Texarkana metropolitan area
The Texarkana metropolitan statistical area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is a two-county region anchored by the twin cities of Texarkana, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas, and encompassing surrounding communities in Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas. As of the 2016 census, the MSA had a population of 150,098. Texarkana is a subset of the broader Ark-La-Tex region.
History
Texarkana
Texarkana was founded in 1873 on the junction of two railroads. The name is a portmanteau of Texas, Arkansas, and nearby Louisiana. One tradition tells of a Red River steamboat named The Texarkana, c. 1860. Another story mentions a storekeeper named Swindle in Red Land, Louisiana who concocted a drink called "Texarkana Bitters". A third account states that Col. Gus Knobel, a railroad surveyor, coined the name. Local lore suggests that, before Texas's annexation by the US, lawlessness ruled in the area that at times was claimed by various nations.In 1876, Texarkana, Texas, was granted a charter under an act of the Texas legislature, and a Texarkana, Texas, post office operated from 1886 to 1892. Later, Congressman Morris Sheppard secured a postal order officially changing the name to "Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas".
Texarkana metropolitan area
The Texarkana metropolitan area was first defined in 1960. Then known as the Texarkana, TX–Texarkana, AR Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, it consisted of Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas. In 1963, the area was renamed the Texarkana, TX–AR Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, only to return to its original name in 1971.Little River County, Arkansas, was added to the SMSA in 1973. In 1983, the official name was shortened to the Texarkana, TX–Texarkana, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is still in use. That same year, Little River County was removed from the MSA. The two-county MSA had a population of 137,486 in 2000.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 137,486 people, 72,695 households, and 55,524 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 66.0% White, 25.0% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population.The median income for a household in the MSA was $31,976, and the median income for a family was $38,887. Males had a median income of $32,482 versus $21,408 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $16,901.
Economy
Texarkana began as a railroad and lumber center, and developed in the 20th century as a regional agricultural processing, retail, wholesale, and service center. Red River Army Depot and Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant were the largest regional employers from the 1940s through the 1970s. Paper mills near Ashdown and Atlanta, as well as other industrial facilities, brought new jobs to the area in the 1970s. Today the Texarkana area is a diversified economy whose pattern of employment categorized by industry is very similar to the entire state of Arkansas.| Employer | Local employees |
| Red River Army Depot & Tenants | 7,200 |
| Christus St. Michael Health System | 1,883 |
| Cooper Tire & Rubber | 1,700 |
| Domtar | 1,300 |
| Texarkana Independent School District | 1,100 |
| Walmart | 967 |
| International Paper | 960 |
| Texarkana School District | 835 |
| Wadley Regional Medical Center | 778 |
| Southern Refrigerated Transport | 750 |
Geography
Texarkana consists of two separate municipal designations:- Texarkana, Arkansas, the county seat of Miller County, Arkansas
- Texarkana, Texas, located in Bowie County, Texas
Owing to its divided political nature, Texarkana has two mayors and two sets of city officials; however, the two sides share a federal building, courthouse, jail, post office, labor office, chamber of commerce, water utility, and several other offices.
Transportation
Texarkana is located at the intersection of Interstate 30 and Interstate 49. It is situated approximately halfway between Dallas, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas.Air service
is located inside the northeastern city limits on the Arkansas side and is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.The airport covers an area of 964 acres at an elevation of 390 feet above mean sea level and it has two runways with asphalt surfaces:
- Runway 4/22 is 6,601 by 144 feet
- Runway 13/31 is 5,200 by 100 feet
Major highways
Railways
- Amtrak's Texas Eagle, which stops at Texarkana Union Station
- Kansas City Southern Railway
- Texas Northeastern Railroad
- Union Pacific Railroad
Culture and education
The Texarkana Post Office is the second-most photographed post office in the United States, as it straddles the state line that separates Arkansas and Texas. The Ace of Clubs House is a house shaped like a club on a playing card and supposedly inspired by a winning poker hand. The Perot Theater is a 1924 theater renamed after Texarkana native business magnate and politician Ross Perot. Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council has transformed the 1909 US Courthouse into their offices as well as gallery space. Famous musicians such as Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley performed at the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium.
As of 2020, Texarkana officials have been promoting the arts and the improvement of the downtown area by encouraging the painting of murals across Downtown Texarkana. At least 13 murals have been painted since the initiative began.
The Texarkana Symphony Orchestra was established in 2005, providing the community with several professional concerts of classical music every year. In 2007, the Texarkana Youth Symphony Orchestra was established, presenting spring and winter concerts. Both perform in the Perot Theater.
Texarkana College, a community college whose origins date to 1927, enrolls more than four thousand annually. In 1971, East Texas State University began offering classes at the campus, this institution later became Texas A&M University–Texarkana.
Texas A&M University-Texarkana has constructed a large campus at Bringle Lake. Historically an institution for upperclassmen and graduate students, in 2010, TAMU-T began accepting freshmen and sophomores. In 2011 the first residence hall, Bringle Lake Village, opened on campus.
A branch of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, based in Hope, Arkansas, opened in Texarkana in 2012, and in 2015 UALR Texarkana, a branch of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, began offering bachelor's-degree programs on the Texarkana campus of UAHT. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences offers a residency program in Texarkana serving Wadley Regional Medical Center, Christus Saint Michael Hospital, as well as the UAMS clinics in Texarkana.
Local lore
Phantom Killer
In 1946, Texarkana was in fear of an unidentified serial killer who attacked eight people, five of whom were murdered. The term "serial killer" did not yet exist, but the town knew they were dealing with an unknown killer who was attacking couples on "lovers' lanes". The local paper dubbed him "The Phantom Killer". The attacks became known as the "Texarkana Moonlight Murders" by the media. Since the killer was never identified or apprehended, their description came from the only two survivors. They described their attacker as six foot tall with a white mask over his head and with holes cut out for his eyes and mouth. He had a pistol and a flashlight. They disagreed on his race. One survivor thought he was a light-skinned African American while the other thought he was a dark-tanned Caucasian man.The attacks inspired the 1976 film The Town That Dreaded Sundown and its 2014 sequel. The original film was written and directed by Charles B. Pierce, a former Texarkanan who played the comedic role as officer A.C. Benson, a clumsy patrolman. The movie also starred Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine and Dawn Wells. Most of the facts of the original case were fictionalized which created much of the myth and lore for several years. Many of the rumors are still believed and spread by locals. One of the more prominent rumors is that blood-stained clothing hidden by The Phantom was found in a school attic many years after the crime spree. This was, however, only a rumor.
Over the years the case files from both police departments went missing. All official files, photographs, evidence and notes are now lost. Some locals believe that the Phantom Killer died long ago, while some think he may still be alive. Some claim that he was a member of the local upper class aristocracy, which collaborated to keep his identity quiet to avoid scandal. The case is still open.