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Lonoke County, Arkansas
County in Arkansas, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lonoke County is a county located in the Central Arkansas region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,015, making it the 10th-most populous of Arkansas's 75 counties.[1] The county seat is Lonoke and largest city is Cabot.[2] Included in the Central Arkansas metropolitan area, with Little Rock as the principal city, it is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.
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Etymology
Lonoke County was named for the "lone oak" located in the county at the time of its formation, by simply spelling it phonetically, at the suggestion of the chief engineer of the Cairo & Fulton Railroad.[3]
History
Formed on April 16, 1873,[3] from Pulaski and Prairie counties, Lonoke County's varied geography can be roughly broken into thirds horizontally. The top third has rolling hills at the edge of the Ozarks, including the Cabot area. The middle third, including the Lonoke area, contains portions of the Grand Prairie, a flat native grassland today known for rice farming, an important part of the culture, economy and history of Lonoke County. The southern third, including the Scott area, is home to the alluvial soils of the Arkansas Delta. Historically, a military road and a railroad brought settlers to the area, and cotton cultivation was very profitable. In 1904, a demonstration that rice could grow well on the same land coupled with sinking cotton prices drove the area into rice cultivation. During World Wars I and II, Lonoke County was home to Eberts Field, a U.S. Army airfield. Today the land is used in aquaculture.
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 803 square miles (2,080 km2), of which 771 square miles (2,000 km2) is land and 32 square miles (83 km2) (4.0%) is water.[4]
Major highways
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Adjacent counties
- White County (north)
- Prairie County (east)
- Arkansas County (southeast)
- Jefferson County (south)
- Pulaski County (west)
- Faulkner County (northwest)
Demographics
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2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 74,015 people, 26,052 households, and 18,824 families residing in the county.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census,[13] there were 52,828 people, 19,262 households, and 15,024 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 inhabitants per square mile (27/km2). There were 20,749 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.03% White, 6.44% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 19,262 households, out of which 40.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.30% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.00% were non-families. 19.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.70% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.90% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,314, and the median income for a family was $46,173. Males had a median income of $32,451 versus $22,897 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,397. About 8.10% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 13.60% of those age 65 or over.
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Government and infrastructure
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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 Lonoke County Quorum Court has thirteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive 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.[14][15]
The composition of the Quorum Court after the 2024 elections is 12 Republicans and 1 Democrat. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[19][20]
- District 1: Brent Canon (R)
- District 2: Henry L. Hawkins (R)
- District 3: Henry L. Lang (R)
- District 4: Claud E. Irvin (R)
- District 5: Robert "Bobby" Gilliam (R)
- District 6: Mickey D. Stumbaugh (R)
- District 7: Adam Sims (R)
- District 8: Tate House (R)
- District 9: Linda Waddell (R)
- District 10: Dr. Rose Marie Bryant-Jones (R)
- District 11: Mike Dolan (D)
- District 12: Patricia A. Knox (R)
- District 13: Bob Morris (R)
Additionally, the townships of Lonoke County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the Constitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.[21]
The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[22][23]
- Butler: William Langley (R)
- Carlisle: Ronnie Thrift (R)
- Caroline: Carl Gutske (R)
- Crooked Creek: Josh Cheek (R)
- Eagle: Kyle Matthews (R)
- Furlow: Steve Finch (R)
- Goodrum: Jerry Howard (R)
- Gray: Tony Southerland (R)
- Gumwoods: Adam Ryan (R)
- Lafayette: Tim Collins (R)
- Magness: Nathanael D. House (R)
- Oak Grove: Vincent F. Scarlata (R)
- Prairie: Mike Verkler (R)
- Ward: Austin Lane Everett (R)
- Williams: Mark W. Moore (R)
- York: James M. Hall (R)
Infrastructure
Lonoke County is home to Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery, Plantation Agriculture Museum, and Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park.
Politics
Over the past few election cycles, Lonoke County has trended heavily towards the Republican party. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry the county was Bill Clinton in 1996.
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Communities
Cities
Towns
Census-designated place
Townships
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 Lonoke County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. [25][26]
- Butler
- Carlisle (Carlisle)
- Caroline (Austin, small part of Cabot, part of Ward)
- Cleveland
- Crooked Creek (Allport, Humnoke)
- Dortch (CDP Scott)
- Eagle
- Fletcher
- Furlow
- Goodrum
- Gray
- Gum Woods (England)
- Hamilton
- Indian Bayou (Coy)
- Isbell
- Lafayette (Keo)
- Lonoke (Lonoke)
- Magness (part of Cabot)
- Oak Grove (small part of Cabot)
- Pettus
- Prairie
- Pulaski
- Richwoods
- Scott
- Totten
- Walls
- Ward (part of Ward)
- Williams
- York (most of Cabot)
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Education
School districts include:[27]
See also
References
External links
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