Gravette is located in northwestern Benton County at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land. Gravette is situated approximately east of Tulsa, Oklahoma, northwest of Fayetteville, and approximately 60 miles south of Joplin, MO. In 2012, the nearby city of Hiwasse was facing annexation by the city of Bella Vista. The majority of people within Hiwasse did not want to be taken over by Bella Vista. And so they decided they wanted to be annexed by Gravette instead. The annexation increased Gravette’s total land area by almost 260%.
Early history
The original name of the first European-American settlement at this location was Nebo. The Nebo area is now referred to as Old Town in Chalk Valley and was the earliest pioneer settlement of the community. The settlement was platted in the 1870s by Joseph P. Covey, who relocated to Southwest City, Missouri, in 1881. Ellis Tillman Gravett opened the Chalk Valley Distillery in Nebo and was also the proprietor of a general merchandise store. In 1891, he moved that store west out of the valley to what is now downtown Gravette. Gravette was incorporated on January 27, 1899. By 1910 the population of Gravette amounted to 569.
Demographics
As of 2010 Gravette had a population of 2,325. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 87.8% non-Hispanic white, 0.6% black or African American, 3.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 4.1% from two or more races and 4.0% Hispanic or Latino. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,810 people, 697 households, and 471 families residing in the city. The population density was 775.1 people per square mile. There were 773 housing units at an average density of 331.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 92.87% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 2.10% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 1.05% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. 2.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 697 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,881, and the median income for a family was $34,844. Males had a median income of $28,571 versus $18,906 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,241. About 11.5% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public education is provided for elementary and secondary school students by the following school districts:
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Gravette has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Gravette is the site of the coldest recorded temperature in Arkansas: -29 °F on February 13, 1905. According weather data tallied between July 1, 1985 and June 30, 2015 for every location in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's official climate database, Gravette, Arkansas, is the snowiest place in the state of Arkansas with an average of 16 inches of snow per year.
