Jefferson County, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jefferson County
County
County of Jefferson
The south façade of the Jefferson County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Established	November 2, 1829 (195 years ago) (1829-11-02)
Named for	Thomas Jefferson
Seat	Pine Bluff
Largest city	Pine Bluff
Other cities	Altheimer, Humphrey, Redfield, White Hall
Area
• Total	914 sq mi (2,370 km2)
• Land	871 sq mi (2,260 km2)
• Water	43 sq mi (110 km2)  4.7%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	67,260
• Estimate  (2023)	63,661
• Density	73.59/sq mi (28.413/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	71601–71603, 71644, 71659, 72004, 72046, 72073, 72079, 72132, 72150, 72152, 72160, 72168, 72175
Area code	501, 870
Congressional district	4th

Jefferson County, Arkansas is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas in the area known as the Arkansas Delta that extends west of the Mississippi River. Jefferson County consists of five cities, two towns, and 20 townships. It is bisected by the Arkansas River, which was critical to its development and long the chief transportation byway. In 2020, Jefferson County's population was estimated at 67,260. The county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff. The county is included in the Pine Bluff metropolitan statistical area. The county seat and the most populous city is Pine Bluff.

Jefferson County was formed from Vaugine Township, Pulaski County and Richland Township, Arkansas County in the Arkansas Territory on November 2, 1829. It is named for Thomas Jefferson, third U.S. president. It was the site of the Battle of Pine Bluff on October 25, 1863.

History

The area now known as Jefferson County was occupied by the Quapaw when Henri de Tonti established Arkansas Post in 1686. De Tonti claimed the area for Louis XIV, King of France.

In March 1819, Robert Crittenden was appointed secretary of the Arkansas Territory. That same year, Joseph Bonne, traveling upstream on the Arkansas River from Arkansas Post, built a cabin on a "high bluff covered with pine trees" on the river's south bank. Several years later, James Scull, also from Arkansas Post, established a tavern and small inn on the river's north bank, across from what would become the site of Pine Bluff. Five years later, Secretary Crittenden convinced the remaining Quapaw to sign a treaty with the U.S. government relinquishing what remained of their tribal lands.

Steamboat travel led to expanding settlement, bringing to the area such men as French Peninsular War veteran and Indian trader Antoine Barraque (a civil township in northwest Jefferson County and Pine Bluff's principal east–west street are both named for him) and brothers James T. and John Pullen (main thoroughfares are both named for them). On November 2, 1829, Territorial Governor John Pope—Crittenden's successor—approved the establishment of Jefferson County. Though Bonne's cabin was initially used; by August 1832, "Pine Bluff Town" became the permanent county seat."

The land in the county was developed as large cotton plantations, with fronts on the river for transportation. The plantations were dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans, who comprised a majority of the population in the county well before the American Civil War. After the war, planters in Jefferson County gradually resumed cotton cultivation and processing. The economy was driven by cotton and the Delta area was highly productive.

Because of the county's large African-American population, it was a center of Black political power in the decades after the Civil War before Jim Crow eliminated nearly all Black participation in politics. Twenty-two different African Americans from Jefferson County were elected to the Arkansas state legislature between 1871 and 1893, by far the most from any county.

In 1886, Jefferson County produced 55,120 bales of cotton, the most in Arkansas, and the second-most throughout the South. Transportation companies serving the county at the time included the Cotton Belt Route, the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway, Missouri Pacific, the Arkansas River Packet Company, the Wiley Jones Street Car Lines, and the Citizens Street Railway Company.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 914 square miles (2,370 km²), of which 871 square miles (2,260 km²) is land and 43 square miles (110 km²) (4.7%) is water. The county is located approximately 43 miles (69 km) southeast of Little Rock, 144 miles (232 km) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, and 218 miles (351 km)

Transit

• Pine Bluff Transit

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Lonoke County (northeast)
• Arkansas County (east)
• Lincoln County (southeast)
• Cleveland County (southwest)
• Grant County (west)
• Pulaski County (northwest)

Demographics

Age pyramid for Jefferson County (as of 2000).

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 67,260 people, 27,593 households, and 16,356 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 77,435 people living in the county. 55.1% were Black or African American, 42.0% White, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% of some other race and 1.2% of two or more races. 1.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

Education

School districts serving sections of the county include:

• Pine Bluff School District
• Watson Chapel School District
• White Hall School District
• DeWitt School District (headquartered in another county)

On July 1, 1983, the Plum Bayou School District consolidated into the Wabbaseka Tucker School District. On July 1, 1984, the Linwood School District consolidated into the Pine Bluff school district. The Altheimer-Sherrill School District and Wabbaseka Tucker school districts operated in Jefferson County until September 1, 1993, when they consolidated into the Altheimer Unified School District. On July 1, 2004, the Humphrey School District consolidated into the DeWitt district. Altheimer Unified consolidated into the Dollarway School District on July 10, 2006. Dollarway School District merged into the Pine Bluff district in 2021.

Populated places

Cities

• Altheimer
• Humphrey (mostly in Arkansas County)
• Pine Bluff (county seat)
• Redfield
• White Hall

Towns

• Sherrill
• Wabbaseka

Census-designated places

• Sulphur Springs

Other communities

Townships

Townships in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 populated places

Notable people

• Bobby Hutton (1950-1968), Treasurer of the Black Panther Party
• Bobby King (January 29, 1941 – July 22, 1983), Chicago blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.
• Kemp Toney (1876-1955), politician representing Jefferson County in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1931 to 1948
• Elizabeth Rice, American actress

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Jefferson (Arkansas) para niños