Town file
Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren, Arkansas (Crawford County, Arkansas) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 365, "Judging Mother" (23 February 2023). Rui Ann Park was born in 1905 and spent most of her life in Van Buren, Arkansas, where she and her husband Hugh Park founded the Press Argus newspaper and became one of the wealthier families in Crawford County.
- Town
- Van Buren
- County
- Crawford County
- State
- Arkansas
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 365
- Approximate location
- 35.451, -94.354
Episode 365 / 23 February 2023 / 167 min / full
Judging Mother
"Van Buren, Arkansas, in West Arkansas, in Crawford County, area code 479" about 0:06:16
The case: Murder of Rui Ann Park (May 1981); Murder of a man and his daughter at a store (1981). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2023
- Population
- 23,812
- Median age
- 33.4
- Median household income
- $39,634 a year
- Median home value
- $127,700
- Two-bedroom rent
- $718
- Cost of living
- 75
- Religious
- about 51%
- Property crime
- ▲ about 25% high
- Violent crime
- ▲ about 10, 15, 20% above average
History, in brief
- The area was settled in 1818 by David Boyd and Thomas , who built lumber yards to serve as a fuel depot for traffic along the Arkansas River. about 0:06:20
- A post office was built in 1831, when the place was known as Phillips Landing. about 0:06:43
- The post office was later named after Van Buren, then secretary of state and not yet president. about 0:06:49
- John Drennan, along with David Thompson, purchased the entire area for $11,000. about 0:07:12
- On April 21st, 1996, at 11.12 p.m., an F3 tornado spawned in Oklahoma struck the area, killing two people, injuring 89 and causing $300 million in damage. about 0:07:29
- In 2019 the Arkansas River was expected to crest at nearly 43 feet, 21 feet above flood stage; the levees from the 1940s held except in one spot. about 0:08:14
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Very small but not too small; you always recognise someone, from a pastor to your friends' parents; plenty of fast food and chain restaurants and strong school spirit for the green and white pointer dogs."about 0:08:51
4 stars
"Lived there almost all his life and loves it, but wants fewer banks and more upscale places to eat, and more rehab centres since Harbor House is the only one."about 0:10:48
4 stars
"Very simple and to the point: no single issue and feels completely safe."about 0:12:11
3 stars
"It is okay; the reviewer says his tattoos draw police attention and that he is harassed despite being a disabled veteran and a full-time student at Independence University."about 0:12:20
2 stars
"A great town to raise a family but not the best place to progress in a degree, for which you have to go out of state."about 0:13:27
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Kibler, Arkansas6.9 miles
- Gans, Oklahoma20 miles
- Poteau, Oklahoma30 miles
- Cincinnati, Arkansas42 miles
- Eufaula, Oklahoma70 miles
- Mount Ida, Arkansas75 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.