Helena
Helena, city, eastern Arkansas, U.S., about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. In 2006 Helena merged with the adjacent city of West Helena to form Helena–West Helena, which is the seat of Phillips county.
Originally settled in 1797, what is today Helena was first called Monticello and then St. Francis. A port along the Mississippi River, it grew around a warehouse built for barge shipping. In 1811 the steamboat New Orleans called there, opening a prosperous era of river traffic. The county was named for Sylvanus Phillips, and the settlement was renamed in 1821 for his daughter. Helena became a town in 1833 and a city in 1856. It was a Union supply depot during the American Civil War, and the Battle of Helena, fought on July 4, 1863, was a futile attempt by the Confederates to capture it.
The local economy, traditionally based on cotton and lumber, became increasingly industrialized after World War II, especially at West Helena, which had been founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1917. One of the largest harbors on an inland waterway was completed in the 1990s, making the area a hub of industrial development. In 2005 the residents of Helena and West Helena voted to consolidate their two cities, which took effect in 2006.
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas was established in Helena in 1965. St. Francis National Forest is immediately to the north. Helena has been called the “cradle of the Delta blues,” and each October the King Biscuit Blues Festival draws fans from around the world. Helena is also home to the Delta Cultural Center. Pop. of Helena–West Helena (2010) 12,282; (2020) 9,519.