Lonoke () is the second most populous city in Lonoke County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...

, United States, and serves as its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

. According to 2010 United States Census, the population of the city is 4,245. It is part of the

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

– North Little Rock– Conway

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

Lonoke's history begins with the advance of Union troops through Central

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. The town of Brownsville was burned to the ground by Union forces after the retreat of Confederate forces westward to

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. After the war, it was decided by the city leaders of Brownsville that a new town should be formed by the nearby railroad so that those who wished to stay could do so. According to local legend, the town was named for a large red oak tree that was found while trees were being chopped down in order to build houses. The official name of the city was originally Lone Oak. However, due to a misprint in the ''Lonoke Democrat'' newspaper, the town's name was printed as Lonoak. Eventually, this misspelling became further misspelled as Lonoke. The town of Lonoke was very slow to grow. Lonoke maintained a sustainable population through the support of its agricultural based economy until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Because of the

baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are often ...

, Lonoke's population began to reach higher numbers. Furthermore, Lonoke became a sort of

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...

area of Little Rock due to the implementation of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

and the construction of Interstate 40. In recent years, the population of Lonoke has remained in the area of about 4,000 people. As the Little Rock metropolitan area continues to grow, Lonoke's population is expected to grow as well as Lonoke is becoming more suitable as a suburban area. Eberts Field, used by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

for pilot training during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

, was located near Lonoke.

Geography

Lonoke is in central Lonoke County, located at (34.784065, -91.900705). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (6.07%) is water.

Government

Lonoke is governed by a mayor-council form of city government, in which a mayor, other city administrators, and an eight-member city council are all regularly elected. The city is divided into eight districts (analogous to wards in other cities), each represented on the council by an alderman. In addition to the mayor, the city's clerk, treasurer, attorney and district judge are also popularly elected.

Education

The city of Lonoke lacks post secondary institutions due to its small population and rural nature. However, Lonoke does feature a public school district that includes a primary, elementary, middle, and high school. According to the National Institute for Higher Education, Lonoke High School has an average ACT score of 22. However, over 89% of the graduating class of high school from 1987 to 2007 has been accepted to an institution of higher education. Of those 89%, approximately 45% have attended

Arkansas State University Beebe Arkansas State University-Beebe (Beebe State) is a public community college in Arkansas. Campuses *Arkansas State University-Beebe *Arkansas State University-Beebe Searcy Campus *Arkansas State University-Beebe Heber Springs Campus *Arkansas S ...

. In addition to its public school system, Lonoke is home to the main campus of the Lonoke Exceptional School, which offers learning opportunities for children and adults with various developmental disabilities. The school has served Lonoke and surrounding areas since 1972; its main campus in downtown Lonoke was built in 1991. Some areas of Lonoke are served by the

Des Arc School District The Des Arc School District is a school district headquartered in Des Arc, Arkansas, United States. The district provides early childhood, elementary and secondary education from pre-kindergarten through to grade 12 in that serves the northe ...

, which leads to graduation from Des Arc High School.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,276 people, 1,676 households, and 1,075 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the 2000

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, there were 4,287 people, 1,595 households, and 1,092 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,703 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 73.29%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 23.40%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.77% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.98% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 1.84% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,595 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the living with them, 50.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.14. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,558, and the median income for a family was $44,423. Males had a median income of $34,315 versus $22,642 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $15,598. About 11.9% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 19.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Maurice Britt (1919–1995), University of Arkansas and Detroit lions football player, businessman, and decorated soldier; born in

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

but raised in Lonoke *

Ed Hamm Edward Barton Hamm (April 13, 1906 – June 25, 1982) was an American athlete, who won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, becoming the first Arkansan to win a gold medal. The ''Atlanta Jour ...

(1906–1982), track and field athlete, won gold medal in long jump at

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

* Jim Lee Howell (1914–1995), football player (Arkansas, NY Giants 1937–1947) and coach (Wagner College 1947–1953, NY Giants 1954–1960) * Paula Jones (1966–), Arkansas state employee who sued

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

for sexual harassment * James B. Reed (1881–1935), Democratic member of Arkansas House of Representatives in 1907 session and U.S. representative from 1923 to 1929 from Arkansas' former 6th congressional district * Joseph Taylor Robinson (1872–1937), U.S. Senate Majority leader and

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a ...

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pres ...

on Democratic ticket in 1928 U.S. presidential election *

Thomas Clark Trimble III Thomas Clark Trimble III (August 27, 1878 – July 6, 1965) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Education and career Born in Lonoke, Arkansas, Trimble received a Bachelo ...

(1878–1965), former federal judge *

Will Walls William Thomas Walls Jr. (December 8, 1912 – January 3, 1993) was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as an end for six seasons with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He attended North Little ...

(1912–1993), American football player

References

External links

Lonoke, Arkansas
at '' Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture''
Marjorie Walker McCrary Memorial Library
at the Lonoke County Library System {{DEFAULTSORT:Lonoke, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas Cities in Lonoke County, Arkansas 1872 establishments in Arkansas Cities in Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metropolitan area County seats in Arkansas Planned cities in the United States Populated places established in 1872