Boone County, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boone County
U.S. 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.
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	62.08/sq mi (23.970/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

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

Boone County is part of the Harrison, Arkansas, 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.

White supremacy

In 1905 and 1909, race riots were conducted to drive African-Americans out of the area. Boone County was marketed as an all-white sundown county into the 1920s. Boone County serves as the national headquarters of the white supremacy organization Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, lead by Zinc resident Thomas Robb, who pastors a nearby Christian church. In 2017, Boone County Judge Robert Hathaway signed proclamations recognizing June as Confederate Heritage and History Month, and issued a similar proclamation for April 2019.

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. 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.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census , 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.

Education

Public school districts

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

Higher education

• North Arkansas College

Communities

Cities

• Diamond City
• Harrison (county seat)

Towns

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.
• 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.

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.

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

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.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Boone (Arkansas) para niños