Bee Branch, Arkansas

Bee Branch is an unincorporated community in Van Buren County, Arkansas, United States.

Bee Branch, Arkansas
Unincorporated community
Picture of Bee Branch taken in 1912.
Bee Branch, Arkansas
Bee Branch's position in Arkansas.
Bee Branch, Arkansas
Bee Branch, Arkansas (the United States)
Coordinates: 35°27′03″N 92°23′41″W
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountyVan Buren County
Elevation
508 ft (154 m)
Population
 (2000)
1,724 (886 households)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
72013[1]

More than 70% of the local population consist of married couples.[1] The majority of the population were born out-of-state and exclusively speak the English language.[1] Residents of Bee Branch spend an average of 42 minutes commuting to and from work.[1] Bee Branch has enjoyed a population growth of 5% since 2000 with a current population of 1,724 people. There is no metro area or city nearby; therefore, residents and visitors have difficulty using alternative transportation. However, the nearest towns are Clinton and Fairfield Bay.

History

The community has had a post office since Willie D. Neal was named postmaster in 1860. When the post office moved in 1879 near the present-day intersection of U.S. 65 and Highway 92, it applied for the name Crossroads, but was rejected as it had already been duplicated in several parts of the state. The name Bee Branch was chosen for a large beehive in a tree near the post office.[2]

Bee Branch was indirectly affected by an outbreak of tornadoes in November 2005.

Climate

The warmest summers that Bee Branch has witnessed occurred in 1998, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.[3]

Education

Public education is provided by multiple school districts depending on the resident's residence and zoning:

Infrastructure

The community is located near secondary roads and no Interstate highways in the immediate area. U.S. Route 65 is the most major highway to go through Bee Branch.

Notable people

Bee Branch is also the home town of Larry Nixon.[4] He is a professional fisherman and a video game celebrity in Japan with a wife, two sons and one daughter.[4] While the local video game players either bought and/or rented this game as TNN Bass Tournament of Champions in the Bee Branch area, Japanese gamers saw the game released as Larry Nixon's Super Bass Fishing. The capital of Japan (Tokyo) is located 6,492 miles (10,448 km) away from Bee Branch[5] and only avid sports fans realized Nixon's link to the Bee Branch area.

Virginia Morris Johnson, the first woman (1968) to seek the office of governor of Arkansas, was reared in Bee Branch from the age of fourteen years. She graduated from South Side High School in 1946.

Arkansas State Representative Kim Hammer, a Baptist clergyman from Saline County, was reared in Bee Branch and graduated from South Side High School.

Jim McKnight, professional baseball player, whose son also played in the Major Leagues, was born in Bee Branch.

Amber Straughn, NASA astronomer and James Webb Space Telescope Deputy Project Scientist, was raised in Bee Branch and graduated from South Side High School in 1998.

References
  1. General information about Bee Branch, Arkansas Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine at PikPuk
  2. Trower, Kathy (July 4, 2004). "Bee Branch in Van Buren County was literally named after beehive". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (River Valley & Ozark ed.). Little Rock: WEHCO Media. p. 88. Retrieved April 26, 2020 – via NewsBank.
  3. "Global Analysis - Annual 2016". NOAA. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  4. Larry Nixon information at Bassmaster
  5. Distance between Bee Branch, Arkansas and Tokyo, Japan at City Distance Tool
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