Cabot, Arkansas
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Cabot is a city located in Lonoke County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 15,261.
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Geography
ARMap-doton-Cabot.png
Location of Cabot, Arkansas
Cabot is located at 34°58'22" North, 92°1'20" West (34.972647, -92.022329)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.7 km² (19.2 mi²). 49.5 km² (19.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.47% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 15,261 people, 5,432 households, and 4,329 families residing in the city. The population density is 308.2/km² (798.2/mi²). There are 5,712 housing units at an average density of 115.3/km² (298.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 96.56% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 1.87% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,432 households out of which 47.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% are married couples living together, 10.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% are non-families. 17.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.78 and the average family size is 3.14.
In the city the population is spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $49,389, and the median income for a family is $53,933. Males have a median income of $37,450 versus $26,209 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,020. 7.1% of the population and 5.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 7.9% of those under the age of 18 and 10.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
(**Before the city of Cabot existed, an 1862 epidemic took the lives of about 1500 Confederate soldiers in the hills southeast of Cabot. About 500 of the dead were buried in what is known today as the Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery, located just off present-day Cherry Road.**)
The city of Cabot began as a small settlement at a refueling station on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The station, and therefore Cabot, was at the junction of: 1)the railroad, 2)the "old highway to St. Louis" -- previously U.S. 67, currently designated as Arkansas State Highway 367, and 3)a east-west "Butterfield Stagecoach", which followed roughly the same path as current Arkansas State Highway 38.
The settlement first appeared in the late 1870s, home to a few dozen families. First Baptist Church and Cabot United Methodist Church were established in 1879 and 1881, respectively.
Finally, the city of Cabot was not officially incorporated until 1891. (Rousing parades and community celebration marked Cabot's centennial in 1991.)
Cabot was often overshadowed in northern Lonoke County by the much larger city of Austin (which would continue to remain larger than Cabot until World War I). However, Cabot experienced moderate growth during the 1950s and 1960s, due to its proximity to the newly opened Little Rock Air Force Base in nearby Jacksonville.
A devastating tornado ripped through the heart of downtown Cabot on a warm afternoon in March 1976, taking the lives of 2 individuals. (The death toll could have been much higher, but the storm mysteriously "rose over" the crowded elementary school, currently the High School's "M" Building). During the rebuilding of the city, it was decided to build a new city hall, municipal court, library, and police station on the site of the debris-filled Main Street, resulting in a peculiar zig-zag path for traffic on Highway 89.
Cabot has experienced phenomenal population growth, from the 1980s to today. New housing starts, as seen by new subdivided developments, now cover the town. One reason for such growth was the aforementioned Air Base, yet the more plausible explanation stems from a more complicated issue: the school district.
Controversy Over Growth?
In 1980, the Little Rock School District, slow to comply to the "with all deliberate speed" ruling of the 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Education ruling, was forcibly ordered by federal courts to immediately integrate the School Disctrict. This integration was ordered to achieve racial balances between white children and non-white children, which resulted in massive bussing of students. (In the Little Rock of 1980 -- in GENERAL -- white neighborhoods and black neighborhoods were separated by geography, so bussing was necessary to ensure that the right mix of all students could attend a particular school each day.)
The result of the court-ordered bussing has been controversial. Critics claim the forced integration has destroyed the School District and any concept of "neighborhood schools": for example, black students from far east Little Rock (predominantly black), were sent to high schools in far west Little Rock (predominantly white). Supporters claim that the forced integration has fostered more diversity and better learning environments. Whatever the result, during the 1980s and 1990s Little Rock teachers repeatedly went on strike, and many residents voted with their feet by relocating to the suburbs.
Cabot received many families relocating during this time period. A 'commuter culture' developed as many residents lived in Cabot, sent their children to schools in Cabot, but worked in Little Rock. The Cabot School District steadily developed into on of the richest and top-performing districts in the state.
Critics of Cabot's growth, such as the left leaning newspaper The Arkansas Times, accuse these residents of "white flight": simply giving up on an integrated Little Rock school district. While Cabot -- and northern Lonoke County as a whole -- has historically been predominantly white, nearby towns, such as Austin or Ward, and even Heber Springs or Searcy, also lack diversity. The resulting "whiteness" of the area (just like the Ozark Plateau or the pre-1990s Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers area) owes itself more to historical migration patterns than some deep-laden conspiracy. Currently, the Cabot School District encompasses the north end of Lonoke County. This northern region is home to about 35,000 residents.
Culture
Culturally, Cabot is located the dry county of Lonoke County, and therfore is not permitted to sell alcoholic beverages. (The legal exceptions include the "private clubs" of the city's 2 country clubs, Rolling Hills and the newer Greystone). The city contains a movie theater, and a growing number of restaurants. Much of the family-heavy population revolves around the school system, and Friday night high school football games are always a packed, city-wide event. The football team won the AAA (now AAAA) state championship in 1983 and the AAAAA state championship in 2000 under head coach Mike Malham.