Little River County, Arkansas

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Little River County, Arkansas
Little River County Courthouse in Ashdown
Location in the state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 5, 1867
Named for	Little River
Seat	Ashdown
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	565 sq mi (1,463 km²) 532 sq mi (1,378 km²) 33 sq mi (85 km²), 5.8%
PopulationEst.  - (2015)  - Density	12,472 25/sq mi (10/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	http://www.littlerivercounty.org/

Little River County War Memorial during Christmas

Little River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas.As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,171. The county seat is Ashdown.

As of 1983 Little River County is no longer included in the Texarkana, TX-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. Little River County, Arkansas, was added to the SMSA in 1973.

History

Little River County is Arkansas's 59th county, formed from Sevier County on March 5, 1867, and named for the Little River. The county is separated from all other surrounding counties in the state by water (a characteristic shared only with neighboring Miller County), with the Little River, Millwood Lake and the Red River forming the boundaries of the county within the state.

Little River County is also one of several dry counties within the state of Arkansas, prohibiting the sale of alcohol.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 565 square miles (1,460 km²), of which 532 square miles (1,380 km²) is land and 33 square miles (85 km²) (5.8%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Arkansas by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Major highways

• Future Interstate 49
• U.S. Highway 59
• U.S. Highway 71
• Highway 32
• Highway 41
• Highway 108

Adjacent counties

• Sevier County (north)
• Howard County (northeast)
• Hempstead County (east)
• Miller County (southeast)
• Bowie County, Texas (south)
• McCurtain County, Oklahoma (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	3,236		—
1880	6,404		97.9%
1890	8,903		39.0%
1900	13,731		54.2%
1910	13,597		−1.0%
1920	16,301		19.9%
1930	15,515		−4.8%
1940	15,932		2.7%
1950	11,690		−26.6%
1960	9,211		−21.2%
1970	11,194		21.5%
1980	13,952		24.6%
1990	13,966		0.1%
2000	13,628		−2.4%
2010	13,171		−3.4%
Est. 2015	12,472		−8.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2015

Age pyramid Little River County

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 13,628 people, 5,465 households, and 3,912 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 6,435 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.52% White, 21.27% Black or African American, 1.45% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 1.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,465 households out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,417, and the median income for a family was $36,207. Males had a median income of $32,489 versus $18,435 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,899. About 11.90% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 17.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Ashdown (county seat)
• Foreman
• Winthrop

Towns

• Ogden
• Wilton

Census-designated place

• Yarborough Landing

Townships

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas and some may have incorporated towns or cities within part of their space. Townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the US Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (often referred to as "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. The townships of Little River County are listed below with the town(s) and/or city that are fully or partially inside them listed in parentheses.

• Arden
• Arkinda
• Burke
• Caney
• Cleveland (Wilton)
• Franklin (Yarborough Landing)
• Jackson (Foreman)
• Jeff Davis
• Jefferson (Ashdown)
• Jewell
• Johnson (Ogden)
• Lick Creek
• Little River (Winthrop)
• Red River
• Richland
• Wallace

Notable people

• Marion H. Crank, Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, 1963-1964; Democratic gubernatorial nominee, 1968; resided in Foreman, interred there at Holy Cross Cemetery
• Jeff Davis (Arkansas governor), Democratic United States Senator from Arkansas and the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas

See also

• List of lakes in Little River County, Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Little River County, Arkansas
• Ashdown School District
• Foreman School District