Texarkana, Arkansas

Texarkana, Arkansas
From top, left to right: Downtown, Augustus M. Garrison House, Texarkana City Hall, Texarkana state line
Nickname(s): 
The Arkansas Side, TXK
Motto: 
"Twice as Nice"
Location in Miller County, Arkansas
Texarkana
Location within Arkansas
Texarkana
Location within the United States
Texarkana
Texarkana (North America)
Coordinates: 33°28′12″N 94°00′30″W / 33.47000°N 94.00833°W / 33.47000; -94.00833
Country United States
StateArkansas
CountyMiller
IncorporatedAugust 10, 1880 (1880-08-10)
Government
  TypeCouncil-Manager
Area
  Total
42.21 sq mi (109.31 km2)
  Land41.98 sq mi (108.72 km2)
  Water0.23 sq mi (0.59 km2)
Elevation
358 ft (109 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
29,387
  Density700.06/sq mi (270.30/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
71854
Area code870
FIPS code05-68810
GNIS feature ID2405580
Websitecityoftexarkanaar.com

Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. It is the twin city of Texarkana, Texas, located just across the state line. The city was founded at a railroad intersection on December 8, 1873, and was incorporated in Arkansas on August 10, 1880. Texarkana and its Texas counterpart are the principal cities of the Texarkana metropolitan area, which in 2021 was ranked 289th in the United States with a population of 147,174, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Within the Ark-La-Tex subregion of southwest Arkansas, Texarkana is located in the Piney Woods, an oak–hickory forest that dominates the flat Gulf Coastal Plain. Texarkana's economy is based on agriculture. The city has long been a trading center, first located at the intersection of major railroads serving Texas, Arkansas and north into Missouri. Since then three major Interstate highways constructed crossroads here: Interstate 30 (I-30), I-49, and the future I-69. The Red River Army Depot is the largest single employer in the city.

The Texarkana Arkansas School District is the largest public school district on the Arkansas side. The city has a branch campus of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT). Texarkana College is located on the Texas side.