Monroe County, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Monroe County is a county
located in the U.S. state
of Arkansas
. As of 2010, the population is 8,149. The county seat
is Clarendon
, while its largest city is Brinkley
. Monroe County is Arkansas's 20th county, formed on November 2, 1829, from portions of Arkansas and Phillips counties, and named for James Monroe
, the fifth President of the United States
.
Sheffield Nelson
, the Arkansas Republican
National Committeeman and his party's gubernatorial nominee in 1990 and 1994, was born in 1940 in Monroe County.
of 2000, there were 10,254 people, 4,105 households, and 2,733 families residing in the county. The population density
was 17 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 5,067 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 59.37% White
, 38.79% Black
or African American
, 0.26% Native American
, 0.13% Asian
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
, 0.26% from other races
, and 1.14% from two or more races. 1.29% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 4,105 households out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.10% were married couples
living together, 16.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 23.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $22,632, and the median income for a family was $28,915. Males had a median income of $25,299 versus $17,117 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $13,096. About 21.00% of families and 27.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.40% of those under age 18 and 22.40% of those age 65 or over.
. From wetlands in what would become southern Monroe County, approximately 900000 square miles (2,330,989.3 km²) of land would be explored after President James Madison
commissioned a survey of the purchase area. The point was commemorated in 1961 by the Arkansas General Assembly as part of Louisiana Purchase State Park.
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. As of 2010, the population is 8,149. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Clarendon
Clarendon, Arkansas
Clarendon is a city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Monroe County.-Geography:Clarendon is located at ....
, while its largest city is Brinkley
Brinkley, Arkansas
Brinkley is the most populous city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2000 census.It is located almost exactly half-way between Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee; the city has used the slogan "We'll Meet You Half-Way" in some of its advertising...
. Monroe County is Arkansas's 20th county, formed on November 2, 1829, from portions of Arkansas and Phillips counties, and named for James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
, the fifth President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Sheffield Nelson
Sheffield Nelson
Sheffield E. Nelson is a lawyer, businessman, and politician from Little Rock, Arkansas. Originally a Democrat, Nelson in 1990 ran for governor of Arkansas as a Republican against then governor and future U.S. President Bill Clinton and in 1994 against the Democratic Governor Jim Guy Tucker.Nelson...
, the Arkansas Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
National Committeeman and his party's gubernatorial nominee in 1990 and 1994, was born in 1940 in Monroe County.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 621.41 square miles (1,609.4 km²), of which 606.65 square miles (1,571.2 km²) (or 97.62%) is land and 14.76 square miles (38.2 km²) (or 2.38%) is water.Major Highways
.svg.png)
Interstate 40Interstate 40Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
U.S. Highway 49
U.S. Highway 70
U.S. Highway 79
Highway 1
Highway 17
Highway 39
Highway 86
Adjacent counties
- Woodruff County (north)
- St. Francis County (northeast)
- Lee County (east)
- Phillips County (southeast)
- Arkansas CountyArkansas County, ArkansasArkansas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,019. The county has two county seats, De Witt and Stuttgart...
(southwest) - Prairie County (west)
National protected areas
- Cache River National Wildlife RefugeCache River National Wildlife RefugeThe Cache River National Wildlife Refuge is a 55,000 acre wildlife refuge in the state of Arkansas managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is one of the Ramsar wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention signed in 1971...
(part) - White River National Wildlife RefugeWhite River National Wildlife RefugeThe White River National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge located in Desha, Monroe, Phillips, and Arkansas counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service....
(part)
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,254 people, 4,105 households, and 2,733 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 17 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 5,067 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 59.37% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 38.79% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.26% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.13% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.26% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.14% from two or more races. 1.29% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 4,105 households out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.10% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 16.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 23.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $22,632, and the median income for a family was $28,915. Males had a median income of $25,299 versus $17,117 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $13,096. About 21.00% of families and 27.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.40% of those under age 18 and 22.40% of those age 65 or over.
History
It was at a site near the intersection of Monroe, Phillips, and Lee counties that surveys began shortly after the United States had completed the Louisiana PurchaseLouisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
. From wetlands in what would become southern Monroe County, approximately 900000 square miles (2,330,989.3 km²) of land would be explored after President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
commissioned a survey of the purchase area. The point was commemorated in 1961 by the Arkansas General Assembly as part of Louisiana Purchase State Park.
Cities and towns
|
Fargo, Arkansas Fargo is a town in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 118 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fargo is located at .... Holly Grove, Arkansas Holly Grove is a city in Monroe County, Arkansas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 722.-Geography:Holly Grove is located at .... |
Roe, Arkansas Roe is a town in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 124 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Roe is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 km² , all land.... |
Townships
- Brinkley (most of BrinkleyBrinkley, ArkansasBrinkley is the most populous city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2000 census.It is located almost exactly half-way between Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee; the city has used the slogan "We'll Meet You Half-Way" in some of its advertising...
) - Brown
- Cache (ClarendonClarendon, ArkansasClarendon is a city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Monroe County.-Geography:Clarendon is located at ....
) - Cleburne
- Cypress Ridge
- Dixon (part of BrinkleyBrinkley, ArkansasBrinkley is the most populous city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2000 census.It is located almost exactly half-way between Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee; the city has used the slogan "We'll Meet You Half-Way" in some of its advertising...
) - Duncan (Holly GroveHolly Grove, ArkansasHolly Grove is a city in Monroe County, Arkansas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 722.-Geography:Holly Grove is located at ....
) - Greenfield (FargoFargo, ArkansasFargo is a town in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 118 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fargo is located at ....
) - Hindman
- Jackson
- Keevil
- Montgomery-Smalley
- Pine Ridge
- Raymond
- Richland (part of BrinkleyBrinkley, ArkansasBrinkley is the most populous city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2000 census.It is located almost exactly half-way between Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee; the city has used the slogan "We'll Meet You Half-Way" in some of its advertising...
) - Roc Roe (RoeRoe, ArkansasRoe is a town in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 124 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Roe is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 km² , all land....
)