O'Kean is a town in Randolph 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. 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, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

. 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 trans ...

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 ...

and

Arkansas Highway 34 Arkansas Highway 34 (AR 34) is a designation for two state highways in the Upper Arkansas Delta. One segment of runs from US 412B in Walnut Ridge east to Highway 135 in Oak Grove Heights. A second segment of runs from Highway 135 in Lafe ...

, southeast of

. 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 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 (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 ...

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

, 0.50%

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 ...

, and 2.99% from two or more races. 0.50% 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 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 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, 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 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 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 ...

, 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. The zoned schools are in Paragould, 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 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 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 Greene County Tech School District.ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls
"

Arkansas Department of Education The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) is a cabinet-level agency of the Arkansas state government overseeing public education for K-12, higher education institutions, and career and technical education. The ADE also contains the Arkansas ...

. 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