Lonoke County, Arkansas

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Lonoke County is a county located in the Central Arkansas region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,015, making it the 10th-most populous of Arkansas's 75 counties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Lonoke and largest city is Cabot.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Included in the Central Arkansas metropolitan area, with Little Rock as the principal city, it is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

Etymology

Lonoke County was named for the "lone oak" located in the county at the time of its formation, by simply spelling it phonetically, at the suggestion of the chief engineer of the Cairo & Fulton Railroad.<ref name="Goodspeed 1890">Template:Cite book</ref>

History

Formed on April 16, 1873,<ref name="Goodspeed 1890" /> from Pulaski and Prairie counties, Lonoke County's varied geography can be roughly broken into thirds horizontally. The top third has rolling hills at the edge of the Ozarks, including the Cabot area. The middle third, including the Lonoke area, contains portions of the Grand Prairie, a flat native grassland today known for rice farming, an important part of the culture, economy and history of Lonoke County. The southern third, including the Scott area, is home to the alluvial soils of the Arkansas Delta. Historically, a military road and a railroad brought settlers to the area, and cotton cultivation was very profitable. In 1904, a demonstration that rice could grow well on the same land coupled with sinking cotton prices drove the area into rice cultivation. During World Wars I and II, Lonoke County was home to Eberts Field, a U.S. Army airfield. Today the land is used in aquaculture.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (4.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Hydrology

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Much of the flat landscape of Lonoke County is drained by manmade ditches or canals (left), which convey water to/from storage ponds (right) until it is used irrigate row crops, or for aquaculture

Sitting within the Grand Prairie, Lonoke County is a largely level county with relatively impermeable clay soils,<ref name=ark4>Template:USGS</ref> making it an important headwater for many tributary streams. Cypress Bayou forms the northern boundary of the county, with tributaries Pigeon Roost Creek, Brush Creek, and Mill Creek having headwaters in northern Lonoke County, and Fourmile Creek, which originates in Pulaski County. Two watercourses drain much of central of Lonoke County: Wattensaw Bayou, a tributary of the Cache River, has headwaters in Cabot, and Bayou Two Prairie, which originates in Pulaski County and runs across Lonoke County, briefly forming the eastern county boundary until emptying into Bayou Meto. Bayou Meto forms the southeastern boundary with Prairie County and is the receiving waters for Crooked Creek and is bisected by Big Ditch, a manmade canal famous for the numerous duck hunting camps serving this part of the Mississippi flyway.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Southwestern Lonoke County is drained by Wabbaseka Bayou and tributaries Bakers Bayou, Salt Bayou, and Plum Bayou.<ref>Template:Cite map</ref>

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

Demographics

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Age pyramid Lonoke County<ref>Based on 2000 census data</ref>

2020 census

Lonoke County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 60,596 81.87%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 4,349 5.88%
Native American 314 0.42%
Asian 716 0.97%
Pacific Islander 49 0.07%
Other/Mixed 4,381 5.92%
Hispanic or Latino 3,610 4.88%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 74,015 people, 26,052 households, and 18,824 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 52,828 people, 19,262 households, and 15,024 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 20,749 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 91.03% White, 6.44% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,262 households, out of which 40.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.30% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.00% were non-families. 19.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.70% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.90% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,314, and the median income for a family was $46,173. Males had a median income of $32,451 versus $22,897 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,397. About 8.10% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 13.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

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 Lonoke County Quorum Court has thirteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive 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>

Lonoke County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Position Officeholder Party
County Judge Doug Erwin Republican
County Clerk Dawn Porterfield Republican
Circuit Clerk Deborah Oglesby Republican
Sheriff John Staley Republican
Treasurer Patti Weathers Republican
Collector Therese L. O'Donnell Republican
Assessor Donna Pederson Republican
Coroner Carla Horton Republican

The composition of the Quorum Court after the 2024 elections is 12 Republicans and 1 Democrat. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • District 1: Brent Canon (R)
  • District 2: Henry L. Hawkins (R)
  • District 3: Henry L. Lang (R)
  • District 4: Claud E. Irvin (R)
  • District 5: Robert "Bobby" Gilliam (R)
  • District 6: Mickey D. Stumbaugh (R)
  • District 7: Adam Sims (R)
  • District 8: Tate House (R)
  • District 9: Linda Waddell (R)
  • District 10: Dr. Rose Marie Bryant-Jones (R)
  • District 11: Mike Dolan (D)
  • District 12: Patricia A. Knox (R)
  • District 13: Bob Morris (R)

Additionally, the townships of Lonoke 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • Butler: William Langley (R)
  • Carlisle: Ronnie Thrift (R)
  • Caroline: Carl Gutske (R)
  • Crooked Creek: Josh Cheek (R)
  • Eagle: Kyle Matthews (R)
  • Furlow: Steve Finch (R)
  • Goodrum: Jerry Howard (R)
  • Gray: Tony Southerland (R)
  • Gumwoods: Adam Ryan (R)
  • Lafayette: Tim Collins (R)
  • Magness: Nathanael D. House (R)
  • Oak Grove: Vincent F. Scarlata (R)
  • Prairie: Mike Verkler (R)
  • Ward: Austin Lane Everett (R)
  • Williams: Mark W. Moore (R)
  • York: James M. Hall (R)

Infrastructure

Lonoke County is home to Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery, Plantation Agriculture Museum, and Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park.

Politics

Over the past few election cycles, Lonoke County has trended heavily towards the Republican party. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry the county was Bill Clinton in 1996. 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:PresFoot

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Townships

Townships in Lonoke County, Arkansas as of 2010

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  • Butler
  • Carlisle (Carlisle)
  • Caroline (Austin, small part of Cabot, part of Ward)
  • Cleveland
  • Crooked Creek (Allport, Humnoke)
  • Dortch (CDP Scott)
  • Eagle
  • Fletcher
  • Furlow
  • Goodrum
  • Gray
  • Gum Woods (England)
  • Hamilton
  • Indian Bayou (Coy)
  • Isbell
  • Lafayette (Keo)
  • Lonoke (Lonoke)
  • Magness (part of Cabot)
  • Oak Grove (small part of Cabot)
  • Pettus
  • Prairie
  • Pulaski
  • Richwoods
  • Scott
  • Totten
  • Walls
  • Ward (part of Ward)
  • Williams
  • York (most of Cabot)

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Education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list - 2010 map and list</ref> Template:Div col

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See also

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References

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