Everything about Hot Springs Arkansas totally explained
Hot Springs is the tenth most populous city in the
U.S. state of
Arkansas, the
county seat of
Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs
Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 37,847.
Hot Springs is traditionally best known for the natural spring water that gives it its name, flowing out of the ground at a temperature of 147 degrees
Fahrenheit (64 degrees
Celsius).
Hot Springs National Park is the oldest federal reserve in the USA, and the tourist trade that the famous springs bring makes it a very successful
spa town.
Hot Springs is also noted as the boyhood home of former
U.S. President Bill Clinton and famed American actor
Alan Ladd. Reginald Muldrew, the infamous "Pillow Case Rapist", who was linked to 200 sex crimes in the Los Angeles area from 1976 to 1978, currently resides in Hot Springs
(External Link
)(External Link).
Hot Springs is also home to
Oaklawn Park, a thoroughbred racetrack which has been in operation since 1904. The meet which is annually held from January through mid April each year is sometimes referred to as the "Fifth Season" and features the "Racing Festival of the South" during the last week of the racing season each April. Many triple crown contenders compete in the Arkansas Derby which is the big finale each year of the meet. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, his brother Roger, and actor Billy Bob Thornton, all Hot Springs natives have been known to frequent Oaklawn Park in the past.
Along with its Bathhouse Row, one of downtown Hot Springs' most noted landmarks is the
Arlington Hotel, a favored retreat for
Al Capone.
Prior to the late 1960s, Hot Springs was a mecca for illegal
gambling. Two
Republican officeholders,
Governor Winthrop Rockefeller and Circuit
Judge Henry M. Britt, took action to stop the gambling.
Hot Springs was the home of prominent
Democratic attorney Q. Byrum Hurst, a member of the
Arkansas State Senate from 1950-1972 and the Garland County administrative judge from 1947-1950.
The Hot Springs
newspaper is the
Sentinel-Record, originally part of the
Clyde E. Palmer chain, since renamed WEHCO.
Geography
Hot Springs is located at (34.497138, -93.055393).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.0 square miles (85.5 km²), of which, 32.9 square miles (85.2 km²) of it's land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.36%) is water. Hot Springs is now a Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 35,750 people, 16,096 households, and 9,062 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,086.9 people per square mile (419.7/km²). There were 18,813 housing units at an average density of 572.0/sq mi (220.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.86%
White, 16.87%
Black or
African American, 0.55%
Native American, 0.79%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, 1.02% from
other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 3.80% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 16,096 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were
married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% are classified as non-families by the
United States Census Bureau.
Of 16,096 households, 690 are unmarried partner households: 580
heterosexual, 78 same-sex male, and 32 same-sex female. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,040, and the median income for a family was $32,819. Males had a median income of $25,861 versus $20,155 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $17,961. About 13.7% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 30.7% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
History & culture
Natural springs
The city takes its name from the natural thermal water that flows from 47 springs on the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain in the historic downtown district of the city. About a million gallons of 143-degree water flow from the springs each day. The rate of flow isn't affected by fluctuations in the rainfall in the area. Studies by National Park Service scientists have determined through carbon dating that the water that reaches the surface in Hot Springs fell as rainfall in an as-yet undetermined watershed 4,000 years earlier. The water percolates very slowly down through the earth’s surface until it reaches superheated areas deep in the crust and then rushes rapidly to the surface to emerge from the 47 hot springs.
Discovery & settlement
Members of many Native American tribes had been gathering in the valley for untold numbers of years to enjoy the healing properties of the thermal springs.
In 1673
Father Marquette and
Joliet explored the area and claimed it for
France. The
Treaty of Paris 1763 ceded the land back to Spain, however in 1800 control was returned to France until the
Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
In December 1804 Dr.
George Hunter &
William Dunbar made an expedition to the springs, finding a lone log cabin and a few rudimentary shelters used by people visiting the springs for their healing properties. In 1807 a man named
Prudhomme became the first settler of modern Hot Springs, and he was soon joined by
John Perciful and
Isaac Cates.
On
August 24,
1818, the
Quapaw Indians ceded the land around the hot springs to the United States in a treaty. After Arkansas became its own territory in 1819, the
Arkansas Territorial Legislature requested in 1820 that the springs and adjoining mountains be set aside as a federal reservation. Twelve years later, in 1832, the Hot Springs Reservation was created by the US Congress, granting federal protection of the thermal waters. The Reservation was renamed Hot Springs National Park in 1921.
Civil War
The outbreak of the Civil War left Hot Springs with a declining bathing population. After the Confederate forces suffered defeat in the
Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, the Union troops advanced toward the Confederate capital of
Little Rock. Confederate Governor
Henry M. Rector moved his staff and state records to Hot Springs. Union forces didn't attack Little Rock and the government returned to the capital city on
July 14,
1862.
Many residents of Hot Springs fled to Texas or Louisiana and remained there until the end of the war. In September 1863 Union forces occupied Little Rock. During this period, Hot Springs became the prey of guerrilla bands loosely associated with either Union or Confederate forces. They pillaged and burned the near-deserted town, leaving only a few buildings standing at the end of the Civil War.
Rebuilding
After the Civil War an extensive rebuilding of bathhouses and hotels took place at Hot Springs. The year-round population soared to 1,200 inhabitants by 1870. By 1873 six bathhouses and 24 hotels and boardinghouses stood near the springs. In 1874 a most dramatic event came when Joseph Reynolds announced his decision to construct a narrow gauge railroad from
Malvern to Hot Springs; completion in 1875 resulted in the growth of visitation to the springs. Samuel W. Fordyce and two other entrepreneurs financed the construction of the first luxury hotel in the area, the first
Arlington Hotel which opened in 1875.
World War II
The military took over the enormous Eastman Hotel across the street from the Army and Navy Hospital in 1942 because the hospital wasn't nearly large enough to hold the sick and wounded coming in. In 1944 the Army began redeploying returning overseas soldiers; officials inspected hotels in 20 cities before selecting Hot Springs as a redistribution center for returning soldiers. In August of 1944 the Army took over most of the hotels in Hot Springs. The soldiers from the west-central states received a 21-day furlough before reporting to the redistribution station. They spent 14 days updating their military records and obtaining physical and dental treatment. The soldiers had time to enjoy the baths at a reduced rate and other recreational activities. The redistribution center closed down in December 1945 after processing more than 32,000 members of the military. In 1946, after the war, the Eastman was demolished when the federal government no longer needed it.
Attractions
Bathhouse Row, consisting of eight turn-of-the century historic building, lies within Hot Springs National Park and is managed by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Only one of the bathhouses, The Buckstaff, remains in operation. However, another bathhouse, the Fordyce, has been converted into a museum to give tourists a glimpse into the fascinating past of the city. The federally protected natural thermal waters are also used for thermal bathing at several downtown hotels and a hospital. The water is available free for drinking at several fountains in the downtown area.
The city has been a tourist mecca for generations due to the thermal waters and attractions such as Oaklawn Park, a thoroughbred racing facility; Magic Springs & Crystal Falls theme parks; a fine arts community that has earned the city the No. 4 position among “America’s Top 100 Small Arts Towns”; the
Hot Springs Music Festival; and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, held each October at the historic Malco Theater, one of the top documentary festivals in the world, attracting numerous
Academy Award winning films and producers.
Other annual events in town include the
Hot Springs Jazz Festival in Sept (free), The Hot Springs Blues Festival in Sept (free), The downtown Bathtub Races (spring), The Big Barbecue Cook off (spring and fall), the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade every March 17th, and The outdoor skating rink November through January.
Educational institutes and conventions are also important events in the Spa city. Perhaps the most popular of these events is the Hot Springs Technology Institute (HSTI) drawing over 1300 participants each June. Hot Springs is also home to the annual
alternate reality game
Midnight Madness, based on
the movie from which it gets its name. Teams race throughout the city at night, solving clues based on difficult puzzle and physical challenges. Games last 12 hours or more, with the winning team designing next year's game.
Education
Advanced residential statewide high school
Private schools
St. John Elementary School, K-8
St. Luke's Day School, PK-2
Lighthouse Christian School, K-12
Gospel Light Baptist School, PK-12
Hot Springs SDA School, PK-9
Crossgate Christian Academy, PK-12
Christian Ministries Academy, K-12
Public schools
Cutter-Morning Star Elementary School, PK-6
Cutter-Morning Star High School, 7-12
Fountain Lake Elementary School, K-6
Fountain Lake High School, 7-12
Gardner Magnet School, K-5
Hot Springs Middle School, 6-8
Hot Springs High School, 9-12
Jessieville Elementary School, PK-5
Jessieville Middle School, 6-8
Jessieville High School, 9-12
Langston Magnet School, PK-5
Lakeside Primary School, K-1
Lakeside Intermediate School, 2-4
Lakeside Middle School, 5-7
Lakeside Junior High School, 8-9
Lakeside High School, 10-12
Lake Hamilton Primary School, K-1
Lake Hamilton Elementary School, 2-3
Lake Hamilton Intermediate School, 4-5
Lake Hamilton Middle School, 6-7
Lake Hamilton Junior High, 8-9
Lake Hamilton High School, 10-12
Oaklawn Magnet School, K-5
Park Magnet School, K-5
Higher education
Hot Springs is home to Champion Baptist College, a four-year Christian vocational college.
The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences & the Arts is a campus of the University of Arkansas System.
The National Park Community College is located about from central Hot Springs.
Points of interest
The Attic Rock Club
Arkadelphia Aquatic Park, 30 minutes southwest
Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo
Crater of Diamonds State Park
Dryden Pottery (External Link)
Garvan Woodland Gardens
Hot Springs Mall
Hot Springs Mountain Tower
Hot Springs National Park
Magic Springs and Crystal Falls
Mid-America Science Museum(External Link)
Oaklawn Park
Hickory Hill Quilts and Sewing Center(External Link)
Crime
The Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical area is rated as the 13th most dangerous MSA of the 344 MSA in the U.S.A. The ranking is based on actual 2005 felony statistics tabulated by Morgan-Quitno. The average city in the top 25 most dangerous MSA has a population in excess of 1.27 million. Hot Springs is the only MSA on the most dangerous list with a population of under 100,000.
References
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hot Springs Arkansas'.
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