Wilson, Arkansas

Wilson, Arkansas
Aerial image of Wilson
Aerial image of Wilson
Location in Mississippi County, Arkansas
Location in Mississippi County, Arkansas
Coordinates: 35°33′58″N 90°02′35″W / 35.56611°N 90.04306°W / 35.56611; -90.04306
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountyMississippi
IncorporatedMarch 19, 1959
Area
 • Total1.05 sq mi (2.73 km2)
 • Land1.05 sq mi (2.71 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation236 ft (72 m)
Population
 • Total766
 • Density731.61/sq mi (282.44/km2)
Time zoneUTC−06:00 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−05:00 (CDT)
ZIP Code
72395
Area code870
FIPS code05-75920
GNIS feature ID2405757[2]
Downtown Wilson

Wilson is a city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. The community is located in the Arkansas Delta and is surrounded by fertile cropland historically used to produce cotton. Wilson started as a company town in 1886 by Robert E. Lee Wilson, who would build a cotton empire and run it from the city. The Wilson Company would become so successful that all of the town's buildings were rebuilt in the Tudor Revival architectural style following Wilson's son's honeymoon to England in 1925. Wilson incorporated in 1959, becoming a town with public roads and municipal government. The extensive property holdings of the Lee Wilson and Company remained in the Wilson family until 2010.[4] The community has seen a rapid decline in economic activity and population since the advent of mechanization on the farm, reducing the need for manual labor to produce cotton. The population was 766 at the 2020 census,[3] down from 903 at the 2010 census.

  1. ^ "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Arkansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wilson, Arkansas
  3. ^ a b "P1. Race – Wilson city, Arkansas: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  4. ^ Severson, Kim (January 19, 2014). "Arkansas Town's New Owner Has Visions of Its Renaissance". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2014.