Battle of Backbone Mountain

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

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18707,032
188012,14672.7%
189015,81630.2%
190016,3963.7%
191014,318−12.7%
192016,09812.4%
193014,937−7.2%
194015,8606.2%
195016,2602.5%
196016,116−0.9%
197019,07318.3%
198026,06736.7%
199028,2978.6%
200033,94820.0%
201036,9038.7%
202037,3731.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13]
1990–2000[14] 2010–2020[15]

2020 census

Boone County racial composition[16]
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[17] , 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[18]

As of the 2000 census,[19] 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

Higher education

Government

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[20]
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

Towns

Unincorporated communities

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.[21]
  • 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.[21]

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.[22][23]

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″N 93°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″N 93°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″N 92°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″N 93°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″N 93°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″N 93°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″N 93°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″N 93°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″N 93°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″N 92°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″N 93°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″N 93°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″N 93°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″N 92°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″N 93°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″N 92°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″N 93°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″N 92°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″N 93°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″N 92°55′22″W / 36.272049°N 92.922813°W / 36.272049; -92.922813
Source: U.S. Census Bureau[24][25]

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.[26]

See also

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 19 Aug 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. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  13. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  18. ^ Based on 2000 census data
  19. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  20. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Butler, Kent (April 1995). Bergman - A Backward Look.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  24. ^ "County Subdivisions: Arkansas". Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (TXT) on May 31, 2014.
  25. ^ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
  26. ^ "Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)". CDC. Retrieved July 28, 2019.

External links

36°18′22″N 93°05′38″W / 36.30611°N 93.09389°W / 36.30611; -93.09389