text:
Randolph County, Arkansas

Randolph County is located between the Ozark Mountains and Arkansas Delta in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for John Randolph, a U.S. senator from Virginia influential in obtaining congressional approval of the Louisiana Purchase, which includes today's Randolph County. Created as Arkansas's 32nd county on October 29, 1835, Randolph County has two incorporated cities, including Pocahontas, the county seat and most populous city. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns.

Crossed by five rivers, most of Randolph County contains foothills and valleys typical of the Ozarks. However, the eastern side of the county is largely flat with fertile soils typical of the Delta, with the Black River roughly dividing the regions. The county contains three protected areas: two Wildlife Management Areas and Davidsonville Historic State Park, which preserves and interprets an early pioneer settlement. Other historical features such as log cabins, one-room school houses, community centers, and museums describe the history and culture of Randolph County.

Randolph County occupies 656.04 sqmi and contained a population of 18,571 as of the 2020 Census. The economy is largely based on agriculture and small manufacturing. Poverty and unemployment rates are above national averages, but steady. Household incomes are below state and national averages.

Randolph County is served by two school districts, Pocahontas School District and Maynard School District, and parts of three others. Higher education is provided at Black River Technical College, a public two-year community college in Pocahontas. St. Bernards Five Rivers Medical Center in Pocahontas is a community hospital providing primary care in the county. Although no Interstate highways serve Randolph County, the county has access to three United States highways (U.S. Route 62 [US 62], US 67, and US 412) and eleven Arkansas state highways. Randolph County is also served by one public owned/public use general aviation airport, Pocahontas Municipal Airport, and six community water systems provide potable water to customers in the county.

Geography
Randolph County is located where the foothills of the Ozark Mountains intersect the Arkansas Delta (in Arkansas, usually referred to as "the Delta") in the southeast part of the county. Two of the six primary geographic regions of Arkansas, the Ozarks are a mountainous subdivision of the U.S. Interior Highlands, and the Arkansas Delta is a subregion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which is a flat area consisting of rich, fertile sediment deposits from the Mississippi River between Louisiana and Illinois. The Black River roughly divides the two regions in Randolph County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 656.04 sqmi, of which 651.83 sqmi is land and 4.21 sqmi (0.6%) is water.

The county is located approximately 144 mi northeast of Little Rock, 108 mi northwest of Memphis, Tennessee, and 204 mi southwest of St. Louis, Missouri. Randolph County is surrounded by three Delta counties: Clay County to the east, Greene County to the southeast, Lawrence County to the south, one Ozark county, Sharp County, to the west, and two Missouri counties, Oregon County to the northwest, and Ripley County to the northeast.

Hydrology
Water is an extremely important part of Randolph County's geography, history, economy, and culture. The many rivers, streams, and ditches crossing the county have featured prominently since prehistoric times, and many of the hundreds of archaeological sites are along waterways. Tribes of Lenape, Shawnee, and Cherokee were settled in the area along rivers but left the area following the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes.

Randolph County is home to five major rivers: Black River, Current River, Eleven Point River, Fourche River, and Spring River.

Running from east to west toward its own mouth in the southern tip of Randolph County, the Black receives the Current River and Fourche River east of Pocahontas. The Current River serves as the northeastern county boundary with Clay County before turning southwest, passing Reyno and Biggers and meeting the Black east of Pocahontas. The Fourche River enters Randolph County near Doniphan, Missouri and runs south to meet the Black east of Pocahontas. The Black meets the Spring at the southern tip of Randolph County near Black Rock.

The Spring River serves as the county's southwestern boundary with Lawrence County between Davidsonville Historic State Park and Ravenden. The Eleven Point River enters from Missouri near Billmore and runs south to empty into the Spring just west of the state park.

Rivers brought early prosperity to the county during white settlement for navigation. Control of the rivers and Pitman's Ferry led to military action in the county during the Civil War, including a skirmish in 1862. Following the war, natural mineral springs purported to have healing properties attracted visitors to Warm Springs and Ravenden Springs.

Protected areas
Randolph County contains one state park, Davidsonville Historic State Park, and two Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), Dave Donaldson/Black River WMA and Robert L. Hankins/Mud Creek Upland WMA, owned by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Black River WMA preserves bottomland hardwood forest habitat and wintering habitat for migratory birds. Created in 1957, Black River WMA contains over 25000 acre total and extends into Clay and Greene counties. Mud Creek Upland WMA was created in 1989 with 1250 acre of upland hardwood forest. The area is open to birding, hunting, and hiking.

Davidsonville Historic State Park is a 163 acre history state park focused on the interpretation and archaeology of the abandoned frontier town of Davidsonville. Once a very important stop on the Black River and Southwest Trail within Arkansaw Territory, Davidsonville was abandoned by 1836 following the decline of river transport and the shifting of the Southwest Trail. The park is owned and operated by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

2020 Census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,571 people, 7,355 households, and 4,994 families residing in the county.

2010 Census
As of the 2010 census, there were 17,969 people, 7,299 households, and 4,997 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 /mi2. There were 8,513 housing units at an average density of 13 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.5% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,299 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

2000 Census
As of the 2000 census, there were 18,195 people, 7,265 households, and 5,245 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 /mi2. There were 8,268 housing units at an average density of 13 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.99% White, 0.97% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,265 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.

Economy
Employment by sector in Randolph County is varied, led by professional services (26.8%), government employees and government enterprises (15.8%), trade (12.8%), agriculture (11.3%), and manufacturing (9.8%). A rural county with several small manufacturers, Randolph County consistently has an unemployment rate above state and national averages. As of October 2015, the Randolph County unemployment rate was 5.9%, down significantly from a peak of 10.3% in 2011 during the height of the Great Recession. For comparison, the unemployment rate was 4.9% statewide and 5.0% in the US in October 2015.

As of the 2000 Census, the median income for a household in the county was $27,583, and the median income for a family was $33,535. Males had a median income of $25,006 versus $18,182 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,502. About 11.90% of families and 15.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 15.20% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Educational attainment in Randolph County is typical for a rural Arkansas county, with a 2012 study finding 82.5% of Randolph County residents over age 25 held a high school degree or higher and 13.4% holding a bachelor's degree or higher. The Randolph County rates are below Arkansas averages of 84.8% and 21.1%, and significantly below national averages of 86.7% and 29.8%, respectively.

Primary and secondary education
Two public school districts are based in Randolph County; the Pocahontas School District is the largest school district in Randolph County, with the Maynard School District serving the northeast corner of the county. Successful completion of the curriculum of these schools leads to graduation from Pocahontas High School or Maynard High School, respectively. Both high schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, concurrent credit agreements with nearby Black River Technical College (BRTC), and are accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). Additionally, Pocahontas HS is accredited by AdvancED.

Residents outside the two Randolph County-based districts are within either the Mammoth Spring School District, Sloan-Hendrix School District, Greene County Tech School District, or Corning School District.

Higher education
Randolph County contains one institution of higher education, Black River Technical College, a public community college in Pocahontas. Other higher education institutions in the region include two member institutions of the Arkansas State University System: Arkansas State University (ASU), a public four-year university in Jonesboro, and a public two-year satellite campus in Newport. Two private, four-year colleges are also near Randolph County: Crowley's Ridge College, a Christian liberal arts college in Paragould, and Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge.

Library system
The Randolph County Library (RCL) in downtown Pocahontas is a member library of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Library System. RCL offers books, e-books, media, reference, youth, business and genealogy services.

Public health
Randolph County's above-average poverty rate also indicates a high Medicaid eligibility rate. As of 2012, 38.1% of Randolph County was eligible for Medicaid, with 65.1% of children under 19 eligible for ARKids First, a program by the Arkansas Department of Human Services that combines children's Medicaid (ARKids A) and other programs for families with higher incomes (ARKids B). The county's population is significantly above healthy weight, with 71.7% of adults and 41.2% of children/adolescents ranking as overweight or obese, above the state averages of 67.1% and 39.3%, themselves significantly above national averages of 62.9% and 30.3%, respectively.

St. Bernards Five Rivers Medical Center in Pocahontas is a community hospital offering acute inpatient care, emergency care, diagnostics, surgery, rehabilitation, therapy, and senior care services. The facility is rated as a Level 4 Trauma Center by the Arkansas Department of Health. St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro is a referral hospital in the region, focusing on heart care, cancer treatment, women's/children's services, and senior services.

The nearest Level 1 Trauma Centers are Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, both in Memphis.

Public safety
The Randolph County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency in the county. The agency is led by the Randolph County Sheriff, an official elected by countywide vote every four years.

The county is under the jurisdiction of the Randolph County District Court, a local district court. Local district courts in Arkansas are courts of original jurisdiction for criminal, civil, small claims, and traffic matters. Local district courts are presided over by an elected part-time judge who may privately practice law. Randolph County District Court is located at 1510 Pace Road in Pocahontas, and is presided over by the District Judge, who is elected in a countywide election. The court handles within Randolph County.

Superseding district court jurisdiction is the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court, which covers Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph, and Sharp counties. The 3rd Circuit contains three circuit judges, elected to six-year terms circuitwide.

Culture and contemporary life

Randolph County has several facilities, monuments, and museums dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the area. Several historic log structures remain in the county from the pioneer era. The Rice-Upshaw House, an 1820s-era log cabin near Dalton, is one of the oldest structures in Arkansas. Randolph County also includes Hillyard Cabin and the Looney-French House, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The county contains several historic schools and community centers, including Cedar Grove School No. 81, a historic one room schoolhouse now used as a community center, the Eddie Mae Herron Center & Museum, a refurbished black school today serving as a community center and interpretative site, Old Union School in Birdell, and Ravenden Springs School.

 * Century Wall Monument, celebration of influential twentieth-century Americans
 * Davidsonville Historic State Park
 * Maynard Pioneer Museum, celebrates the early settlers
 * Old Randolph County Courthouse, restored 1875 courthouse in Pocahontas town square today used by Randolph County Chamber of Commerce

Randolph County voters approved sales of alcoholic beverages during a November 2018 election. Prior to the change taking effect in February 2019, Randolph County had been an alcohol prohibition or dry county for some 70 years.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Randolph County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief operating officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.

Politics
Since the late 20th century, Randolph County has transitioned from reliably Democratic to steady Republican in national, state and local elections. Except for the Catholic John F. Kennedy in 1960, major nationwide Republican victories for Richard Nixon (1972) and Ronald Reagan (1984), and the candidacy of Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1968, the county supported every Democratic presidential candidate between 1896 and 2004. Randolph County then supported Barack Obama’s opponents by roughly 3-to-2 margin, and supported Donald Trump with 70.7 percent of the vote.

In Congress, Arkansas has been represented by two Republican senators (John Boozman and Tom Cotton) since January 3, 2015, ending a long history of Democratic hegemony. In the House of Representatives, Randolph County is within the Arkansas 1st district with several other Ozark counties and many agricultural Delta counties on the eastern side of the state. The Arkansas 1st has been represented by Rick Crawford since 2010.

In the Arkansas State Senate, Randolph County is split between the 19th District and 20th District. Pocahontas and areas to the southeast are in the 20th along with Clay, Greene, Lawrence and a small portion of Craighead counties. Areas north or west of Pocahontas are in the 19th along with Izard, Sharp, Independence and a small portion of Fulton counties. The 19th has been represented by James Sturch (R) of Batesville since 2019, and the 20th has been represented by Blake Johnson (R) of Corning since 2015. In the Arkansas House of Representatives, Randolph County is split between the 56th District, 60th District, and 61st District. The eastern part of Randolph County is in the 56th District, which also includes Clay and most of Greene counties. Portions of Randolph County generally south and west of Pocahontas are represented by the 60th District, which also includes Lawrence County, most of Izard County, and a small portion of Greene County. The remainder of Randolph County, including Pocahontas, is represented by the 61st District, along with portions of Sharp and Fulton counties. These districts are represented by Joe Jett (R, since 2014), Frances Cavenaugh (R, since 2016), and Marsh Davis (R, since 2019), respectively.

Randolph County has produced some successful statewide politicians, including Thomas S. Drew, Third Governor of Arkansas, Edwin R. Bethune, U.S. Representative from Arkansas, Drew Bowers, Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1926 and 1928, and William Jasper Blackburn, a Reconstruction U.S. Representative from Louisiana.

Taxation
Property tax is assessed by the Randolph County Assessor annually based upon the fair market value of the property and determining which tax rate, commonly called a millage in Arkansas, will apply. The rate depends upon the property's location with respect to city limits, school district, and special tax increment financing (TIF) districts. This tax is collected by the Randolph County Collector between the first business day of March of each year through October 15 without penalty. The Randolph County Treasurer disburses tax revenues to various government agencies, such as cities, county road departments, fire departments, libraries, and police departments in accordance with the budget set by the quorum court.

Sales and use taxes in Arkansas are voter approved and collected by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Arkansas's statewide sales and use tax has been 6.5% since July 1, 2013. Randolph County has an additional sales and use tax of 1.25%, which has been in effect since January 1, 1999. Within Randolph County, the City of Pocahontas has an additional 2% sales and use tax since October 1, 2013, and the Town of Maynard an additional 1.5% sales and use tax since April 1, 2012. The Arkansas State Treasurer disburses tax revenue to counties/cities in accordance with tax rules.

Communities
Two incorporated cities and four incorporated towns are located within the county. The largest city and county seat, Pocahontas, is located in the south-central part of the county on the Black River. Pocahontas' population in 2010 was 6,608, and has been increasing since the 1960 Census. The county's small towns all have a population under 500 as of the 2010 Census, with Ravenden Springs the smallest at 118 in western Randolph County. The remaining communities are in the Delta portion of the county: Maynard north of Pocahontas, Biggers and Reyno (the other city) along US 67 near the county's eastern border, and O'Kean in the southeastern corner.

Randolph County has dozens of unincorporated communities and ghost towns within its borders. This is due to early settlers in Arkansas tending to settle in small clusters rather than incorporated towns. For example, communities like Davidsonville had a post office and dozens of buildings at some point in their history. Other communities are simply a few dwellings at a crossroads that have adopted a common place name over time. Some are officially listed as populated places by the United States Geological Survey, and others are listed as historic settlements. Ravenden Springs

Cities

 * Pocahontas (County Seat)
 * Reyno

Towns

 * Biggers
 * Maynard
 * O'Kean
 * Ravenden Springs

Unincorporated communities

 * Antioch
 * Attica
 * Birdell
 * Brakebill
 * Brockett
 * Cedar Grove
 * Dalton
 * Dunn
 * East Pocahontas
 * Elevenpoint
 * Elkins Park
 * Elm Store
 * Elnora
 * Engelberg
 * Fender
 * Glaze Creek
 * Gravesville
 * Hamil
 * Hoover Landing
 * Ingram
 * Jerrett
 * Lesterville
 * Lorine
 * Manson
 * Middlebrook
 * Minorca
 * Noland
 * Old Reyno
 * Old Siloam
 * Palestine
 * Pitman
 * Shannon
 * Sharum
 * Skaggs
 * Stokes
 * Stoney Point
 * Supply
 * Warm Springs
 * Washington

Historical communities

 * Baker Den
 * Davidsonville
 * Debrow
 * Keller
 * Kingsville
 * Mock
 * Oconee
 * Poluca
 * Running Lake
 * Watervalley
 * Yadkin

Townships

 * Baker
 * Bristow
 * Butler
 * Columbia
 * Current River (Biggers)
 * Dalton
 * Demun (Pocahontas)
 * East Roanoke
 * Eleven Point
 * Foster
 * Ingram
 * Jackson
 * Janes Creek (Ravenden Springs)
 * Little Black
 * O'Kean (O'Kean)
 * Reyno (Reyno)
 * Richardson (Maynard)
 * Running Lake
 * Shiloh
 * Siloam
 * Spring River
 * Union
 * Warm Springs
 * Water Valley
 * West Roanoke
 * Wiley

Aviation
Randolph County contains one public owned/public use general aviation airport, Pocahontas Municipal Airport (Nick Wilson Field) in Pocahontas. For the twelve-month period ending August 31, 2014, the facility saw 7,000 general aviation operations. The nearest commercial service airport is Memphis International Airport.

Major highways
Randolph County is not served by any Interstate highways; the nearest access to the Interstate system is Interstate 555 (I-555) in Jonesboro. The county does serve as a junction for several US highways, with US 62 crossing the county from east to west. This highway runs across much of northern Arkansas, giving Randolph County access to Mountain Home, Harrison, Eureka Springs, and Fayetteville to the west. US 62 intersects US 67 in Pocahontas, forming a two route overlap to the northeast toward Poplar Bluff, Missouri. US 67 runs south from Pocahontas to Walnut Ridge, where it becomes a controlled-access highway running south to Little Rock, the state capital. (US 67 will be upgraded to Interstate 57 (I-57) in the future from the Missouri state line to Little Rock.) A short business spur of US 67 connects Biggers to the state highway system.

Eleven state highways serve the traveling public in the county, varying from short connector routes to long highways traversing the entire county. Highway 34 and Highway 90 run east–west across the county, with the latter connecting Ravenden Springs to Pocahontas. Highway 93, Highway 115, Highway 166, and Highway 251 all run north to the Missouri state line to connect with Missouri state routes. Highway 328 connects Maynard to state highways to the east and west. A second segment of Highway 166 and Highway 361 connect Davidsonville Historic State Park to nearby population centers. Highway 304 connects Pocahontas to Delaplaine, with a short alternate route, Highway 304N running around Pocahontas Municipal Airport. Two instances of Highway 231 serve as connectors between other major state highways.

Utilities
The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is responsible for the regulation and oversight of public water systems throughout the state. Randolph County contains six community water systems: Biggers Water Department, City of Maynard, O'Kean Water System, Pocahontas Water and Sewer, Ravenden Springs Waterworks, Reyno Water Department, as well as portions of Clay County Regional Water Distribution District (CCRWDD), Northeast Arkansas Public Water Authority (NEAPWA), and Lawrence County Regional Water District. Pocahontas W&S has the largest retail population in the county (7,547), with all others under 500 accounts served. Of the water systems serving Randolph County, only Pocahontas and NEAPWA use surface water (the Black River and Spring River, respectively) for source water; all others use groundwater wells or purchase from neighboring utilities.

Notable people

 * Joseph J. Alexander, Randolph County's first representative at Arkansas' first State Assembly after becoming a state. He was killed December 4, 1837, by the Speaker of the House, John Wilson, during a knife fight on the floor of the assembly chamber.
 * George Nicholas 'Nick' Wilson (1942 - ), former Arkansas lawyer and political leader who served in the Arkansas Senate for almost 30 years.

title: Randolph County, Arkansas


text:
Pulaski County, Arkansas

Pulaski County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. With a population of 399,125 as of the 2020 United States Census, it is the most populous county in Arkansas. The county is included in the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metropolitan area. Its county seat is Little Rock, which is also Arkansas's capital and largest city.

Pulaski County is Arkansas's fifth county, formed on December 15, 1818, alongside Clark and Hempstead Counties. Pulaski County is named for Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski, a Polish-born Continental Army officer who was killed in action at the Siege of Savannah during the Revolutionary War. The county was the site of the Battle of Bayou Fourche on September 10, 1863. The Union army took control the same day and occupied Pulaski County until the end of the Civil War. The county was home to Willow Springs Water Park, one of the oldest water parks in the nation, which opened in 1928 and closed in 2013.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 808 sqmi, of which 760 sqmi is land and 48 sqmi (5.9%) is water.

Major highways

 * [[Image:US 65.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 65
 * [[Image:US 67.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 67
 * [[Image:US 70.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 70
 * [[Image:US 165.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 165
 * [[Image:US 167.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 167
 * [[Image:Arkansas 5.svg|20px]] Highway 5
 * [[Image:Arkansas 10.svg|20px]] Highway 10
 * [[Image:Arkansas 100.svg|25px]] Highway 100
 * [[Image:Arkansas 161.svg|25px]] Highway 161
 * [[Image:Arkansas 300.svg|25px]] Highway 300
 * [[Image:Arkansas 338.svg|25px]] Highway 338
 * [[Image:Arkansas 365.svg|25px]] Highway 365
 * [[Image:Arkansas 367.svg|25px]] Highway 367
 * [[Image:Arkansas 10.svg|20px]] Highway 10
 * [[Image:Arkansas 100.svg|25px]] Highway 100
 * [[Image:Arkansas 161.svg|25px]] Highway 161
 * [[Image:Arkansas 300.svg|25px]] Highway 300
 * [[Image:Arkansas 338.svg|25px]] Highway 338
 * [[Image:Arkansas 365.svg|25px]] Highway 365
 * [[Image:Arkansas 367.svg|25px]] Highway 367

Transit

 * Rock Region Metro (Metro Streetcar)
 * Amtrak Texas Eagle (Little Rock station)
 * Greyhound Lines
 * Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

 * Faulkner County (north)
 * Lonoke County (east)
 * Grant County (south)
 * Jefferson County (south)
 * Saline County (west)
 * Perry County (northwest)

National protected areas

 * Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 399,125 people, 158,000 households, and 93,080 families residing in the county.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 361,474 people, 147,942 households, and 95,718 families residing in the county. The population density was 469 PD/sqmi. There were 161,135 housing units at an average density of 209 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 63.96% White, 31.87% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 2.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 147,942 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.90% were married couples living together, 15.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.30% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,120, and the median income for a family was $46,523. Males had a median income of $33,131 versus $25,943 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,466. About 10.40% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.90% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure
The Arkansas Department of Correction Wrightsville Unit is in Wrightsville.

Politics
Pulaski County is one of the most Democratic counties in Arkansas and the Southern United States. The city of North Little Rock was ranked the most liberal community in the state.

In the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, Republicans carried the county in every presidential election from 1868 to 1888. Since then, Republicans have only won the county four times: 1956, 1972, 1984, and 1988, all national Republican landslides.

Pulaski County has followed in the footsteps of most urban counties across the country, especially in the era of Barack Obama's presidency and post-presidency that has seen urban areas turn bluer and rural areas, such as most of Arkansas, to become even redder and more conservative. Donald Trump, the two-time winner of the state with over 60% of the vote, only garnered about 38% in this county, among his worst performances in this state. Joe Biden's 59.9% share in 2020 is the highest for a Democrat in the county since 1976, besting even Arkansas native Bill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996.

Education

 * Tertiary
 * Pulaski Technical College is a two-year community college and technical school that offers seven locations throughout the county, including a flagship campus in western North Little Rock.
 * Four-year postsecondary institutions include the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the University of Arkansas System's only metropolitan campus, the United Methodist Church-affiliated Philander Smith College, Arkansas Baptist College, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — all located in Little Rock.

School districts include:
 * Jacksonville North Pulaski School District
 * Little Rock School District
 * North Little Rock School District
 * Pulaski County Special School District
 * East End School District

 * State-operated schools
 * Arkansas School for the Blind
 * Arkansas School for the Deaf

Cities

 * Cammack Village
 * Jacksonville
 * Little Rock (county seat)
 * Maumelle
 * North Little Rock
 * Sherwood
 * Wrightsville

Town

 * Alexander (mostly in Saline County)

Census-designated places

 * College Station
 * Gibson
 * Hensley
 * Landmark
 * McAlmont
 * Natural Steps
 * Roland
 * Scott
 * Sweet Home
 * Woodson

Other communities

 * Crystal Hill
 * Gravel Ridge
 * Ironton
 * Little Italy
 * Mabelvale
 * Marche
 * Pankey
 * Woodyardville

Townships
Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas and some may have incorporated towns or cities within part of their space. Townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the US Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (often referred to as "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps. Pulaski County only has two townships, as of 2010. They are listed below.

Notable people

 * Karilyn Brown, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
 * Granville Ryles (1831–1909), minister, farmer and state legislator in Arkansas

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Pulaski County, Arkansas


text:
Prairie County, Arkansas

Prairie County is in the Central Arkansas region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for the Grand Prairie, a subregion of the Arkansas Delta known for rice cultivation and aquaculture that runs through the county. Created as Arkansas's 54th county in 1846, Prairie County is home to four incorporated towns, including DeValls Bluff, the southern district county seat, and two incorporated cities, including Des Arc, the northern district county seat. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns. Occupying 676 sqmi, Prairie County is the median-sized county in Arkansas. As of the 2020 Census, the county's population was 8,282. Based on population, the county is the ninth-smallest county of the 75 in Arkansas.

The county is crossed by Interstate 40 (I-40), a major east–west Interstate highway running from California to North Carolina, as well as four United States highways (U.S. Route 63 [US 63], US 70, US 79, and US 165). Eleven Arkansas state highways run in the county. Prairie County is served by two public owned/public use general aviation airports and six potable water systems.

History
The county at first was land given to Cherokee Indians resettled from Tennessee and was the Western band of Cherokee reservation from 1812 to 1836. Even today, an estimated 2,000 residents have some American Indian ancestry.

The town of Fredonia (Biscoe) was named for the unsuccessful 1826 attempt of Arkansas Cherokee and to create the Republic of Fredonia by Arkansas Cherokee and Texan settlers in then Mexican Texas. The town of DeValls Bluff was the Western Cherokee's seat, and is now one of Prairie County's seats.

Prairie County suffered greatly during the Civil War. Des Arc was partly destroyed, and a local historian estimated that not more than 15 horses were left in the county by the war's end. The rest had been taken by soldiers of one army or the other.

On September 5, 1913, Lee Simms became the first person to be executed in Arkansas by the electric chair. He was executed for the crime of violent rape.

Stern's Medlar, a previously unknown plant species, was discovered in Prairie County as recently as 1990. It is not known to grow anywhere else in the world. The plant is critically endangered, with only 25 known specimens, all growing within a single small wood, now protected as the Konecny Grove Natural Area.

Geography
The county is located between two primary geographic regions of Arkansas: Central Arkansas and the Arkansas Delta (in Arkansas, usually referred to as "the Delta"). The Arkansas Delta is a subregion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which is a flat area consisting of rich, fertile sediment deposits from the Mississippi River between Louisiana and Illinois. The county is often described as being within the Grand Prairie, a subdivision of the Arkansas Delta known today for rice farming and aquaculture, rather than Central Arkansas or the Delta. It is this geographic feature from which the county derives its name. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 676 sqmi, of which 648 sqmi is land and 28 sqmi (4.1%) is water.

Prior to settlement, Prairie County was large, flat grassland distinct from the swamps and bayous in the nearby Delta. Although cotton and other row crops grew well in the Prairie's silty loam soil, rice production changed the cultivation patterns in the county at the turn of the nineteenth century. Although some prairie and riparian areas has been preserved in conservation areas, a large portion (44 percent) of the county remains in cultivation. Another large land use in Prairie County is the Cache River NWR and Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area (WMA), owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, respectively.

The county is located approximately 53 mi east of Little Rock and 90 mi west of Memphis, Tennessee. Prairie County is surrounded by five other counties: White County to the north, Woodruff County to the northeast, Monroe County to the east, Arkansas County to the south, and Lonoke County to the west.

Climate
Prairie County has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Prairie County experiences all four seasons, although summers can be extremely hot and humid and winters are mild with little snow. July is the hottest month of the year, with an average high of 92 °F and an average low of 73 °F. Temperatures above 100 °F are not uncommon. January is the coldest month with an average high of 48 °F and an average low of 31 °F. The highest temperature was 109 °F, and the lowest temperature recorded was -5 °F. Record snowfall in Des Arc occurred January 7, 1912, with 18 in.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,282 people, 3,776 households, and 2,495 families residing in the county.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 9,539 people, 3,894 households, and 2,795 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 /km2. There were 4,790 housing units at an average density of 3 /km2. The racial makeup of the county was 84.83% White, 13.71% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,894 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,990, and the median income for a family was $36,131. Males had a median income of $28,413 versus $18,808 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,907. About 12.20% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 16.80% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
The economy of Prairie County is primarily agricultural (25.6%), followed by government employees (14.3%), and professional services (14.3%).

Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Prairie County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief operating officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.

Politics
Since the late 20th century, the majority-white Prairie County has traditionally supported Republican Party presidential candidates, except when an alternative from another Southern state has been present. The county supported Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton by a wide margin, as well as Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, Alabama Governor George Wallace (running as an independent), and Texas native Lyndon Johnson. Following Clinton, the county has turned increasingly Republican, supporting Donald Trump 72.7% in 2016.

In Congress, Arkansas has been represented by two Republican senators (John Boozman and Tom Cotton) since January 3, 2015, ending a long history of Democratic hegemony. In the House of Representatives, Prairie County is within the Arkansas 1st district with many other agricultural Delta counties on the eastern side of the state. The Arkansas 1st has been represented by Rick Crawford since 2010.

In the Arkansas Senate, Prairie County is within the 28th District with portions of Arkansas, Lonoke, Monroe, White, and Woodruff counties. The district has been represented by Jonathan Dismang, a Beebe Republican, since January 2013. In the Arkansas House of Representatives, Prairie County is entirely within District 13, which also contains portions of Arkansas, Lonoke, and White counties. District 13 has been represented by David Hillman of Almyra since 2013. Hillman switched to the Republican Party shortly after winning reelection in November 2016.

Cities
Des Arc (County seat)

DeValls Bluff (County seat)

Towns
Hazen

Fredonia (Biscoe)

Ulm

Unincorporated communities

 * Barrettsville
 * Bay Plantation
 * Beulah
 * Brasfield
 * Buck's Landing
 * Center Point
 * Childers
 * Crossroad
 * Edwards
 * Erwin
 * Fairmount
 * Four Mile Corner
 * Gospoda
 * Hallsville
 * Harrys
 * Hayley
 * Hickory Plains
 * Jasmine
 * Kay
 * Letchworth
 * Little Dixie
 * Lookout
 * Mesa
 * Peppers Lake
 * Peppers Landing
 * Plunketts
 * Sand Hill
 * Screeton
 * Siedenstricker
 * Slovak
 * Tarnceville
 * Tollville
 * Vaby

Historical communities

 * Balle
 * Bardill
 * Beecher
 * Cuneo
 * Enarc
 * Harrys
 * Hunterton
 * La Grue
 * Leighton
 * Mooresville
 * Nahay
 * Slovaktown
 * Spear
 * Stineville
 * Super
 * Thomas
 * Uzzett
 * Veits
 * Willard
 * Yuma

Townships

 * Belcher
 * Bullard
 * Calhoun
 * Center
 * Des Arc
 * Hazen (Hazen)
 * Hickory Plain
 * Lower Surrounded Hill (Fredonia (Biscoe))
 * Roc Roe (Ulm)
 * Tyler
 * Union
 * Upper Surrounded Hill
 * Watensaw (DeValls Bluff)
 * White River (Des Arc)

Aviation
Prairie County contains two public owned/public use general aviation airports. Both were built during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces, and turned over to local municipalities following the war. Both are predominantly used for agricultural (spraying) operations.

The Hazen Municipal Airport is located west of Hazen along US 70. For the twelve-month period ending April 30, 2014, the facility saw 32,000 general aviation operations. The Stuttgart Municipal Airport is located in southern Prairie County near the Arkansas County line. For the twelve-month period ending July 31, 2014, the facility saw 35,000 general aviation operations, 3,000 military operations, and 2,500 air taxi operations.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-40 (AR 1957).svg|20px]] Interstate 40
 * [[Image:US 63 (1961).svg|20px]] US Highway 63
 * [[Image:US 70 (1961).svg|20px]] US Highway 70
 * [[Image:US 79 (1961).svg|20px]] US Highway 79
 * [[Image:US 165 (AR).svg|25px]] US Highway 165
 * [[Image:Arkansas 11.svg|20px]] Highway 11
 * [[Image:Arkansas 13.svg|20px]] Highway 13
 * [[Image:Arkansas 33.svg|20px]] Highway 33
 * [[Image:Arkansas 38.svg|20px]] Highway 38
 * [[Image:Arkansas 86.svg|20px]] Highway 86
 * Arkansas 249.svg Highway 249
 * Arkansas 302.svg Highway 302
 * Arkansas 323.svg Highway 323
 * Arkansas 343.svg Highway 343
 * Arkansas 959.svg Highway 959
 * Arkansas 980(Airport).svg Highway 980

Utilities
The Arkansas Department of Health is responsible for the regulation and oversight of public water systems throughout the state. Prairie County contains six community water systems: Biscoe Waterworks, Des Arc Waterworks, DeValls Bluff Waterworks, East Prairie County Public Water Authority (PWA), Hazen Waterworks, Southeast [White County] PWA, and Ulm Waterworks. Des Arc Waterworks has the largest retail population (3,882), followed by Hazen (1,600), and East Prairie County PWA (699). All community water systems in Prairie County use groundwater as their source of raw water, except Ulm, which purchases all water from Grand Prairie Regional Water and the small portion served by Southeast White County PWA.

title: Prairie County, Arkansas


text:
Pope County, Arkansas

Pope County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 63,381. The county seat is Russellville. The county was formed on November 2, 1829, from a portion of Crawford County and named for John Pope, the third governor of the Arkansas Territory. Pope County was the nineteenth (of seventy-five) county formed. The county's borders changed eighteen times in the 19th century with the creation of new counties and adjustments between counties. The current boundaries were set on March 8, 1877.

Pope County is geographically diverse, with the Arkansas River Valley and its farmlands and towns in the southern portion and the Ozarks covering nearly two-thirds of the county to the north, including a portion of the rugged Boston Mountains, a deeply dissected plateau. Approximately 40% of the county is in the Ozark National Forest.

Pope County is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

Pope County is part of the Russellville, Arkansas, Micropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Pope and Yell County.

Louisiana Purchase and Cherokee Lands
In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte sold French Louisiana to the United States, including all of Arkansas. Today, that transaction is known as the Louisiana Purchase.

By 1804, Present Jefferson, with others, looked to the new lands as a refuge for Indian peoples on lands near American settlements, keeping American settlers and Indian societies separate.

Soon after the Louisiana Purchase, much of the region encompassing future Pope and other counties was designated as lands for the removal of eastern native tribes. In about 1805, Cherokee living in southeast Missouri on the Mississippi River moved to the Arkansas River at the suggestion of Louisiana Territory Governor James Wilkinson. After the New Madrid earthquakes, most of the Cherokee—as many as 2,000 people—who had lived along the St. Francis River relocated to the Arkansas River Valley.

In 1815, the US government established a Cherokee Reservation in the Arkansas district of the Missouri Territory and tried to convince the Cherokee to move there voluntarily. The reservation boundaries extended from north of the Arkansas River to the southern bank of the White River. The Cherokee who moved to this reservation became known as the "Old Settlers" or Western Cherokee.

A village on the Illinois Bayou served as the capitol of the Western Cherokees from 1813 to 1824.

The Treaty of 1817 secured lands in Arkansas for the Western Cherokees north of the Arkansas River between Point Remove and Fort Smith and removed all citizens of the United States, except Persis Lovely, the widow of Indian Agenet William Lovely. Most white settlers moved to new locations south of the river. By 1820, new Cherokee emigrants from the east had blended with the Old Settlers in a new "colony" with a string of Cherokee villages stretching for over 70 miles above Point Remove. About half of this distance was in the future Pope County. An 1820 description by Territorial Governor James Miller called it a "lovely, rich part of the country".

In 1818, the chief of the Arkansas Cherokees, Tol-on-tus-ky (Tolunskee or Tollontiskee), requested that the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions send a mission to Arkansas. The assignment was given to Cephas Washburn and his brother-in-law, Alfred Finney, who established a mission in 1820 on the west side of Illinois Bayou about four miles from the Arkansas River. The stream was navigable for keelboats about nine months of the year. The mission was named Dwight for the late Rev. Timothy Dwight, president of Yale College and a corporate member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The site was on a gentle rise covered with a growth of oak and pine at the foot of which issued a large spring of pure water. Above, below and opposite the site was plenty of excellent bottomland for cultivation. The mission was conveniently near Indian villages. The mission eventually included more than 25 buildings, including seven log cabins, a dining hall, library, post office, lumber house, carpenter shop, saw mill, meat house, grist mill and barn. The land where Dwight Mission buildings were is now under the waters of Lake Dardanelle, but the cemetery is still on the hill nearby.

By the time Arkansas Territory was established in 1819, the western Cherokees represented at least 20 percent of the total population of the Territory, mostly centered along the Arkansas River and the future Pope County.

Arkansas Territory
Beginning in the 1820s, an increasing number of settlers came to Arkansas from southern states resulting in an environment for the eastern Indians who had moved to Arkansas that was similar to that from which they had been expelled. Under a new treaty concluded on May 6, 1828, the western boundary of Arkansas was established with seven million acres to the west of that provided to the Cherokees "forever". The Cherokees agreed to leave the Arkansas lands within 14 months. In 1829, all of the people at Dwight Mission moved to the new Indian Territory—in present-day Oklahoma—, where Dwight Mission was re-established in a new location.

Pope County was established on November 2, 1829, ten years after the establishment of the Territory of Arkansas, with a temporary county seat to be at the home of John Bollinger. A county seat selection commission elected in January 1830 chose the community of Scotia, home of Judge Andrew Scott, a neighbor of Bollinger, as the permanent county seat. With the formation of Johnson County in 1833, Scotia was but half a mile from the county line. The county seat was moved to Dwight and, then, in 1834, to Norristown, a growing town of the Arkansas River upstream and across the river from Dardanelle.

Transportation into Arkansas' interior in the early years was mostly limited to river travel. While navigable, the Arkansas River was unpredictable, alternating between floods and droughts and infested with sandbars and snags. The winding Arkansas River passed through a vast swampy floodplain that covered much of eastern Arkansas, a breeding ground for malaria-bearing mosquitos. Settlers in those areas soon suffered from malarial fevers and other ailments and Arkansas gained a reputation as a sick and swampy land. Most pioneers avoided Arkansas and chose other destinations to settle in. Those who ventured further—into central and western parts of the territory, and Pope County—found good soils along the river valley and, in the mountains, healthy forests of pine, oaks, and hickory, with well-drained soils for farming in the valleys, a wealth of forage for grazing and an abundance of game animals. At the end of the territorial years, the bulk of the people of Pope County were plain-folk farmers, herders, and hunters.

Antebellum Pope County
When Yell County was establishe on December 5, 1840, the county seat was again on the periphery of the county and the county seat was moved to Dover—a more central location in the county—in 1841, after being selected by commissioners chosen for that purpose. The first courthouse was a log structure.

With the outbreak of war with Mexico, in July 1846, a company of mounted infantry volunteers from Pope County, organized under Captain David West, along with volunteer units from other counties, entered service in the Indian Territory, replacing regular Army troops that had been dispatched to Mexico. The Arkansas volunteer troops provided an essential Federal military presence along the state's western border and eastern portion of the Indian Territory during a period of violent disputes between factions in the Cherokee Nation. After the arrival of three companies of regular Army dragoon recruits, the Pope County volunteers returned home in late April 1847.

There were 695 white families in Pope County in 1850. The total population, according to the census, was 4,710; 10.2% were slaves (479 Individuals). Only 1,640 individuals had been born in Arkansas. Most of the rest had been born in southern slave states. There were 11 who were foreign-born, including Dr. Thomas Russell. Sixty-two percent of the white population was under 15 years old. Twenty-three individuals were seventy or older; just two had made it to eighty. Over eighty percent of the population was supported by agriculture, mostly by self-sufficient farm families. Other occupations included carpentry, blacksmithing, tanning, lumbering, merchandising, and wagon-making. There were some lawyers, teachers, doctors, and preachers as well as millers, saddlers, shoemakers, cabinet-makers, county officials, and at least one tar kiln operator. There were only 100 slaveowners, and only ten owned ten or more slaves. Only three farmers had twenty or more slaves, enough to be considered "planters" in the slave culture of the south. There were no free blacks documented. There were thirteen sawmills—two steam-powered and the rest powered by water—, two tanneries, and a cotton factory producing 22,500 pounds of thread annually. Dr. Thomas Russell, for whom Russellville was named, owned 680 acres of land, four slaves, a store, and ten town lots. There were eleven one-teacher subscription schools with a total enrollment of 326 students. Churches totaled ten, according to the census, with 6 Methodist, 2 Baptist, 1 Cumberland Presbyterian, and 1 Old School Presbyterian. Principal causes of death, were, in order, croup, winter fever, cholera, hives, diarrhea, consumption and accidents. More than half of all deaths were infants under one year of age and only nine percent were over forty.

Dover, the county seat, was the most important town between Little Rock and Fort Smith in 1850. Galla Rock, south of present-day Atkins, and Norristown were important trading centers with goods transported on the Arkansas River.

In the late 1850s, Edward Payson Washburn took inspiration from Pope County scenes near the family's Norristown home for his most famous work, The Arkansas Traveler, the composition of which was derived from a story he heard from Colonel Sandford C. Faulkner. Supposedly occurring on the campaign trail in Arkansas in 1840, Colonel Faulkner's humorous story ends with a fiddle playing squatter being won over by the traveler (man on horse in image). Washburn's father was Cephas Washburn, founder of Dwight Mission.

While the majority of the population of Pope County consisted of rural families, many were squatters on state or federal land. In 1851, about 76% of households did not own land and, in 1860, some 66% did not.

In 1860, though its population had grown by 67.4% in a decade, Pope County was still sparsely settled. The slave population had grown to 12.4% (978 individuals). Along with the rest of Arkansas, it was on an economic frontier attracting relatively large numbers of new settlers, mostly from other southern states. Even though Arkansas had been a state since 1836, the few communities were small with limited development. The population in the 1860 census included 6,905 whites. There were 978 slaves, mostly in the agricultural areas in the southern part of the county. Most families were in the southern lowlands of the county. A railroad being developed to be built through the county—the Little Rock & Fort Smith—was to include a depot in Dover.

Civil War
After South Carolina seceded in December 1860, an election was scheduled in Arkansas for February 1861 to vote on whether Arkansas would secede and if a secession convention would be called. In Pope County, prior to the election, secession was rejected four to one in a straw ballot. In the statewide vote on February 18, secession was voted down. The convention in March rejected an ordinance of secession, scheduled a vote of the people on secession for August, and adjourned subject to recall by the president of the convention. After Confederate guns fired on Fort Sumter and President Lincoln issued a call for support from the states, many advocated for recalling the convention, but others were opposed, such as the delegate from Pope County, William Stout, who wrote, "I believe it is the President's duty to put down rebellion. I have always thought so."

Convention President David Walker issued a proclamation calling for the convention to reconvene on May 6 where, in the final vote, the Arkansas Ordinance of Secession was passed by a vote of 69 to 1.

In 1861, much of Pope County was still a wilderness frontier. There was no railroad. Roads were little more than tracks and there were no bridges crossing streams. The population was sparse with most dependent on subsistence farming. Many were squatters not owning the land their cabins were on.

During the war, what little civil authority there was collapsed throughout Arkansas. By 1863, in most of the state, travel was dangerous, farming hazardous, and county government inoperative. Pope County records at Dover were moved to a cave for protection. Several skirmishes took place in the county, but there were no major engagements. On April 8, 1865, Dover, including the courthouse was burned.

The civil war's primary principles—for the South, independence and preservation of slavery, and for the North, restoration of the Union—soon lost their relevance in thinly settled Pope County. As in much of the region, the already hard lives of much of the population were disrupted by wartime loyalties separating unionists from rebels. For many, the struggle turned into a no-holds-barred conflict of killing and driving out opponents in the interest of ensuring the survival of families and allies. Of those who were able to, many fled to safer places. Most able-bodied men were away from home on one side or the other. Many of those left behind—women, old men, and children—fell prey to bands of guerrillas aligned to the Confederacy—called bushwhackers by Union sympathizers—or the Union—called jayhawkers by southerners. Some belonged to neither side, attacking both sides and committing murder and arson and "pilfering and robbing of clothes, rustling cattle, emptying corn bins, taking whatever they wanted". Others actively supported one side or the other, such as William Stout's cooperation with the federals, though it probably led to his assassination in 1865.

With Federal troops stationed at Lewisburg—on the river south of present-day Morrilton—and Clarksville in 1864, foraging parties seeking supplies ranged into Pope County. Many families remaining in the county suffered incursions by the military and guerilla bands.

Following the civil war, Pope County remained sparsely settled, with a census population in 1870 of only 503 more people than had been recorded before the war. Many of the people who had fled the upheaval and uncertainties of the war years never returned and, of course, many former residents had not survived the conflict. The Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad had been postponed by the conflict with the first rails not laid until 1869.

Reconstruction
Arkansas became the second former Confederate state to be fully restored to the Union in June 1868, but political and social stability was still years away. During the military reconstruction period (1867-1868), when Arkansas was placed in the Fourth Military District, companies E and G of the Nineteenth Infantry, were stationed in Pope County and headquartered at Dover for a year and a half. In 1868, a militia law passed by the general assembly authorized the governor to enroll a state guard modeled, generally, after the U. S. Army. Elements of this guard would be used four years later in Pope County.

Between 1865 and 1870, at least five county officials were assassinated: Sheriff Archibald D. Napier and Deputy Sheriff Albert Parks on October 24, 1865, County Clerk William Stout on December 4, 1865, Sheriff W. Morris Williams on August 20, 1866, and Russellville Postmaster John L. Harkey on July 27, 1868. Napier and Williams both served as Captain of the Third Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (Union), Company I where Wallace H. Hickox, Stout's successor, was a lieutenant and John H. Williams, a successor to Parks and Morris Williams' brother, was a bugler.

On March 1, 1870, the new Pope County jail in Dover was burned. A man named Glover later claimed responsibility.

Militia War
A period of a little over seven months in 1872 and 1873 came to be known as the Pope County Militia War. However, there were no battles or skirmishes. There were no engagements between organized opponents of any kind. Instead, an unofficial militia, headed by four county officers, exerted excessive and harsh control over the county, including threats to burn Dover, the county seat. By the end of the period, three of the four officials were dead.

Late Nineteenth Century
By June 1873, regular service on the Little Rock & Fort Smith Railroad extended all the way through the county as far as Clarksville in Johnson County. County commerce that had previously made Dover the business center of the county moved to Russellville or Atkins.

County Seat move from Dover to Russellville
With the new railroad running eight miles south of the county seat at Dover and the gradual relocation of county commerce toward Russellville and Atkins, moving the county seat was inevitable. Russellville was developing into the business center of the county and a newer town, Atkins, was growing fast and would compete as a potential new location for the county seat.

It took 15 years from an act from the Arkansas General Assembly moving the county seat to Russellville—reversed the next year, sending it back to Dover—until the new courthouse was completed in Russellville. Dover had been selected in the 1840s for its more central location in the county. Thirty years later, the southern townships held the majority of the population and paid a large majority of the taxes.

County Seat—1870s
An act to move the county seat passed in the General Assembly in 1873 but was repealed during a special session of the General Assembly in 1874. The moving of the county seat from Russellville back to Dover in 1874 was because moving the county seat from Dover to Russellville had not been done by the citizens but rather by the legislature. The railroad had just opened up through Russellville and the citizens did not see that the business center of the county had so shifted yet as to justify the change.

Winds from a storm on March 8, 1878, damaged the county courthouse in Dover, rendering it "unfit and unsafe". With the county having no funds to repair the structure, its condition became a consideration for some in the issue of moving the county seat, with citizens of Russellville offering a building site and $2,500 to build a new courthouse there at no cost to the taxpayers. A church was used for a courtroom during terms of the circuit court while the courthouse was unavailable.

On September 2, 1878, an election was held, as ordered by the county court to determine:
 * 1) whether to move the county seat from Dover, and
 * 2) whether to change the county seat to Atkins or to Russellville if the voters decided to move the seat from Dover.

Following the special election, the county clerk certified that a majority (1,240) of the qualified electors voted to move the county seat from Dover. However, neither Atkins nor Russellville received enough votes to determine where the new county seat would be located. The results of the election were challenged in court.

On April 30, 1879, an election was ordered by the county court to be held June 20, 1879, to determine whether the county seat would be changed to Russellville or to Atkins. On June 17, Russellville citizens increased the amount of their bond for building a new courthouse from $2,500 to $10,000.

The results of that election were moot after courts overturned the results of the September 1878 vote. The case made it to the Arkansas Supreme Court which returned the case to the circuit court of Judge W. D. Jacoway. Jacoway's subsequent ruling was that there were 200 votes of men voting in the wrong township and 150 ballots that were marked "for Russellville" that were not marked for a move "from" Dover. The ruling said that the proposition to move the county seat received just 890 votes. There were 2,266 qualified voters at the time of the election. The law required a majority of qualified voters to approve the move of the county seat, which, for this election, would have been 1,134 votes "for" the move.

During the 1879 September term of Pope County Circuit Court, a grand jury condemned the courthouse as "wholy unfit for use as a Court House."

County Seat—1880s
With the 1878 vote to move the county seat from Dover reversed, repairs to the county courthouse in Dover were made in the early 1880s. The contract for the repairs was to W. R. Cox of Atkins for $1,000.

A September 6, 1886, election—ordered on July 21, 1886, in response to two petitions —had three proposals:
 * 1) Shall the County Seat be removed or changed? (removed meant moved)
 * 2) Shall the County Seat be removed from Dover to Russellville?
 * 3) Shall the County Seat be removed from Dover to Atkins?

Again, a majority voted to move the county seat from Dover, but neither Russellville nor Atkins received enough votes to move it to either place. Pope County had 3,688 registered voters at the time. The move to Russellville received 1,485 votes (40.2% of registered voters) and Atkins garnered 1200 (32.5% of the registered voters).

In October 1886, the county court set aside the election, deciding that the election was void for bribery, Russellville having offered to erect a courthouse if she was selected as the county seat. The decision was appealed to the circuit court, where M. L. Davis was elected special judge to try the contested case. On November 12, Davis reversed the county court's decision and ordered that an election be held on March 19, 1887, to determine whether the county seat would be moved to Russellville or to Atkins. His decision was appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court.

The offer that Russellville's leading citizens made included lots in Russellville as the site for a new courthouse and a $50,000 bond for the construction, without cost to the county, of a "good and sufficient two story brick court house" and a "good, sufficient, and commodious jail". Before the September 1886 election, citizens in Atkins made a very similar offer.

The certified result of the March 19, 1887, special election was 1,399 votes for Russellville and 1271 for Atkins, with Russellville selected by a margin of 128 votes out of 2,670 total votes cast.

The Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the ruling by Judge Davis on June 4, 1887, clearing the way for the county seat to be moved to Russellville and for the construction of a new courthouse and jail. Title to properties in Russellville for the new courthouse and jail had been tendered to the county in March. On June 13, the bondsmen for the new courthouse held a meeting and took steps deemed necessary to start the work and on September 23, the cornerstone was laid. County records were moved to Russellville in August and, temporarily, the county courtroom and clerk's office were upstairs in the R. J. Wilson Building.

The new courthouse and jail in Russellville were accepted as completed on May 16, 1888, by J.M. Haney, W. H. Poynter, and L. D. Ford, commissioners appointed by the county court to examine and receive the new county structures.

Railroads, ferry, and a bridge
With the completion of the railroad through the county and the move of the county seat, some smaller communities such as Norristown and Dover went into a period of decline or disappeared.

On August 15, 1893, train operations began on the Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad (D&R). A 4.8 mi shortline that still exists, the D&R railroad runs from Russellville to the north bank of the Arkansas River at North Dardanelle, across from Dardanelle, Arkansas. The line was originally built primarily to transport agricultural products—primarily cotton—from Dardanelle to the LR&FS depot in Russellville. For the first eight years of operation, freight and passengers crossed the river on a ferry.

In 1891, the ferry across the river at Dardanelle was supplanted by the Dardanelle pontoon bridge which was in use for nearly four decades except for periods when its operation was interrupted because of high river flows or other disruptions.

Twentieth Century
On the night of January 16, 1906, nearly half of the business district of Russellville was destroyed by fire. The county courthouse was spared, though most of the buildings in its block of the city were lost.

In 1931, the 1878 county courthouse was demolished and replaced with the current building.

Arkansas's first highway rest area was built in Pope County on Highway 7 in the 1930s. Despite its challenging terrain, Highway 7 became a major route for travelers, connecting Russellville and Harrison. This was back when cars were a relatively new invention and there were few places to stop and take a break. "Rotary Ann" rest stop was named after the Rotary Club's ladies' auxiliary. The Russellville branch recognized the need for a rest area with bathrooms and scenic views along Highway 7 and worked with the Rotary Club to create a scenic overlook in the 1930s.

In 1954, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers dug a new, straight channel for the Arkansas River across the 6-mile "bend" of Pope County's Holla Bend. The project was part of the long-term development of the river for flood control and mitigation and future use of the river for navigation. The new channel is entirely in Pope County. Holla Bend, now on the south side of the river, is accessible by land only through neighboring Yell County. After the channel project was completed, the Corps turned 4,068 acres back to the General Services Administration (GSA), advising the GSA that the land, which had been part of the "Holla Bend Cutoff" flood control project, was surplus. Following a period of uncertainty due to local opposition, Holla Bend was acquired by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1957 for development and use as a national wildlife refuge. Additional acquisitions have brought the total number of acres to 7,055 currently under refuge management.

Twenty-First Century
In the November 2018 general election, Pope County was one of four counties designated as locations for the first legal casinos in Arkansas in Issue 4, which, when passed, became Amendment 100 to the Arkansas Constitution. The other three counties were Jefferson, Garland, and Crittenden. While the casinos in the other counties are open and operating, the casino license in Pope County has been mired in litigation, primarily due to two lawsuits by Gulfside Casino Partnership, one filed on August 15, 2019, and the other filed on March 9, 2021. The Arkansas Racing Commission awarded the Pope County license to Gulfside Casino Partnership on July 31, 2020, but, after the Arkansas Supreme Court reversed and dismissed a ruling by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox and rendered Gulfside ineligible, the license was awarded to Cherokee Nation Businesses and Legends Resort and Casino on November 12, 2021. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox voided that license in a ruling on January 3, 2013. The Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed Fox's ruling on October 26, 2023.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 831 sqmi, of which 813 sqmi is land and 18 sqmi (2.2%) is water.

Major highways

 * I-40 (AR).svg Interstate 40
 * US 64.svg U.S. Highway 64
 * Arkansas 7.svg Arkansas Highway 7
 * Arkansas 7S.svg Arkansas Highway 7S
 * Arkansas 7T.svg Arkansas Highway 7T
 * Arkansas 16.svg Arkansas Highway 16
 * Arkansas 27.svg Arkansas Highway 27
 * Arkansas 105.svg Arkansas Highway 105
 * Arkansas 123.svg Arkansas Highway 123
 * Arkansas 124.svg Arkansas Highway 124
 * Arkansas 164.svg Arkansas Highway 164
 * Arkansas 247.svg Arkansas Highway 247
 * Arkansas 324.svg Arkansas Highway 324
 * Arkansas 326.svg Arkansas Highway 326
 * Arkansas 331.svg Arkansas Highway 331
 * Arkansas 333.svg Arkansas Highway 333
 * Arkansas 363.svg Arkansas Highway 363
 * Arkansas 980(Airport).svg Arkansas Highway 980

Adjacent counties

 * Newton County (northwest)
 * Searcy County (northeast)
 * Van Buren County (northeast)
 * Conway County (southeast)
 * Yell County (south)
 * Logan County (southwest)
 * Johnson County (west)

National protected areas

 * Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge (part)
 * Ozark National Forest (part)
 * East Fork Wilderness

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 63,381 people, 22,579 households, and 14,881 families residing in the county.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 54,469 people, 20,701 households, and 15,008 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 PD/sqmi. There were 22,851 housing units at an average density of 28 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 93.73% White, 2.61% Black or African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 2.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 20,701 households, out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 23.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 11.60% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,069, and the median income for a family was $39,055. Males had a median income of $29,914 versus $19,307 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,918. About 11.60% of families and 15.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 14.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Over the past few election cycles, Pope County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2020) to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.

Cities

 * Atkins
 * Dover
 * London
 * Pottsville
 * Russellville (county seat)

Towns

 * Hector

Census-designated places

 * Appleton
 * Oak Grove

Other unincorporated communities

 * Augsburg
 * Nogo

Townships

Pope County formerly included 10 more townships. Allen Township was moved into Hogan Township around 1910, and Hill Township, Galla Creek Township, Independence Township, Lee Township, North Fork Township, Sand Spring Township, and Sulphur Township were also formerly active townships in Pope County. Holla Bend Township, containing the Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, has also been disbanded.

title: Pope County, Arkansas


text:
Polk County, Arkansas

Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,221. The county seat is Mena. Polk County is Arkansas's 48th county, formed on November 30, 1844; it was named for James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States.

Wet County
Formerly an alcohol prohibition or dry county. However, following a historic mid-term election, Polk County is now a wet county.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 862 sqmi, of which 858 sqmi is land and 4.8 sqmi (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-49 (Future).svg|20px]] Future Interstate 49
 * [[Image:US 59.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 59
 * [[Image:US 71.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 71
 * [[Image:US 270.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 270
 * [[Image:US 278.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 278
 * [[Image:Arkansas 4.svg|20px]] Highway 4
 * [[Image:Arkansas 8.svg|20px]] Highway 8
 * [[Image:Arkansas 84.svg|20px]] Highway 84
 * [[Image:Arkansas 88.svg|20px]] Highway 88

Transit

 * Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

 * Scott County (north)
 * Montgomery County (east)
 * Howard County (southeast)
 * Sevier County (south)
 * McCurtain County, Oklahoma (southwest)
 * Le Flore County, Oklahoma (northwest)

National protected area

 * Ouachita National Forest (part)

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,221 people, 8,243 households, and 5,672 families residing in the county.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 20,229 people, 8,047 households, and 5,793 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 /mi2. There were 9,236 housing units at an average density of 11 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 94.69% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 1.49% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 3.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,047 households, out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,180, and the median income for a family was $31,379. Males had a median income of $23,397 versus $17,294 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,063. 18.20% of the population and 14.00% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 23.50% were under the age of 18 and 16.20% were 65 or older.

As of 2010 Polk County had a population of 20,662. Of this population 89.77% were non-Hispanic whites, 0.31% were blacks, 1.76% Native Americans, 0.45% Asians, 2.03% non-Hispanics reporting one or more race and 5.76% Hispanic or Latino.

Government
Since 1952, Polk County has been heavily Republican, only voting for the Democratic nominee for president three times since then. It last voted for the Democratic nominee for president in 1992, when it gave Arkansas governor Bill Clinton 43.8 percent of the vote. After this, the county trended rapidly towards Republicans, with the Republican margin of victory increasing in every subsequent election. In 2020, the county gave Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump 82.9 percent of the vote, the highest ever vote share for a Republican presidential candidate in the county, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden 14.7 percent of the vote, the lowest ever vote share for a Democratic presidential candidate in the county.

Popular culture
Polk County is the setting for Stephen Hunter's fictional Bob Lee Swagger series, the most notable being Black Light, as well as the place where Joel B Reed's fictional character, Jazz Phillips, of the Jazz Phillips mystery series, grew up.

Cities

 * Mena (county seat)
 * Wickes

Towns

 * Cove
 * Grannis
 * Hatfield
 * Vandervoort

Census-designated places

 * Acorn
 * Board Camp

Other unincorporated communities

 * Ink

Townships

 * Acorn (small part of Mena)
 * Big Fork
 * Cedar
 * Center (most of Mena)
 * Cove (Hatfield)
 * Eagle
 * Faulkner
 * Freedom
 * Fulton
 * Gap Springs
 * Mill Creek
 * Mountain
 * Ouachita
 * Ozark (Grannis, Wickes)
 * Potter (small part of Mena)
 * Rich Mountain
 * White (Cove, Vandervoort)

title: Polk County, Arkansas


text:
Poinsett County, Arkansas

Poinsett County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,965. The county seat is Harrisburg. Poinsett County is included in the Jonesboro–Paragould Combined Statistical Area.

History
Poinsett County was formed on February 28, 1838, and named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, U.S. Secretary of War. County business was initially conducted in the county judge's home until first court was held in Bolivar, upon completion of a courthouse in 1839. In 1859, the county seat was moved to the more centrally located town of Harrisburg, where it still remains. Poinsett County acquired its current boundaries in the years following this change, as portions were assigned to newly organized counties.

The northern portion became Craighead County, and the south portion became Cross County. Sunken lands were added to eastern Poinsett County during this time, including Lepanto and Marked Tree.

The Civil War devastated the county financially. It did not recover until the railroads were constructed into the area, giving farmers a new avenue to market their crops, and the timber industry developed. The Texas and St. Louis Railway completed track through Weiner and the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railway ran through the center of the county in 1882. The Kansas City, Ft. Scott, and Gulf Railroad opened service in east Poinsett County the following year. Shipping timber had become feasible and was undertaken throughout northeast Arkansas following the completion of railroads. Farmers used the railroads to ship their cotton and farm animals to new markets. Many small railroad towns boomed during this period. Despite this uplift, the county's population mostly consisted of poor sharecroppers and tenant farmers, with an elite class of white landowners.

Poinsett County was the hardest hit county by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, which flooded thousands of fields and destroyed homes countywide. The Southern Tenant Farmers Union was founded in 1935 in Tyronza during the Great Depression. The organization was an interracial union to improve the pay and working conditions of poor sharecroppers. It met violent resistance from white planters, with union leaders and members attacked and some killed throughout its areas of organizing in Arkansas and Mississippi. The Southern Tenant Farmers Union Museum in Tyronza is operated by Arkansas State University.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 764 sqmi, of which 758 sqmi is land and 5.2 sqmi (0.7%) is water. Located in Arkansas's northeast corner, the county is bisected by Crowley's Ridge and the L'Anguille River which both pass north–south through the county. The soils in the eastern part of the county have been deposited by the Mississippi River and are mostly used for cotton farming. Western Poinsett County is generally dedicated to rice fields. Lake Poinsett State Park is centrally located within the county.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-555 (AR 1961).svg|25px]] Interstate 555
 * [[Image:US 49 (AR).svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 49
 * [[Image:US 63 (AR).svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 63
 * [[Image:Arkansas 1.svg|20px]] Highway 1
 * [[Image:Arkansas 14.svg|20px]] Highway 14
 * [[Image:Arkansas 18.svg|20px]] Highway 18
 * [[Image:Arkansas 69.svg|20px]] Highway 69
 * [[Image:Arkansas 75.svg|20px]] Highway 75
 * [[Image:Arkansas 118.svg|25px]] Highway 118
 * [[Image:Arkansas 135.svg|25px]] Highway 135
 * [[Image:Arkansas 136.svg|25px]] Highway 136
 * [[Image:Arkansas 140.svg|25px]] Highway 140
 * [[Image:Arkansas 149.svg|25px]] Highway 149
 * [[Image:Arkansas 158.svg|25px]] Highway 158
 * [[Image:Arkansas 163.svg|25px]] Highway 163
 * [[Image:Arkansas 198.svg|25px]] Highway 198
 * [[Image:Arkansas 214.svg|25px]] Highway 214
 * [[Image:Arkansas 308.svg|25px]] Highway 308
 * [[Image:Arkansas 322.svg|25px]] Highway 322
 * [[Image:Arkansas 373.svg|25px]] Highway 373
 * [[Image:Arkansas 463.svg|25px]] Highway 463

Adjacent counties

 * Craighead County (north)
 * Mississippi County (east)
 * Crittenden County (southeast)
 * Cross County (south)
 * Jackson County (west)

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,965 people, 9,526 households, and 6,710 families residing in the county.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 25,614 people, 10,026 households, and 7,228 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 PD/sqmi. There were 11,051 housing units at an average density of 15 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 90.98% White, 7.13% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,026 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,558, and the median income for a family was $32,257. Males had a median income of $26,633 versus $19,199 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,087. About 17.60% of families and 21.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.60% of those under age 18 and 20.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Poinsett County generally voted Democratic until, in 2008, it voted Republican for only the third time in the past century; in the three elections since then it has also gone Republican.

Public education
Early childhood, elementary and secondary education is available from four school districts listed from largest to smallest based on student population:

 * Trumann School District based in Trumann with four facilities serving more than 1,600 students.
 * Harrisburg School District based in Harrisburg with five facilities and serving more than 1,300 students.
 * East Poinsett County School District based in Lepanto with three facilities serving more than 750 students.
 * Marked Tree School District based in Marked Tree with three facilities serving more than 650 students.

Libraries
Poinsett County is served with central and branch libraries from two library systems, the Crowley Ridge Regional Library System and Trumann Library System.

Cities

 * Fisher
 * Harrisburg (county seat)
 * Lepanto
 * Marked Tree
 * Trumann
 * Tyronza
 * Weiner

Town

 * Waldenburg

Census-designated place

 * Payneway
 * Rivervale

Unincorporated communities

 * Greenfield

Townships

 * Boliver (Harrisburg)
 * Dobson
 * Greenfield
 * Greenwood (Lepanto)
 * Little River (Marked Tree)
 * Lunsford
 * Owen (Fisher, Waldenburg)
 * Scott
 * Tyronza (Tyronza)
 * West Prairie (Weiner)
 * Willis (Trumann)

title: Poinsett County, Arkansas


text:
Pike County, Arkansas

Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,171. The county seat is Murfreesboro. Pike County is Arkansas's 25th county, formed on November 1, 1833, and named for Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, the explorer for whom Pikes Peak is named. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

History
The first known residents of the area now considered Pike County were Native Americans. The Quapaw tribe was prominent in the area, as well as the Kadohadacho, and Cahinnio tribes. Expeditions led by Hernando de Soto and Sieur de La Salle passed through the area. Around 1800, the Kadohadocho tribe migrated to Texas to avoid further repeated attacks by the Osage, who would venture in from the Oklahoma area.

Pike County was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and on November 1, 1833, Pike County was created out of Clark and Hempstead counties by the Arkansas territorial legislature and named after Zebulon Pike. A post office was established in what is now Murfreesboro, with the town itself receiving its name from some of its first residents having originated from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Until it was officially named, Murfreesboro had been referred to as "Forks of the Missouri" or "Three Forks.” Much of the county's documented history was destroyed in the court house fires of 1855 and 1895.

During the Civil War, Pike County men formed two full companies for service in regiments formed in Montgomery County, in the Confederate Army, with the most active being the 4th Arkansas Infantry, and the county was firmly in support of the Confederate States of America. In 1864, Murfreesboro served as a winter quarters for the Confederate regiments assigned to that area, with Union Army regiments wintering just eighteen miles away in and around Antoine.

In 1900, Martin White Greeson, who owned property in Pike County and also owned and operated the Murfreesboro-Nashville Southwest RailRoad, began campaigning for a dam on the Little Missouri River to alleviate flooding. It was not until 1941 that the project was approved, and construction began on June 1, 1948, and was completed on July 12, 1951. The lake created by the dam was named Lake Greeson in Greeson's honor.

In the early 20th century, Rosboro, Arkansas was the headquarters of one of the state's most productive lumber mills and received its name from Thomas Whitaker Rosborough, owner of the lumber company. That company, originating in Rosboro, eventually moved to Springfield, Oregon, where today it is one of the largest forest product producers in the U.S., and it operates under the name of the "Rosboro Timber Company.”

During World War II, Murfreesboro was used as a site to house and work German prisoners of war.

Since the late 19th century, the county's main source of employment has been the timber industry.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 614 sqmi, of which 601 sqmi is land and 14 sqmi (2.2%) is water.

Major highways

 * [[Image:US 70.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 70
 * [[Image:Arkansas 8.svg|20px]] Highway 8
 * [[Image:Arkansas 19.svg|20px]] Highway 19
 * [[Image:Arkansas 26.svg|20px]] Highway 26
 * [[Image:Arkansas 27.svg|20px]] Highway 27
 * [[Image:Arkansas 29.svg|20px]] Highway 29
 * [[Image:Arkansas 84.svg|20px]] Highway 84

Adjacent counties

 * Montgomery County (north)
 * Clark County (east)
 * Nevada County (southeast)
 * Hempstead County (south)
 * Howard County (west)

National protected area

 * Ouachita National Forest (part)

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,171 people, 4,280 households, and 2,969 families residing in the county.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 11,303 people, 4,504 households, and 3,265 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 /mi2. There were 5,536 housing units at an average density of 9 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 92.04% White, 3.47% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.60% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 3.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,504 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,695, and the median income for a family was $32,883. Males had a median income of $27,294 versus $17,266 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,385. About 12.80% of families and 16.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Over the past few election cycles Pike County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2020) to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.

Attractions

 * Crater of Diamonds State Park & Water park

Cities

 * Delight
 * Glenwood
 * Murfreesboro (county seat)

Towns

 * Antoine
 * Daisy
 * Nathan
 * Pisgah
 * Salem

Census designated place

 * Kirby
 * Newhope

Other unincorporated communities

 * Billstown
 * Highland
 * Langley
 * Lodi
 * Rosboro

Townships

 * Antoine (most of CDP Kirby)
 * Brewer
 * Clark (Glenwood)
 * Eagle (small part of CDP Kirby)
 * Missouri (Delight)
 * Mountain
 * Muddy Fork
 * Pike City
 * Saline
 * Self Creek (Daisy, part of CDP Kirby)
 * Thompson (Murfreesboro)
 * White
 * Wolf Creek (Antoine)

Notable residents

 * Former U.S. Representative Thomas Dale Alford was born in Pike County.
 * Singer Glen Campbell was born in Billstown, Arkansas, and raised in nearby Delight.
 * Former Arkansas State Treasurer and state auditor Gus Wingfield was born in Antoine, Arkansas, and attended school in Delight.

title: Pike County, Arkansas