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

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 ...

, 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

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

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

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North Little Rock North Little Rock (often abbreviated "NLR") is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Located on the north side of the Arkansas River, it is the twin city of Little Rock. In the late nineteenth century, it was annexed by Little Ro ...

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Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

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

. 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Because of the

baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of births. This demography, demographic phenomenon is usually an ascribed characteristic within the population of a specific nationality, nation or culture. Baby booms are caused by various ...

, 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. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

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, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

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 A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

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 primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

for pilot training during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

, was located near Lonoke.

Geography

Lonoke is in central Lonoke County. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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

By 1879, the town of Lonoke had grown large enough to recognize the need for free public education. Since the state provided only limited funding, the citizens of Lonoke raised an additional $10,000 through private contributions. Together with the state funds, this money made it possible to start a free public school in the town, offering classes for ten months each year. 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. 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.

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 (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, 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 lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 23.40%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

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

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

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

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 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, 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 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 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 Maurice Lee "Footsie" Britt (June 29, 1919 – November 26, 1995) was an American military officer, businessman, and politician. He played professional football for the Detroit Lions in 1941 before entering active service with the U.S. Army duri ...

(1919–1995), football player, businessman, and decorated soldier; raised in Lonoke * Ed Hamm (1906–1982), track and field athlete, gold medal winner

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

* Jim Lee Howell (1914–1995), football player (NY Giants 1937–1947) and coach *

Paula Jones Paula Corbin Jones (born Paula Rosalee Corbin; September 17, 1966) is an American civil servant. A former Arkansas state employee, Jones sued United States President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment in 1994. In the initial lawsuit, Jones accus ...

(1966–), Arkansas state employee who sued

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

for sexual harassment * James B. Reed (1881–1935),

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from 1923 to 1929 *

Joseph Taylor Robinson Joseph Taylor Robinson (August 26, 1872 – July 14, 1937) was an American politician who served as United States Senate, United States Senator from Arkansas from 1913 to 1937, serving for four years as Party leaders of the United States Senate, ...

(1872–1937), U.S. Senate Majority leader and

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...

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 pre ...

* Thomas Clark Trimble III (1878–1965), former federal judge * Will Walls (1912–1993), American football player * Casey Martin (baseball) (1999–), baseball player

References

External links

Lonoke, Arkansas
at ''

Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of information abou ...

''
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 communities in Arkansas Populated places established in 1872