It was named for the first territorial delegate from Arkansas to the Congress of the United States, James Woodson Bates, who settled in the town.

In early days, Batesville was an important port on the White River and served as an entry point to the interior of northern Arkansas.

Batesville played a large role in the settling of the Ozark Mountains region and served as the central land office for northern Arkansas.

The first known settlement of the Batesville area was in 1810 near the mouth of Polk Bayou, and by 1819 the town had a ferry across the White River and about a dozen houses.

In January 1822, Judge Richard Searcy opened the town's first state circuit court.

In the past, the area in and around the city had extensive quarries of manganese ore, phosphate rock, sandstone, limestone, and marble.

On July 31, 1964, singer Jim Reeves and his business partner and manager Dean Manuel left Batesville, en route to Nashville in a single-engine Beechcraft Debonair aircraft, N8972M, with Reeves at the controls.

In addition, the city is home to the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville (UACCB), and NASCAR driver Mark Martin.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,191 people, 3,985 households, and 2,448 families residing in the city.

[13] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.