Battle of Backbone Mountain

Nevada County (/nəˈv.də/ nə-VAY-də) is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,310, less than half of its peak in 1920.[1] The county seat is Prescott.[2] Nevada County is Arkansas's 63rd county, formed during the Reconstruction era on March 20, 1871, from portions of Hempstead, Ouachita and Columbia counties. It was named after the state of Nevada because of the perceived similarity between their physical shapes; the Arkansas county's shape, inverted, roughly follows the same outline as the state's boundary. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

History

This area was historically occupied by members of the Caddoan Confederacy, whose territory extended into present-day Texas and Louisiana. They settled along the waterways, using them for transportation and fishing. Colonial French and later European-American settlers also took over lands along the waterways, which formed their basic transportation routes well into the 19th century. After the Congress repealed Prohibition in the early 20th century, Nevada County voted to retain it and the county is still "dry."[citation needed]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 621 square miles (1,610 km2), of which 618 square miles (1,600 km2) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) (0.5%) is water.[3] The county is bounded on the north by the Little Missouri River, a branch of the Ouachita River, and drained by several tributaries of that stream and of Red River.[4] Nevada County is alternately considered as part of the greater regions of South Arkansas or Southwest Arkansas.[citation needed]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

The population declined by more than half from 1920 to 1970, due to mechanization of agriculture and the decline of the lumber industry causing loss of jobs. In addition, blacks left in the Great Migration to midwestern and western industrial cities, where they found better work and less social oppression.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
188012,959
189014,83214.5%
190016,60912.0%
191019,34416.5%
192021,93413.4%
193020,407−7.0%
194019,869−2.6%
195014,781−25.6%
196010,700−27.6%
197010,111−5.5%
198011,0979.8%
199010,101−9.0%
20009,955−1.4%
20108,997−9.6%
20208,310−7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790–1960[6] 1900–1990[7]
1990–2000[8] 2010[9]
Age pyramid Nevada County[10]

2020 census

Nevada County racial composition[11]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 5,145 61.91%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 2,433 29.28%
Native American 37 0.45%
Asian 41 0.49%
Other/Mixed 300 3.61%
Hispanic or Latino 354 4.26%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,310 people, 3,397 households, and 2,263 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census,[12] there were 9,955 people, 3,893 households, and 2,721 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6.2 people/km2). There were 4,751 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 66.90% White, 31.18% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.85% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,893 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.90% were married couples living together, 14.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,962, and the median income for a family was $33,095. Males had a median income of $27,888 versus $17,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,184. About 18.30% of families and 22.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.00% of those under age 18 and 27.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Prior to 2000, Nevada County was considered an "ancestral" Democratic-voting county, with exceptions for the 1968 George Wallace campaign and the 1972 and 1984 landslides of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, respectively.

Historically, the county was a stronghold of the Greenback Party, controlling county offices from 1880 to 1884, and later a stronghold for the Populist Party in the 1890s.[13]

United States presidential election results for Nevada County, Arkansas[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 2,133 63.52% 1,076 32.04% 149 4.44%
2016 2,000 61.61% 1,157 35.64% 89 2.74%
2012 1,996 58.98% 1,314 38.83% 74 2.19%
2008 2,062 56.73% 1,474 40.55% 99 2.72%
2004 1,752 50.39% 1,694 48.72% 31 0.89%
2000 1,796 48.05% 1,867 49.95% 75 2.01%
1996 976 26.74% 2,279 62.44% 395 10.82%
1992 1,217 30.83% 2,242 56.79% 489 12.39%
1988 1,714 49.55% 1,732 50.07% 13 0.38%
1984 2,352 56.65% 1,783 42.94% 17 0.41%
1980 1,697 38.22% 2,631 59.26% 112 2.52%
1976 1,163 27.24% 3,101 72.64% 5 0.12%
1972 2,513 68.07% 1,179 31.93% 0 0.00%
1968 840 21.42% 1,308 33.36% 1,773 45.22%
1964 1,406 38.79% 2,190 60.41% 29 0.80%
1960 937 34.06% 1,605 58.34% 209 7.60%
1956 1,039 35.30% 1,871 63.57% 33 1.12%
1952 1,037 34.41% 1,972 65.43% 5 0.17%
1948 202 11.40% 1,140 64.33% 430 24.27%
1944 415 23.43% 1,353 76.40% 3 0.17%
1940 224 13.74% 1,399 85.83% 7 0.43%
1936 204 13.96% 1,252 85.69% 5 0.34%
1932 197 7.68% 2,358 91.97% 9 0.35%
1928 946 43.16% 1,242 56.66% 4 0.18%
1924 386 29.90% 719 55.69% 186 14.41%
1920 1,292 50.65% 1,220 47.82% 39 1.53%
1916 657 32.32% 1,376 67.68% 0 0.00%
1912 322 24.96% 607 47.05% 361 27.98%
1908 784 39.92% 890 45.32% 290 14.77%
1904 556 36.48% 585 38.39% 383 25.13%
1900 744 47.42% 732 46.65% 93 5.93%
1896 469 21.82% 1,669 77.66% 11 0.51%

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Townships

Townships in Nevada 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 Nevada County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. [15][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Nevada County, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  4. ^ Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Nevada. I. A S. W. county of Arkansas" . The American Cyclopædia.
  5. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  7. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  8. ^ "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 27, 2015.
  9. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  10. ^ Based on 2000 census data
  11. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  13. ^ Hild, Matthew (2018). Arkansas's Gilded Age: The Rise, Decline, and Legacy of Populism and Working-Class Protes. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. p. 17. ISBN 9780826221667. LCCN 2018021863. OCLC 1030391765.
  14. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  15. ^ 2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Nevada County, AR (PDF) (Map). U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  16. ^ "Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 29, 2014.

33°39′40″N 93°18′03″W / 33.66111°N 93.30083°W / 33.66111; -93.30083