Newton County, Arkansas

County in Arkansas, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Newton County, Arkansasmap

Newton County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,225.[1] The county seat is Jasper.[2] Newton County is Arkansas's 46th county, formed on December 14, 1842, and named for Thomas W. Newton, an Arkansas Congressman.

Quick Facts Country, State ...
Newton County
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Clockwise from top: Boxley Valley, Hawksbill Crag, the Ozark Mountains in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness, Twin/Triple Falls at Camp Orr Boy Scout Camp, and the Newton County Courthouse in Jasper (center)
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Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
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Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°56′08″N 93°13′19″W
Country United States
State Arkansas
FoundedDecember 14, 1842
Named afterThomas Willoughby Newton
SeatJasper
Largest cityJasper
Area
  Total
823 sq mi (2,130 km2)
  Land821 sq mi (2,130 km2)
  Water2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
7,225
  Estimate 
(2023)
7,071
  Density8.8/sq mi (3.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district4th
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Newton County is part of the Harrison, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area.

It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.[3]

History

Newton County residents were divided during the Civil War, serving in both the Confederate and Union armies. John Cecil, who had served as Newton County's sheriff, served as a Confederate Captain. Jasper blacksmith James R. Vanderpool (ca. 1832–1880) served as Captain of Union Company C, 1st Regiment Arkansas Infantry Volunteers, while farmer and teacher John McCoy (1820–1903) served as Captain of Union Company F, 1st Regiment Arkansas Infantry Volunteers. Many Newton County citizens served under each of these men, as well as in other units. As an example of how the war divided families, Confederate Captain Cecil's brother, Sam, served as a sergeant in Union Company D, 2nd Regiment Arkansas Cavalry Volunteers. Violence took a severe toll on the civilian population, and at one point, Captains McCoy and Vanderpool escorted 20 wagons of Unionist families from Newton County to Missouri to seek refuge.[4]

Geography

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Low Gap community within the Boston Mountains along Highway 74

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 823 square miles (2,130 km2), of which 821 square miles (2,130 km2) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) (0.3%) is water.[5]

Newton County lies almost entirely within the rugged Boston Mountain range of the Ozark Mountains where elevations exceed 2,500 feet (760 m). The Buffalo National River, a popular destination for canoeing and recreation, runs through the county from west to east. Highway 7, which traverses the county from north to south, has been rated as one of the most scenic drives in the country.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Summarize
Perspective
More information Census, Pop. ...
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18501,758
18603,39393.0%
18704,37428.9%
18806,12039.9%
18909,95062.6%
190012,53826.0%
191010,612−15.4%
192011,1995.5%
193010,564−5.7%
194010,8813.0%
19508,685−20.2%
19605,963−31.3%
19705,844−2.0%
19807,75632.7%
19907,666−1.2%
20008,60812.3%
20108,330−3.2%
20207,225−13.3%
2023 (est.)7,071[6]−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9]
1990–2000[10] 2010[11]
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Age pyramid Newton County[12]

2020 census

More information Race, Number ...
Newton County racial composition[13]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 6,658 92.15%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 6 0.08%
Native American 66 0.91%
Asian 24 0.33%
Pacific Islander 1 0.01%
Other/Mixed 388 5.37%
Hispanic or Latino 82 1.13%
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As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,225 people, 2,936 households, and 1,800 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census,[14] there were 8,608 people, 3,500 households, and 2,495 families residing in the county. The population density was 4/km2 (10/sq mi), one of the most sparse among county populations in Arkansas. There were 4,316 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (1.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 99.29% White, 0.00% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,500 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 27.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,756, and the median income for a family was $30,134. Males had a median income of $22,406 versus $17,654 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,788. About 15.70% of families and 20.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.80% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Native residents of Newton County were interviewed in 1970 for research being done by a doctoral student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. A Ph.D. degree was awarded to Bethany K. Dumas in May 1971 after she completed "A Study of the Dialect of Newton County, Arkansas." Results are discussed in two of her published articles/chapters: "The Morphology of Newton County, Arkansas: An Exercise in Studying Ozark Dialect," Mid–South Folklore 3 (1975), 115–125, and "Southern Mountain English" Chapter 5 of The Workings of Language, ed. R. S. Wheeler, Westport, CT, and London: Praeger, 1999, 67–79.

Government

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Courtroom interior at the Newton County Courthouse

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 Newton County Quorum Court has nine 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.[15][16]

Politics

Along with adjacent Searcy County, Newton is unique among Arkansas counties in being traditionally Republican in political leanings even during the overwhelmingly Democratic "Solid South" era. This Republicanism resulted from their historical paucity of slaves, in turn created by infertile soils unsuitable for intensive cotton farming, and produced support for the Union during the Civil War.[citation needed] These were the only two counties in Arkansas to be won by Alf Landon in 1936,[17] Wendell Willkie in 1940, Charles Evans Hughes in 1916, and even Calvin Coolidge in 1924. Since the Civil War the only Democrats to gain an absolute majority of Newton County's vote have been Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and Jimmy Carter in 1976.[18] In 2008, the Socialism and Liberation candidate, Gloria La Riva, had the notable achievement of winning the precinct of Murray, ahead of major party candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.[19] The Republican nominee has received over sixty percent in all Presidential elections from 2000 to 2020 inclusive.[20] In 2016, Newton County voted over 76 percent for Donald Trump, while Hillary Clinton received just 18 percent.

The county is in Arkansas's 1st congressional district, which from Reconstruction until 2010 sent only Democrats to the U.S. House. That year, it elected Republican Rick Crawford, who currently holds the seat as to date. In the Arkansas House of Representatives Newton County is represented by Steven Walker. The state senator, Missy Thomas Irvin, is also a Republican.

More information Year, Republican ...
United States presidential election results for Newton County, Arkansas[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.%No.%No.%
2024 3,063 81.25% 644 17.08% 63 1.67%
2020 3,192 79.84% 709 17.73% 97 2.43%
2016 2,875 76.61% 699 18.63% 179 4.77%
2012 2,508 68.51% 993 27.12% 160 4.37%
2008 2,588 65.35% 1,182 29.85% 190 4.80%
2004 2,779 63.48% 1,506 34.40% 93 2.12%
2000 2,529 64.40% 1,205 30.69% 193 4.91%
1996 1,927 46.39% 1,631 39.26% 596 14.35%
1992 1,730 41.75% 1,765 42.59% 649 15.66%
1988 2,504 62.00% 1,489 36.87% 46 1.14%
1984 2,749 65.88% 1,414 33.88% 10 0.24%
1980 2,423 60.08% 1,436 35.61% 174 4.31%
1976 1,611 46.68% 1,840 53.32% 0 0.00%
1972 1,924 69.84% 831 30.16% 0 0.00%
1968 1,467 50.83% 852 29.52% 567 19.65%
1964 1,357 49.01% 1,374 49.62% 38 1.37%
1960 1,814 67.51% 844 31.41% 29 1.08%
1956 1,481 63.95% 832 35.92% 3 0.13%
1952 1,728 60.89% 1,107 39.01% 3 0.11%
1948 879 50.29% 848 48.51% 21 1.20%
1944 934 56.61% 710 43.03% 6 0.36%
1940 1,392 53.17% 1,202 45.91% 24 0.92%
1936 1,053 52.89% 938 47.11% 0 0.00%
1932 540 35.76% 941 62.32% 29 1.92%
1928 1,316 70.87% 533 28.70% 8 0.43%
1924 578 61.23% 298 31.57% 68 7.20%
1920 828 60.26% 486 35.37% 60 4.37%
1916 675 55.10% 550 44.90% 0 0.00%
1912 285 34.67% 290 35.28% 247 30.05%
1908 582 58.26% 377 37.74% 40 4.00%
1904 645 68.47% 280 29.72% 17 1.80%
1900 690 60.74% 443 39.00% 3 0.26%
1896 733 52.21% 659 46.94% 12 0.85%
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Attractions

24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell (24HHH) is an annual rock-climbing competition held at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Newton County.[22] Using difficulty ratings based on the Yosemite Decimal System, teams of two attempt to climb as many routes as possible in 24 hours. The sandstone walls of the canyon has over 411 established routes. The event was first held in 2006, and was rated by Climbing magazine as one of the most difficult endurance events in the nation.[23][24]

Communities

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City

Town

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Townships

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Townships in Newton 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 Newton County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. [25][26]

More information Township, FIPS code ...
Township FIPS code ANSI code
(GNIS ID)
Population
center(s)
Pop.
(2010)
Pop.
density
(/mi2)
Pop.
density
(/km2)
Total area
(mi2)
Total area
(km2)
Land area
(mi2)
Land area
(km2)
Water area
(mi2)
Water area
(km2)
Geographic coordinates
Big Creek 05-90270 00069672 244 4.97 1.92 49.135127.3 49.084127.1 0.0510.1321 35.870031°N 93.078980°W / 35.870031; -93.078980
Boston 05-90417 00069673 65 2.03 0.79 31.96582.79 31.94782.74 0.0180.04662 35.802293°N 93.486503°W / 35.802293; -93.486503
Grove 05-91545 00069674 Western Grove 907 26.04 10.06 34.97990.60 34.82590.20 0.1540.3989 36.037719°N 92.970012°W / 36.037719; -92.970012
Hasty 05-91641 00069675 268 14.09 5.44 19.12349.53 19.01449.25 0.1090.2823 35.999647°N 93.036620°W / 35.999647; -93.036620
Hickory Grove 05-91695 00069676 129 7.60 2.93 16.98944.00 16.98043.98 0.0090.02331 35.839875°N 93.281762°W / 35.839875; -93.281762
Hudson 05-91788 00069677 327 17.33 6.69 18.95149.08 18.87348.88 0.0780.2020 35.936140°N 93.242629°W / 35.936140; -93.242629
Jackson 05-91872 00069678 Jasper 1,620 27.19 10.50 59.933155.2 59.573154.3 0.3600.9324 36.002703°N 93.180608°W / 36.002703; -93.180608
Jefferson 05-91941 00069679 284 3.54 1.37 80.396208.2 80.312208.0 0.0840.2176 35.817879°N 93.379476°W / 35.817879; -93.379476
Jones 05-91995 00069680 29 1.19 0.46 24.42963.27 24.41063.22 0.0190.04921 35.744590°N 92.994921°W / 35.744590; -92.994921
Kentucky 05-92031 00069681 60 1.49 0.58 40.325104.4 40.222104.2 0.1030.2668 35.885138°N 93.442773°W / 35.885138; -93.442773
Lincoln 05-92211 00069682 248 17.32 6.69 14.32937.11 14.31937.09 0.0100.02590 35.886049°N 93.270498°W / 35.886049; -93.270498
Low Gap 05-92295 00069683 268 11.45 4.42 23.48760.83 23.39760.60 0.0900.2331 36.032597°N 93.308932°W / 36.032597; -93.308932
Marble Falls 05-92373 02406958 932 15.86 6.12 59.044152.9 58.751152.2 0.2930.7589 36.078548°N 93.151902°W / 36.078548; -93.151902
Murray 05-92655 00069685 172 10.30 3.98 16.73243.34 16.69643.24 0.0360.09324 35.944909°N 93.327241°W / 35.944909; -93.327241
Osage 05-92772 00069686 238 7.62 2.94 31.28581.03 31.22180.86 0.0640.1658 36.087078°N 93.417719°W / 36.087078; -93.417719
Pleasant Hill 05-92919 00069687 386 5.27 2.04 73.285189.8 73.176189.5 0.1090.2823 35.796427°N 93.228082°W / 35.796427; -93.228082
Plumlee 05-92928 00069688 223 8.71 3.36 25.76766.74 25.60866.32 0.1590.4118 36.079286°N 93.305643°W / 36.079286; -93.305643
Polk 05-92949 00069689 224 4.64 1.79 48.347125.2 48.295125.1 0.0520.1347 35.894152°N 92.990789°W / 35.894152; -92.990789
Ponca 05-92958 00069690 158 8.70 3.36 18.25347.28 18.15547.02 0.0980.2538 36.025099°N 93.380959°W / 36.025099; -93.380959
Prairie 05-93006 00069691 252 14.77 5.70 17.07744.23 17.06444.20 0.0130.03367 36.066934°N 93.023884°W / 36.066934; -93.023884
Richland 05-93150 00069692 281 5.81 2.24 48.386125.3 48.335125.2 0.0510.1321 35.756678°N 93.107967°W / 35.756678; -93.107967
Van Buren 05-93774 00069694 185 5.32 2.05 34.88590.35 34.76490.04 0.1210.3134 35.952003°N 93.422449°W / 35.952003; -93.422449
White 05-93990 00069696 830 23.14 8.93 36.08693.46 35.87692.92 0.2100.5439 35.947124°N 93.106975°W / 35.947124; -93.106975
Source: "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: County Subdivisions in Arkansas". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014.

Source: "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division.

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Infrastructure

Major highways

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Highway 21 in Boxley Valley in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness

See also

References

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