Arkoma, Oklahoma

The community of Arkoma was established circa 1911 on land owned by Captain James Reynolds, a Civil War veteran who had married into the Choctaw Nation. He chose to turn his property into a suburb of Fort Smith. He built houses to rent. He persuaded the Fort Smith Light and Traction Company to construct tracks and operate an electric trolley route to his new community. The streetcar line ceased operating in 1917. Arkoma was incorporated as a town in 1946. ==Geography==

Arkoma is located on the same side of the Arkansas River as Fort Smith, Arkansas, and is bounded by the Poteau River to the west and north, and the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line to the east. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (2.23%) is water. Arkoma enjoys a temperate climate with often mild winters and hot summers. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Arkoma had a population of 1,806. The median age was 39.2 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.5 males age 18 and over. There were 729 households in Arkoma, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.2% were married-couple households, 21.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 975 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 89.22% White, 0.41% African American, 5.78% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.87% from other races, and 3.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population. There were 877 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $23,718, and the median income for a family was $31,500. Males had a median income of $24,200 versus $17,104 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,467. About 17.0% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over. ==References==