Pine Bluff, Arkansas is dying

 I drove to Arkansas last week for Labor Day weekend, to visit 'old' friends.  

Skip, Cam, David, Gary, Brenda - in Benton AR

We have been gathering over Labor Day weekend for over 20yrs.  Some are growing older faster than others.  It's like an old used car.  Some of us need a little work under the hood. Others need new tires.  Regardless of our age, our memories from Elementary school are still as fresh as ever!

The Drive UP.

Arkansas has lots of farm land and I drove past all of it.

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

As a child growing up in Searcy Arkansas, I remember when the wind was from the South, we could sometimes smell the Papermill way down in Pine Bluff. (92ml) So on my drive I pulled off the Interstate to grab lunch in old downtown Pine Bluff.  I didn't realize till then how the area had grown so blighted. 

The Pine Bluff Story:

"Homebuyers desperate for a deal might be curious to learn more about a tiny town in Arkansas where homes are selling for just over $400.  In Pine Bluff, just 45 miles outside of Little Rock, a home was recently sold for $402.74 at a tax auction.  The city found itself thrust into the spotlight when a documentary titled “The City Left Behind: $400 Abandoned Homes in Pine Bluff” got 1.6 million views in the past three weeks on YouTube."

* The Video about the Pine Bluff housing story. *

In 1990 Pine Bluff had a Census of 59,000.  As the population fell, the city "included the inmates in the local Prison" to raise Population numbers and not show decline.  The city population sign showed 39,000 when I drove into Pine Bluff last week.  It's got a Black Population of 70%, with a White Population of 18%.  It is also listed as, "Pine Bluff ranks as the least safe U.S. small city."  (MoneyGeek.com)  "The youth violence and gang violence problem is unchecked and out of control.  We have a number of primarily youth gangs involved in firearm and drug trafficking and connected to other gangs in other cities."  Jobs are scarce and poverty is high, at about 40%.

We had a real nice visit in Benton and I was sad to see the status of Pine Bluff.  But I was thrilled to make it home safe! -Skip