Atkins

History

The town is named after Elisha Atkins, a Boston sugar importer who financed the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad which spawned the growth of the town after the Civil War. It was formally platted in 1872. Atkins built its first school in 1875 and boasted its own newspaper, the Atkins Chronicle in 1894. The town served as a local cotton depot with a number of cotton gins operating in town. The 1927 flooding of the Arkansas River damaged the town and subsequent road buildings gradually shifted the town to orient northwards away from the river. Atkins was the site of the Goldsmith Pickle Company which started producing pickled cucumbers in 1946. The town thus laid claim to be the "Pickle Capital of the World" with some devoted to growing cucumbers. Along the same line Atkins was the original home of the fried dill pickle, created by Bernell “Fatman” Austin. The pickle plant came under owners through the years until 2002 when the plant shuttered but left the town with the two-day "Picklefest" legacy held each May.

Geography

Atkins is located at (35.243485, -92.938212). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Many Atkins residents commute to nearby Russellville for work, school, and recreation.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · RUSSELLVILLE · 1,227 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• POTTSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · POTTSVILLE · 599 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• POTTSVILLE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  Middle · POTTSVILLE · 471 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• POTTSVILLE MIDDLE GRADE
  Middle · POTTSVILLE · 407 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• CENTER VALLEY ELEM. SCHOOL
  Elementary · RUSSELLVILLE · 404 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• POTTSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · POTTSVILLE · 379 students · 5.5:1 ratio
• ATKINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · ATKINS · 370 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• ATKINS HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ATKINS · 328 students · 5:1 ratio