Crawford County, Arkansas

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Crawford County is a county located in the Ozarks region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 60,133.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat and largest city is Van Buren.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Crawford County was formed on October 18, 1820, from the former Lovely County and Indian Territory, and was named for William H. Crawford, the United States Secretary of War in 1815.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Located largely within the Ozarks, the southern border of the county is the Arkansas River, placing the extreme southern edge of the county in the Arkansas River Valley. The frontier county became an early crossroads, beginning with a California Gold Rush and developing into the Butterfield Overland Mail, Civil War trails, and railroads such as the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway, the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad, and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. Today, the county is home to the intersection of two major interstate highways, Interstate 40 (I-40) and I-49. Crawford County is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area. As a dry county, alcohol sales are generally prohibited, though recent changes to county law provide for exemptions.

Geography

Crawford County is located in the northwest region of Arkansas. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (1.8%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

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Crawford County is included in an area designated for a planned extension of I-49 into Arkansas. The final project will connect New Orleans, Louisiana, to Kansas City, Missouri, a large trucking corridor, which is currently not served by an interstate highway. The proposed highway would use portions of I-49 that currently runs north from Van Buren toward the Missouri state line passing through Benton County, home of Walmart. The corridor was listed as the number-one high-priority corridor by transportation officials in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.

Transit

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

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2020 census

Crawford County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 47,627 79.2%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 857 1.43%
Native American 1,366 2.27%
Asian 939 1.56%
Pacific Islander 27 0.04%
Other/mixed 4,750 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4,567 7.59%

As of the 2020 United States census, 60,133 people, 23,958 households, and 17,082 families resided in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 53,247 people, 19,702 households, and 15,150 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 21,315 housing units had an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 92.19% White, 0.87% Black or African American, 2.01% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. About 3.27% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 19,702 households, 37.5% had children under 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were not families. About 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the age distribution was 28.2% under 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,871, and for a family was $36,741. Males had a median income of $29,581 versus $20,352 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,015. About 10.9% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under 18 and 13.70% of those 65 or over.

Controversy

Thousands of self-claimed "Western Band of Cherokee" (or Arkansas Cherokees) fought for state and federal recognition as a political entity of Native Americans. Crawford County (specifically, that area known as "Lovely's Purchase") was historically part of the Cherokee Nation, which lost its tribal sovereignty status as a result of the U.S. Civil War in the 1860s. The Cherokee Nation was subsequently relocated to the west in the present-day state of Oklahoma. Template:Citation needed

The violent arrest of Randal Worcester by two Crawford County sheriff's deputies and one Mulberry police officer took place in Mulberry, Crawford County, in August 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Government

Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Crawford County Quorum Court has thirteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief operating officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Crawford County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Position Officeholder Party
County Judge Chris Keith Republican
County Clerk Stacey Shelly Republican
Circuit Clerk Sharon Blount-Baker Republican
Sheriff Daniel Perry Republican
Treasurer Daniel Watson Republican
Collector Kevin Pixley Republican
Assessor Sandra Heiner Republican
Coroner Pam Wells Republican
Surveyor Vacant

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 13 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • District 1: Robert Arnold (R) of Rudy
  • District 2: Lonnie Myers (R) of Van Buren
  • District 3: Morgan R. Morgan (R) of Van Buren
  • District 4: Lloyd Cole (R) of Van Buren
  • District 5: Brad Martin (R) of Van Buren
  • District 6: Mark Shaffer (R) of Van Buren
  • District 7: Kyle Stinchcomb (R) of Van Buren
  • District 8: Tia Woodruff (R) of Alma
  • District 9: Jason Cox (R) of Van Buren
  • District 10: Jayson Peppas (R) of Alma
  • District 11: Kevin Bell (R) of Alma
  • District 12: Donna Staton (R) of Dyer
  • District 13: Steven Johnson (R) of Mountainburg

Additionally, the townships of Crawford County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the Constitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • District 1: Keith Coatney (R)
  • District 2: Tom Fite (R)
  • District 3: Chase Hall DeCroo (R)
  • District 4: Shyla Tuck (R)
  • District 5: Joshua Baker (R)
  • District 8: Randy Beck (R)
  • District 9: Tommy Buckner (R)
  • District 10: Shawn Shelton (R)
  • District 11: Dennis P. Shore (R)
  • District 12: Christian Martin (R)
  • District 13: John Parette (R)

Politics

Crawford County is a longtime Republican stronghold, so much so that not even former governor and native Arkansan Bill Clinton was able to carry it in either of his presidential victories. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry this county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated community

Townships

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See also

References

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