Hughes, Arkansas -- A small town becoming smaller

Hughes, Arkansas, is in St. Francis County, in the far East Central part of the state.

In 2010, Hughes’ population was 1,441, a decline of 426 from the 2000 census. Hughes’ largest population was 1,919, in 1980.

Racial/ethnic breakdown shows 67.76% black or African-American; 29.41% white of varied ethnic backgrounds; 1.61% Asian from a large part of the Earth; 0.11% Pacific Islander, whose ancestors are not quite near Asia to be considered Asian; 0.43% from other races; 0.59 from two or more races; and 0.70% Hispanic or Latino, from one or several races. (Thanks to the federal government’s race-keepers for the information.)

In 2000, the per capita income for the city was $10,039. About 31.7% of families and 38% of the population overall lived below the federally-established poverty line.

The Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis says the July 2019 unemployment rate in St. Francis County was 5.7%. St. Francis ranks 66 out of 75 counties, discover.arkansas.com says. Chicot County in far Southeast Arkansas, ranks 75th, with an unemployment rate of 7.7%.

In 2015, the school district in Hughes was ordered to merge with that of West Memphis.

Here is a link to an interesting article, “How to Destroy a Town,” with photographs that are similar to other small towns in Arkansas:

http://thedeltareview.com/abandoned-2/how-to-destroy-a-town-part-1-hughes-arkansas/

Hughes, Arkansas

A town of burned houses and abandoned buildings. Population apex reached in 1980 (1,919). The town’s water tower was built in 1936 by a Chicago company and paid for by the federal Works Project Administration.

The 2010 census population was 1,441, a decrease of 22.8% from the 2000 census. In Hughes, 67.76% of the population is black, 29.41% white. Almost 32% of families and 38% of the overall population is below the federal poverty line.

In 2015, the Arkansas Board of Education combined the Hughes school district into West Memphis district.

Hughes is in St. Francis County, population 26,196. Racial demographics show 49.01% black and 48.36% white. Twenty-three percent of families and 27.5% of the overall county population exists below the federal poverty line.

Heavyweight boxing champion was born in St. Francis County. Wikipedia says: “Charles ‘Sonny’ Liston was born into a sharecropping family who farmed the poor land of Morledge Plantation near Johnson Township, St. Francis County, Arkansas. His father, Tobe Liston, was in his mid-40s when he and his wife, Helen Baskin, who was almost 30 years younger than Tobe, moved to Arkansas from Mississippi in 1916. Helen had one child before she married Tobe, and Tobe had 13 children with his first wife. Tobe and Helen had 12 children together. Sonny was the second youngest child.^”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Liston

Hughes, Arkansas, Zip Code 73248, 32% poverty

Hughes is in St. Francis County, over by the Mississippi River. The city’s 2010 population was 1,441, a decline of 426 from the 2000 census.

Demographics show Hughes 67.76% black, 29.41 white, 1.16% Asian and 0.7% Hispanic. By the U.S. government, “Asian” can be a person from anywhere between Turkey and Japan, and “Hispanic” takes up Mexico, Central America and South America, as well as Spain. So there is a lot of leeway in the numbers, even when the numbers are small.

By the 2000 census figures, per capita income in Hughes was $10,039. About 31.7% of families was below the poverty line. For old folks, the figure was 31.5%.

A weird thing – the 1950 population was 1,686, but 10 years later dropped to 196, then in 1970 jumped to 1,872. Those are government figures; trust them as you will.

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=997 shows 1,960 people in 1950; 1,872 in 1960; -- in 1970; and 1,919 in 1980.

Here is a picture of downtown Hughes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes,_Arkansas#/media/File:Hughes_AR_022.jpg

St. Francis County demographics show a population 49.01% black, 48.3% white and 4.88% Hispanic. About 23% of county families and 27.5 percent of the total population lives below the poverty line.

The late Sonny Liston was born in St. Francis County. As a heavyweight boxer, Liston won 50 of 54 fights, 39 by knockouts.