Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1939 and the latest in 1990. It stands in St. Francis Township. It lies in ZIP code area 72342. It stands on Porter Bayou. The Survey maps it on the Helena quadrangle. 9,519 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 197 feet above sea level.
On record in Helena-West Helena
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 6 records
Cherry Street Historic District Boundary Increaselisted 2010
First Presbyterian Churchlisted 2022- Dr. Alfred A. and Adele Berger Houselisted 2021
- Eliza Miller Junior and Senior High Schoollisted 2024
- William H. Grey Gravesitelisted 2019
- Helena World Buildinglisted 2021
Population over time
2 figuresHelena-West Helena fell from 12,282 to 9,519 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 12,282 | |
| 2020 | 9,519 | -2,763 (-22%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
12 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1939 USGS Latour quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1948 USGS Helena quadrangle1:250000
- 1950 USGS Helena quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Helena quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Latour quadrangle1:62500
- 1959 USGS Helena quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Helena quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Latour quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1963 USGS Latour quadrangle1:62500
- 1982 USGS Helena quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Helena quadrangle1:100000
- 1990 USGS Helena quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
10 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 10 fires within 5 miles of Helena-West Helena between 1992 and 2011, burning about 157 acres in total. None started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Ozark-St. Francis National Forests | BLAIR |
| 17 September 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 May 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Ozark-St. Francis National Forests | CANE |
| 7 March 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Ozark-St. Francis National Forests | TURKEY |
| 18 February 2002 | Debris and open burning | 88 acres | Ozark-St. Francis National Forests | BYRD |
| 10 February 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Ozark-St. Francis National Forests | CASTEWAY |
| 29 December 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Ozark-St. Francis National Forests | MIDAS |
| 7 October 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Ozark-St. Francis National Forests | LAKE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Helena-West Helena: 5 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unk | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Helena Revetment | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Miss River Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Phillips Cnty Hiwy Dept | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Thompson | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
18 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Helena-West Helena in 18 storm reports between 2008 and 2025: 12 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 2 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2009 | Flash Flood | Helena - West Helena | $500,000 | Heavy rain produced flash flooding across portions of Phillips County including Helena-West Helena, Elaine, Marvell, Barton and Lake View. Numerous roads were closed and several homes were inundated with water. The police department in Marvell had three to four feet of water inside. |
| January 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $100,000 | Several mobile homes were destroyed on the west side of West Helena. One mobile home was flipped on the southwest side of a neighborhood on the outskirts of town. The bottom frame of the home struck a tree behind the home 15 feet in the air. The mobile home landed on its roof and was completely destroyed. Cars were damaged by flying debris and trees were also blown down. Another neighborhood southwest of town was damaged as well. In this neighborhood, two mobile homes were flipped. One was blown into another mobile home and a wood house. Power lines and irrigation systems were blown down in the fields between the two neighborhoods. In West Helena, only minor damage was noted to the Junior High School roof and the roof and siding of a few motels. A few storage sheds were blown over but had not been secured to the ground. |
| June 2020 | Flash Flood | Helena - West Helena | $50,000 | Vehicles were stranded in floodwaters. Water rescues were necessary. |
| March 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $25,000 | Powerlines and trees down on Waverly Wood Drive, Springdale Road, and Oakland Avenue, along with other various locations in Helena-West Helena. Storage buildings also suffered damage on Highway 49 near Helena Regional Hospital. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $10,000 | Trees were knocked down, and a tree landed on a home at the 300 block of Waverly Road in Helena, AR. |
| March 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $10,000 | Large tree down on building, snapped at the base of the tree. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $5,000 | Downed trees and powerlines in between Highland St and Arkansas St in Helena-West Helena. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $4,000 | Trees downed in Helena-West Helena. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $4,000 | Straight line winds blew several trees and power lines down near Helena-West Helena. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $4,000 | Straight line winds knocked several trees and large limbs down in Helena-West Helena. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $3,000 | Trees down blocking Phillips Street in Helena-West Helena. |
| January 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | $250 | Straight line winds knocked a large billboard for a high school down in Helena-West Helena. Debris was also strewn across the city. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Helena - West Helena | - | Quarter size hail fell in Helena - West Helena. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | - | Trees and powerlines were knocked down on Springdale Road. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Helena - West Helena | - | Straight line winds knocked a tree down on Military Road in Helena-West Helena. In addition, several trees were knocked down across eastern sections of Helena-West Helena. |
| April 2011 | Flash Flood | Helena - West Helena | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding in Helena-West Helena. A block and a half of Highway 49 was flooded. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Helena - West Helena | - | Golf ball size hail fell at the Helena Bridge. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Helena - West Helena | - | Heavy rain produced flash flooding near Helena-West Helena. As a result, ditches overflowed flooding many streets. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helena | 0.1 miles | 16 | |
| Oak Forest | 1.2 miles | 16 | |
| Midland Heights | 1.9 miles | 16 | |
| Holiday Hills | 2.0 miles | 16 | |
| Helena Crossing | 2.4 miles | 16 | |
| West Helena | 3.1 miles | 16 | |
| Huma | 4.4 miles | 16 | |
| Preston Place | 4.7 miles | 15 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Helena-West Helena | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q79676 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 2101418. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.











