Perry County, Arkansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Perry County
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Perry County Courthouse (Perryville, Arkansas)
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Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
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 Arkansas's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| Founded | December 18, 1840 |
| Named for | Oliver Hazard Perry |
| Seat | Perryville |
| Largest city | Perryville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 561 sq mi (1,450 km2) |
| • Land | 551 sq mi (1,430 km2) |
| • Water | 9.1 sq mi (24 km2) 1.6%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 10,019 |
| • Density | 17.859/sq mi (6.895/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its population was 10,019 at the 2020 United States Census. The county seat is Perryville. The county was formed on December 18, 1840, and named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, naval hero in the War of 1812. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.
Perry County is included in the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 561 square miles (1,450 km2), of which 551 square miles (1,430 km2) is land and 9.1 square miles (24 km2) (1.6%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Arkansas by land area and third-smallest by total area.
Major highways
Highway 7
Highway 9
Highway 10
Highway 60
Highway 113
Highway 300
Adjacent counties
- Conway County (north)
- Faulkner County (northeast)
- Pulaski County (east)
- Saline County (southeast)
- Garland County (southwest)
- Yell County (west)
National protected area
- Ouachita National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 978 | — | |
| 1860 | 2,465 | 152.0% | |
| 1870 | 2,685 | 8.9% | |
| 1880 | 3,872 | 44.2% | |
| 1890 | 5,538 | 43.0% | |
| 1900 | 7,294 | 31.7% | |
| 1910 | 9,402 | 28.9% | |
| 1920 | 9,905 | 5.3% | |
| 1930 | 7,695 | −22.3% | |
| 1940 | 8,392 | 9.1% | |
| 1950 | 5,978 | −28.8% | |
| 1960 | 4,927 | −17.6% | |
| 1970 | 5,634 | 14.3% | |
| 1980 | 7,266 | 29.0% | |
| 1990 | 7,969 | 9.7% | |
| 2000 | 10,209 | 28.1% | |
| 2010 | 10,445 | 2.3% | |
| 2020 | 10,019 | −4.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 10,184 | −2.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 9,069 | 90.52% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 107 | 1.07% |
| Native American | 43 | 0.43% |
| Asian | 12 | 0.12% |
| Other/Mixed | 502 | 5.01% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 286 | 2.85% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,019 people, 3,668 households, and 2,824 families residing in the county.
Tourism
Just west of the Little Rock Metro Area, Perry County is a rural area set in the Ouachita Mountains with much of the county is within the Ouachita National Forest. Multiple points of interest of the National Forest are located within Perry County, to include the Flatside Wilderness Area, the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, Flatside Pinnacle Mountain, Lake Sylvia Recreation Area, the Hollis CCC Camp, the South Fourche Recreation Area and multiple watershed lakes and streams. Other popular outdoor recreation-related points of interest in the county include Nimrod Lake, Harris Brake Lake, Toad Suck Park, the Arkansas River, the Fourche LaFave River, and the South Fourche LaFave River.
For history buffs, the Perry County Museum in Perryville's Historic Commercial District provides several exhibits on the history of Perry County and its communities. The Hollis Country Store in Hollis is a popular roadside stop for travelers on Scenic Highway 7 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Perry County's most popular annual event is the Arkansas Goat Festival held in the Fall drawing thousands of tourists from around the country. Perry County is also the location of Heifer Ranch, an arm of Heifer International, a nonprofit which provides food and agricultural training for people all across the globe.
Communities
Cities
- Adona
- Perryville (county seat)
Towns
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
- Ava
- Cherry Hill
- Fourche Junction
- Hollis
- Nimrod
- Toad Suck
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 Perry County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.
- Aplin
- Casa (Casa)
- Cherry Hill
- Fourche Lafavre (most of Perryville)
- Houston (Houston)
- Kenney
- Lake (Perry)
- Maumelle
- New Tennessee
- Perry (Bigelow, Fourche)
- Petit Jean (Adona)
- Rankin
- Rose Creek
- Tyler
- Union
- Union Valley (small part of Perryville)
- Wye
Notable people
- Mary Elizabeth Bentley (born 1961), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2015
- Len E. Blaylock (1918–2012), Republican politician from Nimrod in Perry County
- Bob Dorough (1923–2018), American bebop and jazz pianist most recognizable from Schoolhouse Rock! fame.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Perry (Arkansas) para niños
