McGehee

McGehee is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,219 at the 2010 census. The economy of the area is largely dependent upon agriculture. The outskirts of McGehee was the site of an American detention camp used to house Japanese and Japanese-American civilians who had previously lived on the U.S. West Coast. The city maintains its connections with the railroads, with both the North Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad and the Arkansas Midland Railroad directly serving Mc Gehee, and the Union Pacific indirectly serving it through interchange with theArkansas Midland. The town has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.5 km²), all land. It has a population of about 5,000 citizens, and is being developed on the Mississippi River. It is located on the banks of the Mississippi, about 30 miles (50 km) south of the town of Monticello, the home of the former president of the United States, George H.W. Bush, and about 20 miles (30 km) from the state capitol of Little Rock. It was founded in 1876 by Abner Mc gehee, the son of Benjamin and Sarah Mcgehee, who moved to the area from Alabama in 1857. In 1879, the first post office was established, serving between 400 and 500 people. In 2000, there were 4,570 people, and 1,259 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 56.72% White, 41.57% Native American, 024% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.70% from two or more races, and 0.49% of Hispanic or Latino.

History

The McGehee family came to the area from Alabama in 1857. From a population of 400 in 1879, Mc Gehee has grown into a community of about 5,000 citizens. The economy of the area is largely dependent upon agriculture. The city maintains its connections with the railroads, with both the North Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad and the Arkansas Midland Railroad directly serving it. During World War II, the outskirts of Mc gehee was the site of an American detention camp used to house Japanese and Japanese-American civilians who had previously lived on the U.S. West Coast. The railroad has been largely replaced by the trucking industry which hauls farm products from the gins and grain bins of the region to their destination. The history of the railroad dates back to 1870 when a railroad was constructed from Pine Bluff southeast through Varner, to Chicot County. In April 1923, the Gulf Coast Lines and the International-Great Northern were acquired, forming the Missouri Pacific Lines. The first meeting of the town council was held July 21, 1906. The post office was named McGeee and served between 400 and 500 people. In 1879 Abner Mc Geee became the first postmaster. The town was incorporated on March 5, 1906, and the first city council meeting was held on July 20, 1907. The population of the city was 1,000 in 1906, but has since grown to about 4,000. The current population is 1,500.

Geography

McGehee has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.5 km²), all land. U.S. Route 278 passes through the center of town, leading west 26 miles (42 km) to Monticello and intersecting US Routes 65 and 165 on the southeast side of town. The three highways lead south together for 4 miles (6 km) before splitting; US 65 and 278 continue south 17 miles (27 km), while US 165 turns southwest and leads 19 miles (31 km) into Montrose. US 65/165 leads north 19 miles to Dumas, while US 278 leads south to Lake Village. McGehee is located in the eastern part of the state. The town has a population of 1,000, with the majority of its residents living in the central part of town and the remainder in the southeast. It is the only town in the state to have a post office, which has been open since the 1930s. The city is located on the banks of the Red River, which flows into the Little Red River. The Red River flows through the town and into the Mississippi River, where it runs into the Gulf of Mexico. It was named after the town's namesake, who was born in the area in 1881. The U.N. World Heritage Site is located near the town, on the east side of the river, near the junction of US Route 278 and US Route 65. It also has a small airport, which was built in the early 1900s.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. Census, there were 3,849 people, 1,641 households, and 1,147 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 56.72% White, 41.51% Black or African American, 0.57% Native American,0.24% Asian, 0.,04% Pacific Islander, 0,22% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. The city's median income was $21,909, and the median income for a family was $25,270. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was2.99. The per capita income for the city is $14,191. About 26.7% of families and 30.0%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.2% of those under age 18 and 23.6% ofThose age 65 or over. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there are 82.2 males. For each 100 females age 18 or over, there is 76.1 males. The population density was 711.7 inhabitants per square mile (274.8/km²).

Government and infrastructure

The U.S. Postal Service operates the McGehee Post Office. As of April 2020, the current mayor of McGeee is Jeff Owyoung. The town is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. It has a population of about 2,000. The post office is open seven days a week. It is located near the town's airport, which is on the Ohio Turnpike.

Education

McGehee School District operates two public schools. The mascot and athletic emblem is the Owl with red and white serving as the school colors. McGehee Elementary School (PK through grade 6) and Mc Gehee High School (grades 7 through 12) are the district's two elementary schools. The district's high school is the only high school in the district. The district also operates a middle school and a junior high school. It is located in the town of Mc gehee, about 30 miles north of the city of McGeee. The school district has a population of about 3,000. The high school has a enrollment of about 1,200 students and the elementary school has about 2,000 students. It also has a high school that serves grades 7 to 12. The elementary school is located on the town's main road, which is called Mc Geee Road. It was built in the early 1900s and is located near the town center of Mcgehee, near the intersection of two main roads, Mcgeee Road and McGee Road. The town has a history of being heavily affected by the Great Depression and World War II. It has also been the site of some of the country's most violent incidents. The area's first school opened in the late 1800s and has been there ever since. The current high school was founded in the 1950s. It opened in 1961 and has a total enrollment of 1,800 students, with grades 7-12 in the high school and 7th grade.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in McGehee, Desha County, Arkansas = 97. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 54. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in McGehee = 4.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 3,849 individuals with a median age of 39.5 age the population dropped by -12.84% in McGehee, Desha County, Arkansas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 573.79 residents per square mile of area (221.54/km²). There are average 2.33 people per household in the 1,672 households with an average household income of $26,060 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.00% of the available work force and has dropped -10.92% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 8.16%. The number of physicians in McGehee per 100,000 population = 65.

Weather

The annual rainfall in McGehee = 53.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 2.3 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 99. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 214. 93 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 32.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 31, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in McGehee, Desha County, Arkansas which are owned by the occupant = 51.43%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 37 years with median home cost = $51,180 and home appreciation of 0.26%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.28 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,953 per student. There are 12.9 students for each teacher in the school, 643 students for each Librarian and 322 students for each Counselor. 2.74% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 10.70% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 3.31% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).