O'Kean is a town in

Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States: *Randolph County, Alabama *Randolph County, Arkansas *Randolph County, Georgia *Randolph County, Illinois *Randolph County, Indiana *Randolph County, Missouri *Randolph County, Nort ...

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 Osage ...

, United States. The population was 192 at the 2020 census.

History

O’Kean was settled before the Civil War, and is named for the priest of the St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Father James O’Kean, who frequently stopped in the community en route to nearby

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

. With the construction of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway in the 1870s, O’Kean expanded rapidly. A

railroad tie A railroad tie, crosstie (American English), railway tie (Canadian English) or railway sleeper (Australian and British English) is a rectangular support for the rails in railroad tracks. Generally laid perpendicular to the rails, ties transfer ...

manufacturing operation was among the businesses established in the city during the period. O’Kean incorporated in 1913.

Geography

O'Kean is bordered by Greene County to the east, and one mile north of Lawrence County. The town is concentrated around the intersection of

Arkansas Highway 90 Arkansas Highway 90 (AR 90, Ark. 90, and Hwy. 90) is an east–west state highway in northeast Arkansas. The route of runs from Main Street in Ravenden to Route 84 at the Missouri state line. The route is an entirely undivided surface highway t ...

and

Arkansas Highway 34 Highway 34 (AR 34, Ark. 34, and Hwy. 34) is an east–west state highway in the Upper Arkansas Delta. The route of begins at US Highway 412 (US 412) and U.S. Route 67 Business (US 67B). The route is maintained by the A ...

, southeast of

. 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. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of 2.6 km (1.0 mi²), all land.

List Of Highways

Highway 34 * Highway 90

Demographics

As of the

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 201 people, 85 households, and 58 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 77.6/km (200.5/mi²). There were 93 housing units at an average density of 35.9/km (92.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.52%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.50%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, and 2.99% from two or more races. 0.50% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 85 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% 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, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,688, and the median income for a family was $35,208. Males had a median income of $16,667 versus $16,750 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 town was $11,342. About 22.6% of families and 24.3% 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 t ...

, including 34.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.5% of those 65 or over.

Education

The town of O'Kean, along with a portion of southeast Randolph County, is located within the

Greene County Tech School District Greene County Technical School District (Greene County Tech.) is a public school district based in Paragould, Arkansas, United States. The school district encompasses of land, including portions of Greene County, Randolph County, Craighead C ...

. The zoned schools are in

Paragould Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anomaly contained within the Arkansas delta ...

, and

Greene County Tech High School Greene County Tech High School (GCTHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in Paragould, Arkansas, United States. It is one of two public high schools in Greene County, Arkansas, along with cross-town rival Paragould High School, and is ...

is the local high school. It was previously served by the O'Kean School District which had elementary and high school facilities. The

Delaplaine School District Delaplaine School District was a school district headquartered in Delaplaine, Arkansas. It served Delaplaine, O'Kean, and Peach Orchard. It was administratively divided between an elementary school (Delaplaine Elementary School) and a high schoo ...

absorbed the O'Kean district, including the elementary school, and O'Kean High School closed. In 1962 Delaplaine Elementary School took responsibility for elementary education as the O'Kean Elementary School was shuttered. Therefore when the Delaplaine district was in operation, students attended Delaplaine Elementary and

Delaplaine High School Delaplaine High School was a middle school and senior high school in Delaplaine, Arkansas. It was initially controlled by the Delaplaine School District, which merged into the Greene County Tech School District on July 1, 2004.

. On July 1, 2004 the Delaplaine district merged into the

.ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls
"

Arkansas Department of Education 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 Osage ...

. Retrieved on April 25, 2018. In 2007 the Greene County district closed Delaplaine Schools and redirected O'Kean students to the campuses in Paragould.

References

{{authority control Towns in Randolph County, Arkansas Towns in Arkansas