, but I am quite sure that an entire village did its part to help raise me!"
As a teenager, Huckabee cleaned windows, swept floors, and stocked shelves for J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
. He also worked at a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station in Hope, a job which he maintains led to his decision to become active in evangelical organizations and politics.
Other
Others from Hope include former White House Chief of Staff Mack McLartyMack McLarty
Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty III is a prominent Arkansas business and political leader and former White House Chief of Staff for US President Bill Clinton...
; attorney Vincent Walker Foster, Jr.
Vince Foster
Vincent Walker Foster, Jr. was a Deputy White House Counsel during the first few months of President Bill Clinton's administration, and also a law partner and friend of Hillary Rodham Clinton...
(1945–1993); U.S. Representative Mike Ross; former Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
David L. Armstrong
David L. Armstrong
David L. Armstrong was mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1999 to 2003.Armstrong was born in Hope, Arkansas. Prior to becoming mayor, he had served as Jefferson County Judge/Executive since 1989. He was raised in Madison, Indiana...
; Gary Dee
Gary Dee
Gary David Gilbert, on-air name Gary Dee, was a pioneer in controversial talk radio. He worked for stations which included WERE, WHK, and WWWE in Cleveland, Ohio...
; former Arkansas Secretary of State Kelly Bryant
Kelly Bryant
Kelly Bryant served as the Democratic secretary of state of the U.S. state of Arkansas from 1963 until his death nearly thirteen years later. He was one of three statewide politicians born in Hope, the seat of Hempstead County, in southern Arkansas. The others are former Governor and U.S...
(1908–1975), PGA
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
golfer Ken Duke
Ken Duke
Kenneth Wootson Duke is an American professional golfer.Duke was born in Hope, Arkansas. After turning professional in 1994, Duke first qualified for the PGA Tour in 2004, but failed to keep his card and returned to the Nationwide Tour...
, actress/vocalist Ketty Lester
Ketty Lester
Ketty Lester is an American singer and actress, who is best known for her 1962 hit single, "Love Letters", which reached the Top 5 of the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom.-Life and career:...
and actress Melinda Dillon
Melinda Dillon
Melinda Rose Dillon is an American actress, perhaps best known for her roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the holiday classic A Christmas Story.-Early life and career:...
. Country Music Hall of Fame singer Patsy Montana
Patsy Montana
Ruby Rose Blevins , known professionally as Patsy Montana, was an American country music singer-songwriter and the first female country performer to have a million-selling single...
attended school in Hope.
A leading figure in the restoration of nearby Historic Washington State Park in Washington
Washington, Arkansas
Washington is a city in Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 148 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area.The city is also home to Old Washington Historic State Park....
, Arkansas, was James H. Pilkinton (1914–1994) of Hope, who served as president of the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation, Inc., from 1959–1960 and again from 1973-1990. In 1966, Pilkinton was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
The Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas presides over the Arkansas Senate with a tie-breaking vote, serves as governor when the governor is out of state, and serves as governor if the governor is impeached, removed from office, dies or is otherwise unable to discharge the office's duties.The position...
, having narrowly been defeated by the Republican Maurice L. Britt, the running-mate of Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller was a politician and philanthropist who served as the first Republican Governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was a third-generation member of the Rockefeller family.-Early life:...
, who won the first of his two two-year terms as governor that year. Pilkinton is interred in Rose Hill Cemetery.
A former Republican U.S. Representative from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Robert James Huber, is buried in Hope, but he did not live there. It was the hometown of his wife, the former Mary Pauline "Polly" Tolleson, a graduate of Hope High School
Hope High School (Arkansas)
Hope High School is a public school located in Hope, Arkansas, United States. There are roughly 740 students enrolled in courses....
. Also, Hope is home to a few African-American figures such as Henry C. Yerger, who established a school for blacks in 1895.
Paul Klipsch founded Klipsch and Associates
Klipsch
Klipsch Audio Technologies is an American loudspeaker company based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in Hope, Arkansas in 1946 as 'Klipsch and Associates' by Paul W...
in Hope in 1946. Klipsch invented the world famous Klipschorn speaker, a folded horn loaded speaker that revolutionized the industry. The Klipschorn and a number of other speaker lines are still manufactured in Hope by Klipsch Audio Technologies.
U.S. Representative Mike Ross, currently of Prescott in Nevada County, is a former resident of Hope, graduating from Hope High School in 1979. His father, Gene Ross, is a former administrator in the Hope School District.
Airport
The Hope Municipal AirportHope Municipal Airport
Hope Municipal Airport is a public airport located approximately northwest of Hope, Arkansas. It provides general aviation service.In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency signed a $25,000-per-month lease with the city to use at the Hope Municipal Airport...
was the Southwestern Proving Ground during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and had the claim of the third longest runway in the United States. Paul Klipsch used to joke that his desk was not in the same spot as the one he had during his United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
service at the Proving Ground; it was on the other side of the room. Years later, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
used land near the airport as a staging area for manufactured homes intended for transport as temporary housing for hurricane victims. Many of these homes remain at the airport as of summer 2009, long after the disaster, eliciting wide criticism of the federal agency.
Rail service
In October 2009, Amtrak added Hope to its timetable brochure for its Texas EagleTexas Eagle
The Texas Eagle is a 1306-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, 2728 miles total, three days a week...
service, but with actual service "to begin on a date to be announced". The Texas Eagle travels daily in each direction between Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and San Antonio.
Agriculture
Hope is also known for growing watermelonWatermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
s and continues to produce records for the largest specimens in the world. The last record was set by Lloyd Bright in 2005 with a 268.8 pound watermelon. The Watermelon Festival is celebrated annually from Thursday-Saturday during the second week of August. The watermelon is used in the municipal logo and the Hope slogan: A Slice of the Good Life.
Geography
Hope is located at 33°40′4"N 93°35′24"W (33.667779, -93.589908).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26.2 km²), of which, 10 square miles (25.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,616 people, 3,961 households, and 2,638 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,061.9 people per square mile (409.9/km²). There were 4,301 housing units at an average density of 430.2 per square mile (166.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.71% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 43.17% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.38% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.30% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 6.63% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.78% from two or more races. 13.48% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 3,961 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. Of 3,961 households, 192 are unmarried partner households: 175 heterosexual, 11 same-sex male, and 6 same-sex female households. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,385, and the median income for a family was $28,445. Males had a median income of $23,525 versus $17,394 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $12,783. About 22.3% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.1% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.