SEARCY

city, seat (1837) of White county, east-central Arkansas, U.S., near the Little Red River, 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Little Rock. It originated as White Sulphur Springs, a spa popular in the 19th century until the springs ran dry. Incorporated in 1835, it was renamed for Richard Searcy, an Arkansas circuit judge. Initial development was based on cotton, farm produce, timber, and river traffic. After the 1930s cotton production declined (although livestock, poultry, and eggs remained significant). The economic base has become more diversified to include retail distribution, meat processing, and the manufacture of hydraulic valves, freight trailers, and appliances. The explosion of a Titan II missile at a nearby U.S. Air Force missile base in August 1965 killed more than 50 people. Searcy is the home of Harding College (1924) and Foothills Technical Institute (1966). Pop. (1990) 15,180; (1998 est.) 18,217.