BlockWalnut Ridge, Arkansas
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1932 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Campbell Township. It lies in ZIP code area 72476. The Survey maps it on the Walnut Ridge quadrangle. 5,384 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 269 feet above sea level.
On record in Walnut Ridge
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 9 records
Building Number 29listed 2012
Cache River Bridgelisted 1990
Lawrence County Courthouselisted 2015
Missouri-Pacific Depot-Walnut Ridgelisted 1992
Mount Zion Cemeterylisted 2021
Scott Cemeterylisted 2017
Walnut Ridge Commercial Historic Districtlisted 2010
Walnut Ridge Post Office, Oldlisted 1994- Commandant's Houselisted 2010
Population over time
2 figuresWalnut Ridge grew from 4,890 to 5,384 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 | 4,890 | |
| 2020 | 5,384 | +494 (+10%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 14 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.
- 1932 USGS Walnut Ridge quadrangle1:62500
- 1935 USGS Walnut Ridge quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Poplar Bluff quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Poplar Bluff quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Poplar Bluff quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Walnut Ridge quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1968 USGS Walnut Ridge quadrangle1:62500
- 1984 USGS Paragould quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
14 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Walnut Ridge between 1999 and 2015, burning about 437 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 11 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 2004 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 8 August 2006 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 August 2007 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 July 2008 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 21 June 2009 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 April 2004 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 11 April 2003 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Walnut Ridge: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
Storms near this place
43 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Walnut Ridge in 43 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 23 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 8 hail, 3 tornado. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $500,000 | Thunderstorm winds, estimated up to 100 mph, blew down numerous large trees. A roof was blown off a college dormitory and several airplanes were damaged. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $250,000 | Five airplanes were damaged at the Walnut Ridge airport along with a hangar door and several skylights. A wind gust of over 60 mph was reported at the airport. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $100,000 | Windows were blown out of the Walmart and power poles were down in the parking lot. Trees were reported down and there was damage to buildings in the city. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $75,000 | A roof was blown off at a women's residence hall and a softball dugout was destroyed at Williams Baptist College. The roof of the Walnut Ridge Army Flying School Museum was torn off. Debris from the roof was carried across the street and hit the Parachute Inn Restaurant at the Walnut Ridge Airport. Roofs were also blown off of several other businesses in Walnut Ridge. Several trees and power lines were knocked down. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $50,000 | Multiple trees and power lines were down across the city. Multiple structures had damage. A tree fell onto a home with people trapped inside. |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $50,000 | Several homes and farm buildings were damaged. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $30,000 | Trees and power lines down around Walnut Ridge. |
| January 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $30,000 | A building lost part of its roof. A truck was overturned. Several trees were blown down. |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Walnut Ridge | $25,000 | A tornado touched down near Walnut Ridge and moved northeast. One mobile home was destroyed and several others were damaged. Several houses had roof damage. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $15,000 | Straight line winds broke eleven power poles in Walnut Ridge. Minor roof damage to homes was reported as well. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $10,000 | Several trees and power lines were blown down. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $5,000 | Some trees were knocked down. |
| May 2003 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | $5,000 | Parts of some gravel roads were washed out. Several other roads were flooded. Some fields were also flooded. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $5,000 | Several trees were blown down. |
| January 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $2,000 | Large tree down near the Lawrence County Seed Company. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $1,000 | Straight line winds knocked down power lines in Walnut Ridge. |
| May 2002 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | $1,000 | Numerous roads and low lying areas were flooded. |
| May 2000 | Tornado (F0) | Walnut Ridge | $1,000 | A tornado briefly touched down knocking over a few trees. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $1,000 | A large tree was knocked down across a road. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | $500 | Tree down on 3rd Street in Walnut Ridge. Road sign blown over on Highway 63. |
| August 2003 | Hail | Walnut Ridge | $300 | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Hail | Walnut Ridge | $110 | no account filed |
| January 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Walnut Ridge | $50 | A tornado briefly touched down just northwest of Walnut Ridge producing minimal damage. |
| August 2004 | Hail | Walnut Ridge | $50 | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Hail | Walnut Ridge | $50 | no account filed |
| January 1999 | Hail | Walnut Ridge | $10 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Walnut Ridge | $10 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Walnut Ridge | $10 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | - | Multiple cars were stalled in the flooded roadway at the intersection of West Mian Street and Highway 67B in the town of Hoxie. |
| October 2025 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | - | Flash flooding occurred near the intersection of Northwest 4th Street and Main Street in the town of Walnut Ridge. |
| January 2023 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | - | The emergency manager reported flooding at the intersection of NW 4th street and West Main Street in Walnut Ridge. |
| January 2023 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | - | Multiple roads in and around Walnut Ridge and Hoxie were under water and closed. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | - | Trees were down in Walnut Ridge. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | - | Multiple trees blocking roadways across the town of Walnut Ridge. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Walnut Ridge | - | A report of ping pong ball sized hail was received near Walnut Ridge. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | - | The ASOS site at Walnut Ridge measured a 62 mph wind gust. This is a corrected storm report to the previous report that had the incorrect magnitude. |
| August 2020 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | - | Northwest 4th and Main Street were closed due to high water in Walnut Ridge. |
| September 2020 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | - | Some streets in and near Walnut Ridge were reported underwater. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | - | A storm chaser measured a 59 mph wind gust in Walnut Ridge. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | - | Several trees and power lines were knocked down by straight line winds in Walnut Ridge. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walnut Ridge | - | Straight line winds knocked down power lines in Walnut Ridge. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Walnut Ridge | - | Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Walnut Ridge. Main Street was flooded as a result. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aa Junction | 1.2 miles | 14 | |
| Hoxie | 1.6 miles | 14 | |
| Dicus | 2.0 miles | 14 | |
| College City | 4.0 miles | 12 | |
| Murta | 4.5 miles | 14 | |
| Ponders | 5.6 miles | 14 | |
| Richwoods | 5.9 miles | 12 | |
| Arbor Grove | 6.0 miles | 12 |
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 Walnut Ridge | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q79910 | 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 78686. 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.