Maumelle, Arkansas

Maumelle, Arkansas
—  City  —
Location of Maumelle in Arkansas
Coordinates: 34°51′13″N 92°24′24″W / 34.85361°N 92.40667°W / 34.85361; -92.40667Coordinates: 34°51′13″N 92°24′24″W / 34.85361°N 92.40667°W / 34.85361; -92.40667
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Pulaski
Founded	1974
Incorporated	1985
Government
- Mayor	Mike Watson
Area
- City	9.3 sq mi (24 km2)
- Land	8.8 sq mi (22.8 km2)
- Water	0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation	341 ft (104 m)
Population (2010)
- City	17,163
- Density	1,199.3/sq mi (463.2/km2)
- Metro	699,757 ('10) (Little Rock)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	72113, 72118
Area code(s)	501
FIPS code	05-44600
GNIS feature ID	0067577
Website	http://www.maumelle.dina.org/

Maumelle is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States and a suburb of Little Rock. Founded by Jess Odom with federal assistance from the Urban Growth and New Community Development Act, it is a master-planned community.

Maumelle has the highest median household income in Arkansas. The Census Bureau and Arkansas Institute for Economic Advancement (AIEA) reported the 2010 census population as 17,163 (a 62.6% increase over the 2000 census population).

The city is located northwest of Little Rock, bordering the opposite shore of the Arkansas River, and belongs to the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Maumelle is located at 34°51′13″N 92°24′24″W / 34.85361°N 92.40667°W / 34.85361; -92.40667 (34.853745, -92.406551)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24 km²), of which, 8.8 square miles (23 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (5.07%) is water.

Demographics

As of the Census^[2] of 2000, there were 10,557 people, 4,128 households, and 3,174 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,199.3 people per square mile (463.2/km²). There were 4,294 housing units at an average density of 487.8 per square mile (188.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.45% White, 4.89% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the Census Bureau, Maumelle is the best educated city in Arkansas, proportionately, with 51.7% of adult residents (25 and older) holding an associate degree or higher, and 45.7% of adults possessing a baccalaureate degree or higher. The city also has the highest percentage of adults working in management or professional occupations (54.5%).

The civilian unemployment rate is 1.2%.

There were 4,128 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.94.

The city population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

Maumelle has both the highest median household income ($65,534) and the highest median family income ($71,826) in Arkansas. Males had a median income of $50,220 versus $35,461 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,013. About 1.3% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.

The home ownership rate (owner-occupied housing units to total units) is 78.7%.

Public libraries

The Maumelle Library is part of the Central Arkansas Library System.

Water supply

Maumelle Suburban Improvement District No. 500, popularly known as Maumelle Water Management, provides all water and sewer service to the city. The District traces its formation back to 1970 and operates independently of the City Council. It is governed by a three-member Board of Commissioners. The District treats ground water from the Alluvial Aquifer and is the only water utility in Pulaski County that relies on ground water. All other utilities in the county use surface water from two reservoirs tapped by Central Arkansas Water.

Attractions

Maumelle has two recreational lakes, Lake Willastein and Lake Valencia, both surrounded by parkland, bicycle trails, and wooden bridges. Picnicking and fishing are available at both lakes. The Maumelle Veterans Memorial was formally dedicated on April 8, 2006, and is located on the shores of Lake Willastein.

The city has one of the most extensive municipal bicycle trail systems in Arkansas (13 miles) that offers access to wooded greenbelts.

The 4,226-foot-long (1,288 m) Big Dam Bridge, the second-longest pedestrian bridge in the United States, is located three miles east of Maumelle along Highway 100 (Maumelle Boulevard). The 14-foot-wide (4.3 m) bridge was designed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and rises 65 feet (20 m) above the Arkansas River and Murray Lock and Dam. It is the longest pedestrian bridge in North America originally designed and built for that purpose. Pulaski County Judge "Buddy" Villines formally opened the bridge to the public on September 30, 2006.

Public safety prior to incorporation

During the early days of the Maumelle community, public safety was provided by unarmed security guards and a small volunteer fire department. Without an incorporated government or a commercial base to support a sales tax, the residents of the community assessed themselves a community service fee to pay for services normally provided by municipalities. Also, the HUD New Town financing that was used to develop the city was also used to construct a Public Safety Building and to purchase a single fire engine.

According to former City Clerk Beverly Masters, an explosion and the resulting house fire in the early 1980s prompted expansion of the community's public safety offerings. The community service fee increased to $12 per month so that additional security officers could be hired and cross-trained as firefighters. The changes provided the town—whose citizens numbered only a few thousand—full-time fire protection 24 hours a day. A second fire engine was purchased for the community by Maumelle Land Development and the Maumelle Residents Association.

Maumelle Land Development hired Norman Moseley as the new chief of public safety in 1983. Moseley was in charge of improving the level of safety services provided. He worked toward the Pulaski County Sheriff awarding police powers to the security officers and then trained them to meet state standards in law enforcement and firefighting.

Community residents worked toward incorporation in the middle of the decade. However, they found that state law did not allow a Department of Public Safety (DPS) in a city of the first class. A bill was introduced in the state legislature to create a provision for the DPS concept. Under the new law, the DPS was to "perform the functions of, and have all the rights, responsibilities and duties of, a police department, a fire department, and any other department deemed by the governing body of the city to be necessary for the public safety of its citizens." Maumelle and its Department of Public Safety was incorporated on June 21, 1985.

Source: MaumelleFire.Com

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• City of Maumelle
• Maumelle Fire Department
• Maumelle Police Department
• Maumelle Water Management
• Maumelle Library
• Maumelle Mommy and Me
• Maumelle Players Community Theater
• Maumelle Chamber of Commerce
• Maumelle Soccer Club
• Maumelle Baseball Association
• Maumelle Marlins Swim Team
• Maumelle Youth Basketball Association
• Maumelle Gymnastics and Cheer
• Maumelle Parks and Recreation
• Maumelle Veterans Memorial