Boone County, Arkansas

Boone County, Arkansas
Boone County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	April 9, 1869
Seat	Harrison
Largest city	Harrison
Area
• Total	602 sq mi (1,559 km2)
• Land	590 sq mi (1,528 km2)
• Water	12 sq mi (31 km2), 1.9%
Population
• (2010)	36,903
• Density	63/sq mi (24/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.boonecountyar.com

Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,903. The county seat is Harrison. It is Arkansas's 62nd county, formed on April 9, 1869.

Boone County is part of the Harrison, AR 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 e was added to the name later.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 602 square miles (1,560 km²), of which 590 square miles (1,500 km²) is land and 12 square miles (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 characterize 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. The Corps of Engineers operates and maintains popular campsites on the lakes at Lead Hill and Cricket Creek. Crooked Creek, popular with bass fishermen, winds through the county from south to east.

Major highways

• US 62
• US 412
• U.S. Route 65
• U.S. Route 65B
• Highway 7
• Highway 14
• Highway 43
• Highway 123
• Highway 206
• Highway 281
• Highway 392
• Highway 396
• Highway 397
• Highway 980

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	7,032		—
1880	12,146		72.7%
1890	15,816		30.2%
1900	16,396		3.7%
1910	14,318		−12.7%
1920	16,098		12.4%
1930	14,937		−7.2%
1940	15,860		6.2%
1950	16,260		2.5%
1960	16,116		−0.9%
1970	19,073		18.3%
1980	26,067		36.7%
1990	28,297		8.6%
2000	33,948		20.0%
2010	36,903		8.7%
Est. 2014	37,196		0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

Age pyramid Boone County

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 33,948 people, 13,851 households, and 9,861 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 15,426 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.60% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,851 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,988, and the median income for a family was $34,974. Males had a median income of $27,114 versus $19,229 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,175. About 10.70% of families and 14.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

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

• Alpena
• Bellefonte
• Bergman
• Everton
• Lead Hill
• Omaha
• South Lead Hill
• Valley Springs
• Zinc

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.

Township	FIPS code	ANSI code (GNIS ID)	Population center(s)	Pop. (2010)	Pop. density (/mi²)	Pop. density (/km²)	Land area (mi²)	Land area (km²)	Water area (mi²)	Water area (km²)	Geographic coordinates
Batavia	05-90144	00069604		911	85.48	33
Bellefonte	05-90219	00069605	Bellefonte, Harrison	2380	93.94	36.27
Blythe	05-90375	00069606		245	20.76	8.01
Bryan	05-90507	00069607	Harrison	1018	57.03	22.02
Carrollton	05-90678	00069608	Alpena	843	32.5	12.55
Elixir	05-91224	00069609	Bergman	2802	53.88	20.80
Ewing	05-91260	00069610		458	37.55	14.50
Gaither	05-91404	00069611		676	32.20	12.43
Jackson	05-91848	00069612	Harrison	1340	61.64	23.80
Jefferson	05-91914	00069613	Valley Springs	1202	77.16	29.79
Lee	05-92133	00069614		1867	40.73	15.73
Long Creek	05-92268	00069615		902	22.75	8.78
North Harrison	05-92715	00069616	Harrison	8057	475.82	183.70
Olvey	05-92757	00069617		440	37.27	14.39
Omaha	05-92760	00069618	Omaha	2267	29.07	11.22
Prairie	05-92979	00069619	Everton	444	27.36	10.54
South Harrison	05-93435	00069620	Harrison	7590	280.06	108.14
Sugar Loaf	05-93522	00069621	Diamond City, Lead Hill, South Lead Hill	2320	27.61	10.66
Summit	05-93552	00069622		556	17.27	6.59
Zinc	05-94134	00069623	Zinc	585	23.82	9.20
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

See also

• List of lakes in Boone County, Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Boone County, Arkansas
• Ron McNair, state representative for Boone and Carroll counties since 2015

External links

• County government site
• Unofficial/Community guide site
• County Ordinances
• genealogy information pages at USGenWeb
• Map of Boone County (U. S. Census Bureau)
• Map of Boone County from Encyclopedia of Arkansas
• Boone County entry in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas
• Boone County Historical and Railroad Society, Inc.
• Boone County School District Reference Map (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010)