Baxter County, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Baxter County
U.S. county
Clockwise from top: Buffalo River at Buffalo City, the 1825 Jacob Wolf House at Norfork, Cotter Bridge over the White River at sunset, Baxter County courthouse in Mountain Home
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	March 24, 1873
Named for	Elisha Baxter
Seat	Mountain Home
Largest city	Mountain Home
Area
• Total	586.74 sq mi (1,519.6 km2)
• Land	554.36 sq mi (1,435.8 km2)
• Water	32.38 sq mi (83.9 km2)  5.5%%
Population  (2010)
• Total	41,513
• Estimate  (2019)	41,932
• Density	70.7520/sq mi (27.3175/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	Baxter County government's website

Baxter County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the county's population was 41,513. The county seat is Mountain Home. It is Arkansas's 66th county, formed on March 24, 1873, and named for Elisha Baxter, the tenth governor of Arkansas.

The Mountain Home, AR, Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Baxter County. It is in the northern part of the state, bordering Missouri. It is commonly referred to as the Twin Lakes Area because it is bordered by two of Arkansas' largest lakes, Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake. On its southern border is the White River, Norfork Tailwater and the Buffalo National River.

Mountain Home, a small town whose origins date back to the early nineteenth century, is located in north-central Arkansas on a plateau in the Ozark Mountains. The natural environment of nearby Norfork and Bull Shoals lakes and the surrounding countryside has attracted tourists from around the country for many years. Educational institutions have also played a role in the life of the community.

The Baxter Bulletin weekly newspaper was named in 1973 by the Newspaper Enterprise Association as the "Best Overall Weekly Newspaper in the United States" in the over 10,000-circulation category. At the time it was published by Harold E. Martin and was the largest weekly paper in Arkansas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 587 square miles (1,520 km²), of which 554 square miles (1,430 km²) is land and 32 square miles (83 km²) (5.5%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Ozark County, Missouri (north)
• Fulton County (east)
• Izard County (southeast)
• Stone County (south)
• Searcy County (southwest)
• Marion County (west)

National protected areas

• Buffalo National River (part)
• Ozark National Forest (part)

Demographics

Age pyramid Baxter County

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 41,627 people, 18,435 households, and 11,964 families residing in the county.

Communities

Cities

• Briarcliff
• Cotter
• Gassville
• Lakeview
• Mountain Home (county seat)
• Norfork
• Salesville

Town

• Big Flat

Census designated place

• Midway

Unincorporated communities

• Buford
• Clarkridge
• Gamaliel

Townships

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

Infrastructure

Major highways

Notable residents

Carolyn D. Wright, poet

• Richard Antrim – naval rear admiral, World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient
• Lonnie D. Bentley – professor and the head of the Department of Computer and Information Technology at Purdue University
• Robbie Branscum – writer of children's books and young adult fiction
• Johnny R. Key - member of the Arkansas State Senate from Baxter County since 2009
• Richard A. Knaak – author of Minotaur Wars and other contributions to Dragonlance
• Carolyn D. Wright – poet, born in Mountain Home

Images for kids

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  Norfork Tailwater, known for trout fishing