Boone County, Arkansas

Boone County
County
Clockwise from top: Boone County Courthouse in Harrison, Buffalo National River, Lake Harrison Park, Overlook from Gaither Mountain in the Ozarks, Harrison Courthouse Square
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°18′22″N93°05′38″W / 36.306111111111°N 93.093888888889°W / 36.306111111111; -93.093888888889
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	April 9, 1869
Seat	Harrison
Largest city	Harrison
Area
• Total	602 sq mi (1,560 km2)
• Land	590 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Water	12 sq mi (30 km2)  1.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	37,373
• Density	62/sq mi (24/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.boonecountyar.com

Boone County is located in the U.S. state of Arkansas, along the Missouri border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,373. ^[1] The county seat is Harrison. ^[2] It is Arkansas's 62nd county, formed on April 9, 1869.

Boone County is part of the Harrison, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Boone County was formed from the eastern portion of Carroll County. Contrary to popular belief, it was not named for frontiersman Daniel Boone. It was originally called Boon, since the residents believed it would be a "boon" to all who settled there. The county's first newspaper, begun in 1870, was the Boon County Advocate. However, when Governor Powell Clayton signed the act, creating the county 1869 it was titled An Act to Organize and Establish the County of Boone and for Other Purposes. So for whatever reason an "'e'" was added. ^[3] In 1905 and 1909, race riots were conducted to drive African-Americans out of the area. It was marketed as an all-white sundown town into the 1920s. Today, it is known as a center of white supremacist activity, including the national headquarters of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Zinc. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} In 2017, Boone County Judge Robert Hathaway signed proclamations recognizing June as Confederate Heritage and History Month, ^[8] and issued a similar proclamation for April 2019. ^[9]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 602 square miles (1,560 km²), of which 590 sq mi (1,500 km²) is land and 12 sq mi (31 km²) (1.9%) is water. ^[10] The county is located in the northwest portion of the state, and borders Missouri to the north.

The county lies entirely within the Ozark Mountains. Rolling hills of the Springfield and Salem Plateaus characterize the majority of the topography, with the more rugged Boston Mountains lying just to the south. Isolated peaks of the Boston Mountain range are found in the south, including Boat Mountain, Pilot's Knob, and Gaither Mountain. Portions of Bull Shoals Lake and Table Rock Lake lie in the northeast and northwest corners, respectively. The Corps of Engineers operates and maintains popular campsites on the lakes at Lead Hill and Cricket Creek. Crooked Creek, popular with bass fishermen, winds through the county from south to east.

Major highways

• US 62
• US 412
• U.S. Route 65
• U.S. Route 65B
• Highway 7
• Highway 14
• Highway 43
• Highway 123
• Highway 206
• Highway 281
• Highway 392
• Highway 396
• Highway 397
• Highway 980

Adjacent counties

• Taney County, Missouri (north)
• Marion County (east)
• Searcy County (southeast)
• Newton County (south)
• Carroll County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	7,032		—
1880	12,146		72.7%
1890	15,816		30.2%
1900	16,396		3.7%
1910	14,318		−12.7%
1920	16,098		12.4%
1930	14,937		−7.2%
1940	15,860		6.2%
1950	16,260		2.5%
1960	16,116		−0.9%
1970	19,073		18.3%
1980	26,067		36.7%
1990	28,297		8.6%
2000	33,948		20.0%
2010	36,903		8.7%
2020	37,373		1.3%
2023 (est.)	38,530	[11]	3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [12] 1790–1960 [13] 1900–1990 [14] 1990–2000 [15] 2010–2020 [16]

2020 census

Boone County racial composition ^[17]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	33,753	90.31%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	96	0.26%
Native American	265	0.71%
Asian	233	0.62%
Pacific Islander	82	0.22%
Other/Mixed	2,026	5.42%
Hispanic or Latino	973	2.6%

As of the 2020 census ^[18] , there were 37,373 people, 15,034 households, and 10,455 families residing in the county. The population density was 62 inhabitants per square mile (24/km²). There were 17,368 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.32% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 6.23% from two or more races. 2.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,455 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 26.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, 17.7% had a male household with no spouse or partner present, and 5.4% were cohabitating couples. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% were 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.42.

Of all individuals living in the county, 22.2% under the age of 18 and 21.7% were age 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.02 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.02 males.

2000 census

Age pyramid Boone County

As of the 2000 census, ^[20] there were 33,948 people, 13,851 households, and 9,861 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 inhabitants per square mile (22/km²). There were 15,426 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.60% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,851 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% 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, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,988, and the median income for a family was $34,974. Males had a median income of $27,114 versus $19,229 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,175. About 10.70% of families and 14.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public school districts

• Alpena
• Bergman
• Harrison
• Lead Hill
• Omaha
• Valley Springs

Higher education

• North Arkansas College

Government

See also: County government in Arkansas and Politics and government of Arkansas

As with all county-level governments in Arkansas, Boone County's eleven-member quorum court forms the legislative branch and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives, called justices of the peace, are elected from single-member districts in every even-numbered year. District boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. 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. Other elected officers of the county government executive branch include the Treasurer, Collector, County Clerk, Circuit Clerk, Assessor, Sheriff, and Coroner.

In state government, Boone County is represented by three members in the Arkansas House of Representatives and two in the Arkansas Senate. Arkansas House Districts 83, 98, and 99 cover parts of Boone County, as well as Arkansas Senate Districts 16 and 17.

At the federal level, Boone County is part of Arkansas's third US congressional district, currently represented by Steve Womack.

Over the past few election cycles, Boone County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2020) to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1992, by only a 34-vote plurality.

United States presidential election results for Boone County, Arkansas ^[21]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	13,652	79.77%	3,064	17.90%	398	2.33%
2016	12,235	75.94%	2,926	18.16%	950	5.90%
2012	11,159	72.50%	3,772	24.51%	460	2.99%
2008	10,575	68.34%	4,435	28.66%	464	3.00%
2004	9,793	66.27%	4,640	31.40%	344	2.33%
2000	8,569	62.85%	4,493	32.95%	573	4.20%
1996	6,093	45.94%	5,745	43.32%	1,424	10.74%
1992	6,094	42.21%	6,128	42.45%	2,215	15.34%
1988	7,567	64.04%	3,998	33.84%	251	2.12%
1984	7,961	68.83%	3,356	29.01%	250	2.16%
1980	6,778	56.07%	4,576	37.86%	734	6.07%
1976	3,959	42.36%	5,388	57.64%	0	0.00%
1972	5,484	74.49%	1,862	25.29%	16	0.22%
1968	3,349	45.10%	1,907	25.68%	2,169	29.21%
1964	2,857	42.99%	3,770	56.73%	19	0.29%
1960	3,388	54.36%	2,774	44.51%	71	1.14%
1956	3,153	52.50%	2,829	47.10%	24	0.40%
1952	3,361	54.61%	2,786	45.26%	8	0.13%
1948	1,499	30.01%	3,190	63.86%	306	6.13%
1944	1,349	38.75%	2,132	61.25%	0	0.00%
1940	786	27.40%	2,054	71.59%	29	1.01%
1936	1,052	30.51%	2,386	69.20%	10	0.29%
1932	697	20.59%	2,644	78.11%	44	1.30%
1928	1,543	47.27%	1,708	52.33%	13	0.40%
1924	937	37.49%	1,350	54.02%	212	8.48%
1920	647	35.61%	1,106	60.87%	64	3.52%
1916	598	29.74%	1,413	70.26%	0	0.00%
1912	280	17.45%	965	60.12%	360	22.43%
1908	681	35.71%	1,149	60.25%	77	4.04%
1904	618	38.48%	910	56.66%	78	4.86%
1900	641	32.21%	1,338	67.24%	11	0.55%
1896	573	24.68%	1,730	74.50%	19	0.82%

Communities

Cities

• Diamond City
• Harrison (county seat)

Towns

• Alpena (portions are also in Carroll County)
• Bellefonte
• Bergman
• Everton
• Lead Hill
• Omaha
• South Lead Hill
• Valley Springs
• Zinc

Unincorporated communities

• Batavia
• Bear Creek Springs
• Capps
• Hopewell
• Little Arkansaw
• Self

Historic communities

• Elixir was a town in the vicinity of many springs. It was nearby present day Bergman. Heavy rains flooded the town in 1883, which was a major factor in its decline by 1892. In the 1880s, both Lead Hill and Elixir were expecting a railroad but none materialized. This also helped the town's decline. Although the town is gone, the township of Elixir remains and currently contains Bergman. ^[22]
• Keener was a town around one mile south of present-day Bergman. Keener was strong in the 1880s and had a population of about 1,000 people. But, Keener began to decline fast by 1892. ^[22]

Townships

Townships in Boone County, Arkansas as of 2010

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "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 and publications. The townships of Boone County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. ^{[23] [24]}

Former townships include Bear Creek, Crooked Creek, Elmwood, Harrison, Washington, and Young.

Township	FIPS  code	ANSI  code (GNIS  ID)	Population center(s)	Pop. (2010)	Pop. density (/mi2)	Pop. density (/km2)	Land area (mi2)	Land area (km2)	Water area (mi2)	Water area (km2)	Geographic coordinates
Batavia	05-90144	00069604		911	85.48	33	10.658	27.60	0.027	0.06993	36°15′39″N93°14′07″W / 36.260817°N 93.235402°W / 36.260817; -93.235402
Bellefonte	05-90219	00069605	Bellefonte, Harrison	2380	93.94	36.27	25.334	65.61	0.047	0.1217	36°12′09″N93°01′57″W / 36.202472°N 93.032619°W / 36.202472; -93.032619
Blythe	05-90375	00069606		245	20.76	8.01	11.803	30.57	0.054	0.1399	36°13′00″N92°56′33″W / 36.216733°N 92.942489°W / 36.216733; -92.942489
Bryan	05-90507	00069607	Harrison	1018	57.03	22.02	17.621	45.64	0.018	0.04662	36°12′21″N93°12′17″W / 36.205811°N 93.204652°W / 36.205811; -93.204652
Carrollton	05-90678	00069608	Alpena	843	32.5	12.55	25.935	67.17	0.214	0.5543	36°18′01″N93°16′23″W / 36.300254°N 93.273003°W / 36.300254; -93.273003
Elixir	05-91224	00069609	Bergman	2802	53.88	20.80	52.002	134.7	0.051	0.1321	36°19′06″N93°00′29″W / 36.318389°N 93.008130°W / 36.318389; -93.008130
Ewing	05-91260	00069610		458	37.55	14.50	12.196	31.59	0.006	0.01554	36°08′15″N93°03′12″W / 36.137467°N 93.053462°W / 36.137467; -93.053462
Gaither	05-91404	00069611		676	32.20	12.43	20.991	54.37	0.014	0.03626	36°08′53″N93°09′28″W / 36.147993°N 93.157690°W / 36.147993; -93.157690
Jackson	05-91848	00069612	Harrison	1340	61.64	23.80	21.739	56.30	0.006	0.01554	36°18′19″N93°11′24″W / 36.305402°N 93.190094°W / 36.305402; -93.190094
Jefferson	05-91914	00069613	Valley Springs	1202	77.16	29.79	15.579	40.35	0.002	0.005180	36°08′36″N92°58′11″W / 36.143199°N 92.969805°W / 36.143199; -92.969805
Lee	05-92133	00069614		1867	40.73	15.73	45.837	118.7	0.004	0.01036	36°19′36″N93°06′21″W / 36.326795°N 93.105766°W / 36.326795; -93.105766
Long Creek	05-92268	00069615		902	22.75	8.78	39.655	102.7	0.071	0.1839	36°22′46″N93°12′51″W / 36.379488°N 93.214209°W / 36.379488; -93.214209
North Harrison	05-92715	00069616	Harrison	8057	475.82	183.70	16.933	43.86	0.055	0.1424	36°15′01″N93°06′08″W / 36.250321°N 93.102318°W / 36.250321; -93.102318
Olvey	05-92757	00069617		440	37.27	14.39	11.807	30.58	0.013	0.03367	36°11′55″N92°57′36″W / 36.198738°N 92.959986°W / 36.198738; -92.959986
Omaha	05-92760	00069618	Omaha	2267	29.07	11.22	77.985	202.0	1.001	2.593	36°27′48″N93°10′24″W / 36.463258°N 93.173287°W / 36.463258; -93.173287
Prairie	05-92979	00069619	Everton	444	27.36	10.54	16.266	42.13	0.006	0.01554	36°09′19″N92°54′55″W / 36.155294°N 92.915207°W / 36.155294; -92.915207
South Harrison	05-93435	00069620	Harrison	7590	280.06	108.14	27.101	70.19	0.074	0.1917	36°11′26″N93°08′04″W / 36.190474°N 93.134539°W / 36.190474; -93.134539
Sugar Loaf	05-93522	00069621	Diamond City, Lead Hill, South Lead Hill	2320	27.61	10.66	84.026	217.6	9.806	25.40	36°24′53″N92°58′03″W / 36.414687°N 92.967603°W / 36.414687; -92.967603
Summit	05-93552	00069622		556	17.27	6.59	32.201	83.40	0.076	0.1968	36°10′12″N93°15′03″W / 36.170125°N 93.250788°W / 36.170125; -93.250788
Zinc	05-94134	00069623	Zinc	585	23.82	9.20	24.563	63.62	0.055	0.1424	36°16′19″N92°55′22″W / 36.272049°N 92.922813°W / 36.272049; -92.922813
Source: U.S. Census Bureau [25] [26]

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease has been found in Boone county, as well as Benton, Carroll, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Newton, Pope, Searcy, Sebastian, Scott, and Washington counties. ^[27]

See also

• Arkansas Highway 397 (1973–1980)
• List of lakes in Boone County, Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Boone County, Arkansas

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Boone County, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 19, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "MUSEUM MUSINGS: Was Boone County named for the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone?".
4. "Women's Klan Rises in Arkansas". July 26, 2017.
5. Schulte, Bret (April 3, 2017), "The Alt-Right of the Ozarks," Slate, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/04/what_harrison_arkansas_fight_with_the_kkk_says_about_the_alt_right.html, accessed August 19, 2017
6. "The KKK Embraces Diversity in Harrison, Arkansas". Vice. March 11, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
7. "Banishment Map". Independent Lens: Banished . PBS . Retrieved March 10, 2019.
8. "June proclaimed Confederate History and Heritage Month". May 25, 2017. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
9. "Confederate History Month". Harrison Daily. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
10. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
14. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
16. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
17. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
18. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
19. Based on 2000 census data
20. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
21. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections" . Retrieved November 18, 2016.
22. Butler, Kent (April 1995). Bergman - A Backward Look.
23. 2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Boone County, AR (PDF) (Map). U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
24. "Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 28, 2014.
25. "County Subdivisions: Arkansas". Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (TXT) on May 31, 2014.
26. "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
27. "Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)". CDC. Retrieved July 28, 2019.

External links

• County government site
• Unofficial/Community guide site
• County Ordinances
• genealogy information pages at USGenWeb
• Map of Boone County (U. S. Census Bureau)
• Map of Boone County from Encyclopedia of Arkansas
• Boone County entry in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas
• Boone County Historical and Railroad Society, Inc.
• Boone County School District Reference Map (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010)

36°18′22″N93°05′38″W / 36.30611°N 93.09389°W / 36.30611; -93.09389