Crawford County, Arkansas

Crawford County is a county located in the Ozarks region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,948, making it the 12th-most populous of Arkansas's 75 counties.[1] The county seat and largest city is Van Buren.[2] 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.[3]

Crawford County
U.S. county
Crawford County Courthouse within the Van Buren Historic District
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°34′00″N 94°15′00″W
Country United States
State Arkansas
Named forWilliam H. Crawford
SeatVan Buren
Largest cityVan Buren
Area
 • Total604 sq mi (1,560 km2)
 • Land593 sq mi (1,540 km2)
 • Water11 sq mi (30 km2)  1.8%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total61,948
 • Estimate 
(2019)
63,257
 • Density100/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts3rd, 4th
Websitewww.crawford-county.org

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 604 square miles (1,560 km2), of which 593 square miles (1,540 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.8%) is water.[4]

Major highways

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 utilize portions of I-49 which 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.

Adjacent counties

National protected area
  • Ozark National Forest (part)

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18302,440—
18404,26674.8%
18507,96086.6%
18607,850−1.4%
18708,95714.1%
188014,74064.6%
189021,71447.3%
190021,270−2.0%
191023,94212.6%
192025,7397.5%
193022,549−12.4%
194023,9206.1%
195022,727−5.0%
196021,318−6.2%
197025,67720.4%
198036,89243.7%
199042,49315.2%
200053,24725.3%
201061,94816.3%
Est. 201963,257[5]2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2016[1]

As of the 2000 census,[10] there were 53,247 people, 19,702 households, and 15,150 families residing in the county. The population density was 35/km² (89/mi²). There were 21,315 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (36/mi²). 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. 3.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,702 households out of which 37.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.10% were non-families. 20.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,871, and the median income 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 10.90% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 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 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.

Government

Crawford county is a GOP stronghold. Not even former governor and native Arkansan Bill Clinton was able to carry Crawford county in either of his presidential victories. The last Democrat (as of 2016) to carry this county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Presidential elections results
Crawford County, Arkansas
vote by party in presidential elections [11]
Year GOP Dem Others
2016 74.33% 16,686 19.99% 4,488 5.68% 1,276
2012 73.55% 15,145 23.70% 4,881 2.74% 565
2008 71.54% 14,688 25.51% 5,238 2.95% 606
2004 65.64% 13,391 33.16% 6,764 1.21% 246
2000 61.30% 10,804 35.68% 6,288 3.03% 533
1996 45.42% 7,182 42.68% 6,749 11.90% 1,883
1992 42.57% 6,882 41.18% 6,656 16.25% 2,627
1988 70.85% 9,092 27.91% 3,582 1.23% 158
1984 75.20% 9,551 24.18% 3,071 0.62% 79
1980 66.22% 8,542 30.61% 3,948 3.17% 409
1976 44.48% 4,764 55.52% 5,946
1972 81.41% 6,974 17.74% 1,520 0.84% 72
1968 37.73% 2,723 21.86% 1,578 40.41% 2,917
1964 48.07% 3,294 51.62% 3,537 0.31% 21
1960 57.10% 3,373 41.14% 2,430 1.76% 104
1956 52.88% 3,090 46.60% 2,723 0.51% 30
1952 52.80% 2,782 47.01% 2,477 0.19% 10
1948 33.94% 1,002 58.60% 1,730 7.46% 220
1944 39.87% 1,141 59.47% 1,702 0.66% 19
1940 29.81% 691 68.21% 1,581 1.98% 46
1936 26.09% 697 73.47% 1,963 0.45% 12
1932 21.16% 809 77.46% 2,962 1.39% 53
1928 47.21% 1,559 52.79% 1,743 0.00% 0
1924 34.23% 996 49.66% 1,445 16.12% 469
1920 44.06% 1,497 54.77% 1,861 1.18% 40
1916 42.42% 1,195 57.58% 1,622 0.00% 0
1912 21.65% 407 51.54% 969 26.81% 504
1908 43.49% 1,339 53.95% 1,661 2.57% 79
1904 49.97% 941 46.47% 875 3.56% 67
1900 41.78% 1,060 57.11% 1,449 1.10% 28
1896 40.98% 1,311 58.46% 1,870 0.56% 18

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated community

Townships

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 Crawford County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. [12][13]

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 95.
  4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  5. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2010-2018". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  8. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  11. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  12. 2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Crawford County, AR (PDF) (Map). U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  13. "Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 27, 2014.

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