Independence County, Arkansas
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Independence County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,938. The
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is Batesville. Independence County is Arkansas's ninth county, formed on October 20, 1820, from a portion of Lawrence County and named in commemoration of the
Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...
. It is an alcohol prohibition or
dry county In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties n ...
. The Batesville, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Independence County.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water.


List of highways

* U.S. Highway 167 * Arkansas Highway 14 * Arkansas Highway 25 *
Arkansas Highway 37 Arkansas Highway 37 (AR 37) is a designation for three state highways in Arkansas. One segment of runs from Highway 17 north of McCrory north to Highway 14 in Amagon. A second segment of runs from Highway 14 east of Amagon north to Highw ...
* Arkansas Highway 69 * Arkansas Highway 69 Business * Arkansas Highway 87 * Arkansas Highway 106 *
Arkansas Highway 122 Arkansas Highway 122 (AR 122, Hwy. 122) is an east–west state highway in Independence County, Arkansas. The route of runs from Highway 14 near Oil Trough north and east through Newark to Highway 25 near Cord. Route description AR& ...
* Arkansas Highway 157 * Arkansas Highway 230 * Arkansas Highway 233 * Arkansas Highway 333 *
Arkansas Highway 367 Arkansas Highway 367 (AR 367) is a designation for two List of state highways in Arkansas, state highways in Arkansas. One segment of runs from U.S. Route 167, U.S. Route 167 (US 167) at East End, Arkansas, East End north t ...
* Arkansas Highway 394


Adjacent counties

* Sharp County (north) * Lawrence County (northeast) * Jackson County (east) * White County (south) * Cleburne County (southwest) * Stone County (west) * Izard County (northwest)


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 37,938 people, 14,322 households, and 9,929 families residing in the county.


2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 34,233 people, 13,467 households, and 9,669 families residing in the county. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was . There were 14,841 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.91% White, 2.04% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 1.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 13,467 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% 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 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.50% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,920, and the median income for a family was $38,444. Males had a median income of $27,284 versus $20,086 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $16,163. About 9.90% of families and 13.00% 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 16.10% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.


Government and politics


Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the
Constitution of Arkansas The Constitution of Arkansas is the Constitution, primary organizing law for the U.S. state of Arkansas delineating the duties, powers, structures, and functions of the Politics and government of Arkansas, state government. Arkansas' original ...
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 Independence County Quorum Court has eleven members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive 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. The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 11 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are: * District 1: Timothy Stewart (R) of Batesville. * District 2: Johnny McMullin (R) of Locust Grove. * District 3: Brent Henderson (R) of Pleasant Plains. * District 4: Charles Bradley Covington (R) of Batesville. * District 5: Bill Lindsey (R) of Newark. * District 6: Tammy Pearce (R) of Batesville. * District 7: Jason W. Jones (R) of Batesville. * District 8: Kenny Hurley (R) of Cushman. * District 9: Johnathan Abbott (R) of Batesville. * District 10: Charles Jordan (R) of Batesville. * District 11: Dennis Stephens (R) of Batesville. Additionally, the townships of Independence County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the Constitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are: * Barren: Barry E. Wilkes (R) * Big Bottom-Wycough-Logan: Jeffrey Tate (R) * Cushman-Union: Gary Franks (R) * Dota: Ronald Laslo (R) * Greenbrier: Aaron Moody (R) * Hill: Joe Shaw (R) * Liberty: Billy E. Meeks (R) * McHue: Anthony Mesa (R) * Moorefield: Michael Mundy (R) * Rosie: Chad Webb (R) * Ruddell: Brenda Bittle (R) * Salado: David H. Payne (R) * Washington: Stephen Davis (R)


Politics

Over the past few election cycles Independence County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.


Communities


Cities

* Batesville (county seat) * Cave City * Cushman * Newark * Southside


Towns

* Magness * Moorefield * Oil Trough * Pleasant Plains * Sulphur Rock


Census-designated places

* Bethesda * Desha *
Floral Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants (Flowering plant, angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls in ...
* Salado


Other unincorporated communities

* Antioch (Independence County) * Cedar Grove * Charlotte * Cord * Dota * Gainsboro * Jamestown * Limedale * Locust Grove * McHue * Pfeiffer * Rosie * Sandtown * Thida * Walnut Grove


Townships

* Ashley * Barren (contains part of Cave City) * Big Bottom-Wycough-Logan Township (contains Newark) * Black River-Marshell * Cushman-Union (contains Cushman) * Departee *
Dota ''Dota'' is a series of strategy video games. The series began in 2003 with the release of ''Defense of the Ancients'' (''DotA''), a fan-developed multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) custom map for the video game ''Warcraft III: Reign of Ch ...
* Fairview (contains Pleasant Plains) * Gainsboro * Greenbrier *
Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...
* Huff * Jefferson *
Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
* McHue (contains part of Batesville) * Magness (contains Magness) * Moorefield (contains Moorefield, part of Batesville) * Oil Trough (contains Oil Trough) *
Relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
* Rosie * Ruddell (contains most of Batesville) * Salado * Washington * White River (contains Sulphur Rock) Source:


See also

* List of lakes in Independence County, Arkansas * James Sturch, state representative for Independence County * National Register of Historic Places listings in Independence County, Arkansas


References

{{authority control 1820 establishments in Arkansas Territory Populated places established in 1820