Pea Ridge, Arkansas

This article is about the U.S. city. For the American Civil War battle of the same name, see Battle of Pea Ridge. For other uses, see Pea Ridge.

Pea Ridge is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The name Pea Ridge is derived from a combination of the physical location of the original settlement of the town, across the crest of a ridge of the Ozark Mountains, and for the hog peanuts or turkey peas that had been originally cultivated by Native American tribes centuries before European settlement, which later helped to provide basic subsistence once those pioneer settlers arrived.

Pea Ridge, Arkansas
City
Pea Ridge Commercial Historic District
Location of Pea Ridge in Benton County, Arkansas.
Coordinates: 36°26′58″N 94°07′20″W
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Benton
Area
• Total	7.58 sq mi (19.64 km2)
• Land	7.58 sq mi (19.64 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,312 ft (400 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,559
• Density	864.96/sq mi (333.94/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	72751
Area code	479
FIPS code	05-54200
GNIS feature ID	2404492
Website	cityofpearidge.com

The rural town is best known as the location of the pivotal American Civil War engagement the Battle of Pea Ridge, or, as it is locally known, the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, which took place approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of the town. The site of the battle is preserved as the Pea Ridge National Military Park.

The town's downtown business district is on the National Register of Historic Places and largely comprises commercial structures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The population of Pea Ridge was 6,559 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Northwest Arkansas region. The local weekly newspaper is the Times of Northeast Benton County.

Geography

Arkansas Highway 94 is the main road through the city, leading south 8 miles (13 km) to the center of Rogers and northwest 6 miles (10 km) to the Missouri border. Arkansas Highway 72 leads east 5 miles (8 km) to U.S. Route 62 at Pea Ridge National Military Park, and southwest 9 miles (14 km) to Bentonville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.1 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1940	72		—
1950	268		272.2%
1960	380		41.8%
1970	1,088		186.3%
1980	1,488		36.8%
1990	1,620		8.9%
2000	2,346		44.8%
2010	4,794		104.3%
2020	6,559		36.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Pea Ridge racial composition

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	5,444	83.0%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	55	0.84%
Native American	59	0.9%
Asian	39	0.59%
Pacific Islander	4	0.06%
Other/Mixed	437	6.66%
Hispanic or Latino	521	7.94%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,559 people, 2,021 households, and 1,455 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 Census, Pea Ridge had a population of 4,794. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 90.7% white, 0.7% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 2.0% from two or more races and 5.8% Hispanic or Latino.

There were 1300 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,244, and the median income for a family was $42,222. Males had a median income of $29,340 versus $21,298 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,149. 7.7% of the population and 6.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Education

Most of Pea Ridge is zoned to the Pea Ridge School District. A small section is zoned to Rogers Public Schools. Pea Ridge High School is the comprehensive high school of the former.

Image gallery

• 
  The 1880 Pea Ridge Masonic College building as it appeared in 1920, about ten years before it was razed
• 
  Downtown Pea Ridge looking east on Pickens Road in 1914. The white structure at the end of the street was a hotel operated by the Martin family, which burned down around 1920.
• 
  The original J.J. Putnam's general merchandise store, which later burned down and was replaced with a cement block building, which still stands on the southeast corner of Pickens Road and Curtis Avenue. This photo antedates 1914.
• 
  The cement block building that replaced J.J. Putnam's first general merchandise store, which burned, on the southeast corner of Pickens Road and Curtis Avenue in 1914.

See also

• Battle of Pea Ridge

External links

• City of Pea Ridge official website
• Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Pea Ridge (Benton County)