Sevier County, Arkansas

Sevier County, Arkansas
The Sevier County Courthouse is located in De Queen
Location in the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	October 17, 1828
Named for	Ambrose Hundley Sevier
Seat	De Queen
Largest city	De Queen
Area
• Total	581 sq mi (1,505 km2)
• Land	565 sq mi (1,463 km2)
• Water	16 sq mi (41 km2), 2.8
Population
• (2010)	17,058
• Density	30/sq mi (12/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.seviercounty-ar.gov

Sevier County Library in De Queen

Sevier County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,058. The county seat is De Queen. Sevier County is Arkansas's sixteenth county, formed on October 17, 1828, and named for Ambrose Sevier, U.S. Senator from Arkansas. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

History

Sevier County was organized on October 17, 1828 under legislative authority. It was formed from Hempstead and Miller Counties. Five days later on October 22, 1818, the legislature expanded the county's border, incorporating more land south of the Red River. Hempstead, Miller and Crawford Counties as well as the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory bound Sevier County. The establishment of Sevier County became effective on November 1, 1828.

The county seat has undergone several changes since Sevier County was organized. The first county seat was Paraclifta. In 1871, the Lockes donated 120 acres (0.49 km²) of land. As a result, the county seat was moved to Lockesburg. In 1905, the county seat was again moved to De Queen. Sevier County is known as “The Land of Lakes”, “The Land of Fruits and Flowers” and “The Home of Friendly People”. The county has five lakes within a 35-mile (56 km) radius, five rivers and mountain streams and forests.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 581 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 565 square miles (1,460 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (2.8%) is water.

Major highways

• Future Interstate 49
• U.S. Highway 59
• U.S. Highway 70
• U.S. Highway 71
• U.S. Highway 371
• Highway 24
• Highway 27
• Highway 41

Adjacent counties

• Polk County (north)
• Howard County (east)
• Hempstead County (southeast)
• Little River County (south)
• McCurtain County, Oklahoma (west)

National protected area

• Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	634		—
1840	2,810		343.2%
1850	4,240		50.9%
1860	10,516		148.0%
1870	4,492		−57.3%
1880	6,192		37.8%
1890	10,072		62.7%
1900	16,339		62.2%
1910	16,616		1.7%
1920	18,301		10.1%
1930	16,364		−10.6%
1940	15,248		−6.8%
1950	12,293		−19.4%
1960	10,156		−17.4%
1970	11,272		11.0%
1980	14,060		24.7%
1990	13,637		−3.0%
2000	15,757		15.5%
2010	17,058		8.3%
Est. 2014	17,426		2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

Age pyramid Sevier County

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 15,757 people, 5,708 households, and 4,223 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 6,434 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.61% White, 4.94% Black or African American, 1.82% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 11.84% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 19.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.32% reported speaking Spanish at home [1].

There were 5,708 households out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 22.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.20% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,144, and the median income for a family was $34,560. Males had a median income of $25,709 versus $17,666 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,122. About 14.40% of families and 19.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.90% of those under age 18 and 14.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• De Queen (county seat)
• Horatio
• Lockesburg

Towns

• Ben Lomond
• Gillham

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

• Bear Creek (contains most of De Queen)
• Ben Lomond (contains Ben Lomond)
• Buckhorn
• Clear Creek (contains Horatio)
• Jefferson
• Mill Creek
• Mineral (contains Gillham)
• Monroe (contains small part of De Queen)
• Paraclifta
• Red Colony (contains Lockesburg)
• Saline
• Washington

Source:

Notable people

• DeAnn Vaught, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2015 for Sevier, Little River, and Howard counties

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sevier County, Arkansas