Rector is a city in southeast

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...

, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 census.

History

Rector is named after

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Henry Massey Rector Henry Massie Rector (May 1, 1816August 12, 1899) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the sixth governor of Arkansas from 1860 to 1862. Early life and education Henry Massie Rector was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of ...

(1816–1899).Tracy L. Johnson,
Rector (Clay County)
" ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture'', 2017. In 1881 the Texas and St. Louis Railroad laid out the town of Rector about to the south of an existing settlement named Scatterville, and the population of Scatterville gradually migrated to the new town.Rachel Silva,
Walks Through History: Rector CHD
" Arkansas Historic Preservation Program website, 14 August 2010.

Geography

Rector is located in southern Clay County along the southeastern edge of

Crowley's Ridge Crowley's Ridge (also Crowleys Ridge) is a geological formation that rises 250 to above the alluvial plain of the Mississippi embayment in a line from southeastern Missouri to the Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas. It is the most prom ...

U.S. Route 49 U.S. Route 49 (US 49) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with US Route 62/Highway 1/ Highway 139 (US 62/AR 1/AR 139). Its southern terminus is ...

passes through the city, leading northeast to

Piggott Pigot, Pigott or Piggott may refer to: People * Pigot (surname), including a list of people with this name * Pigott (surname), including a list of people with the surname Pigott or Piggott Places * Piggott, Arkansas, United States, a city * ...

and southwest to

Marmaduke ''Marmaduke'' is a newspaper comic strip revolving around the Winslow family and their Great Dane, Marmaduke, drawn by Brad Anderson from June 1954 to 2015. Publication history The strip was created by Anderson, and sold to the John F. Dill ...

. In the southern part of the city,

Arkansas Highway 90 Arkansas Highway 90 (AR 90, Ark. 90, and Hwy. 90) is an east–west state highway in northeast Arkansas. The route of runs from Main Street in Ravenden to Route 84 at the Missouri state line. The route is an entirely undivided surface highway t ...

(Main Street) intersects US 49. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, Rector has a total area of , all land. Though a small portion of the town and surrounding area lies along Crowley’s Ridge, the majority of the town and surrounding land is flat and well-suited to farming.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,862 people, 805 households, and 460 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, the racial makeup of the city was 98.26%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.55%

Native American Native Americans or Native American may refer to: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North and South America and their descendants * Native Americans in the United States * Indigenous peoples in Cana ...

, 0.20% Asian, and 0.99% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,051, and the median income for a family was $29,330. Males had a median income of $27,650 versus $19,293 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $14,931. About 17.9% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 31.6% of those age 65 or over.

Annual cultural events

The Rector Labor Day Picnic features a rodeo, a parade, beauty pageants, and is a popular political campaign stop.

Education

Public education is primarily provided by the

Rector School District Rector School District is a public school district based in Rector, Arkansas, United States. The school district encompasses of land, including portions of Clay County and Greene County serving the communities of Rector and Greenway. The R ...

, which leads to graduation from

Rector High School Rector High School is a public high school in Rector, Arkansas, United States. It is one of three public high schools located in Clay County and serves the communities of Rector, Piggott, Greenway, Lafe, and Corning. It is the sole high schoo ...

. The Rector School District was known as Clay County Central School District from 1985 until 2000. The current school district mascot is the cougar.

Notable people

Dale Alford Thomas Dale Alford, Sr. (January 28, 1916 – January 25, 2000) was an American ophthalmologist and politician from the U.S. state of Arkansas who served as a conservative Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from Little Rock fro ...

, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

for

Arkansas's 5th congressional district Arkansas's 5th congressional district was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Arkansas from 1885 to 1963. List of members representing the district References Election Statistics 1920-presentClerk of ...

, 1959 to 1963; reared in Rector *

Jerry Bookout Jerry Bookout (November 2, 1933 – February 22, 2006) was an American politician and funeral director. Born in Rector, Arkansas, Bookout went to the Rector public schools. In 1955, Bookout graduated with a bachelor's degree in history and ...

, Arkansas politician *

Bill Carter Bill Carter (born 1966) is a writer and director. He directed the documentary film ''Miss Sarajevo'', which consists of amateur video material he shot during his stay in the besieged city of Sarajevo. He is the author of ''Fools Rush In'', his ...

, entertainment, law, Gaither Homecoming Videos *

Edwin A. Doss Edwin A. Doss (September 14, 1914January 7, 1996) was an American fighter pilot and commander in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and Korean War. Logging more than 4,500 flying hours, Doss flew 573 combat hours and accrued 280 combat missio ...

, colonel for the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

Maurice Copeland Maurice Copeland (June 13, 1911 – October 3, 1985) was an American actor. He had supporting roles in films such as ''Arthur'', ''The Pope of Greenwich Village'' and ''Trading Places ''Trading Places'' is a 1983 American comedy film d ...

, actor *

Skeets McDonald Enos William McDonald (October 1, 1915–March 31, 1968), better known as Skeets McDonald, was an American country and rockabilly musician popular during the 1950s and 60s. Best known for the Slim Willet-penned song "Don't Let the Stars Get i ...

, Rockabilly artist, famous for the song "

Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" is a country song about a man away from home who is worried that his paramour may unwittingly stray from their relationship. The song was recorded in many different styles by many artists. It was written by Wi ...

References

External links

* * {{authority control Cities in Clay County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas Populated places established in 1881 1881 establishments in Arkansas