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Sebastian 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 127,799, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arkansas. The county has two
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 ...
s, Greenwood and Fort Smith. Sebastian County is part of the Fort Smith, AR- OK Metropolitan Statistical Area.


History

Sebastian County is Arkansas's 56th county, formed on January 6, 1851, and named for William K. Sebastian ,
United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from Arkansas.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.6%) is water. It is the second-smallest county by area in Arkansas.


Major highways

*
Interstate 49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...
* Interstate 540 * U.S. Highway 64 * U.S. Highway 71 * U.S. Highway 271 * State Route 10 * State Route 22 * State Route 45 * State Route 59 * State Route 96


Adjacent counties

* Crawford County (north) * Franklin County (east) *
Logan County Logan County is the name of ten current counties and one former county in the United States: * Logan County, Arkansas * Logan County, Colorado * Logan County, Idaho (1889–1895) * Logan County, Illinois * Logan County, Kansas * Logan County ...
(southeast) * Scott County (south) * Le Flore County,
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
(southwest) * Sequoyah County,
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
(northwest)


National protected areas

*
Fort Smith National Historic Site Fort Smith National Historic Site is a National Historic Site (United States), National Historic Site located in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Fort Smith, Arkansas, along the Arkansas River. The first fort at this site was established by the United Sta ...
(part) *
Ouachita National Forest The Ouachita National Forest is a vast congressionally-designated United States National Forest, National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of extreme-eastern Oklahoma, USA. History The Ouachita National Forest is ...
(part)


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 127,799 people, 51,384 households, and 32,517 families residing in the county.


2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 115,071 people, 45,300 households, and 30,713 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 49,311 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 82.34%
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 ...
, 6.16%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 1.57% Native American, 3.51% 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 ...
, 3.71% from other races, and 2.67% from two or more races. 6.70% 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. 19.6% were of American, 12.9099999996%
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, 11.0% Irish and 9.0% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 5.49% reported speaking
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
at home, while 1.47% speak Vietnamese and 0.97% Lao. In 2000 there were 45,300 households, out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% 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, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.20% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,889, and the median income for a family was $41,303. Males had a median income of $30,056 versus $22,191 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 $18,424. About 10.40% of families and 13.60% 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 18.60% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over. As of 2010 census the population of Sebastian County was 125,744. The racial makeup of the county was 72.83% Non-Hispanic white, 6.24% Non-Hispanic black, 1.88% Native American, 4.06% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.07% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 2.78% Non-Hispanics reporting two or more races and 12.82% Hispanics.


Government


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 Sebastian County Quorum Court has thirteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the ''county judge'', who serves as the
chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...
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 9 Republicans and 4 Democrats. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are: * District 1: Johnny Hobbs (R) * District 2: Jackie Davis (R) * District 3: Shawn Looper (R) * District 4: James W. Butler (R) * District 5: John Spradlin (R) * District 6: Danny Wayne Aldridge (R) * District 7: Kenneth Williamson (R) * District 8: Valeria J. Robinson (D) * District 9: Rhonda Royal (D) * District 10: Dickie Robertson (D) * District 11: Jerry Ward (D) * District 12: Tommy Camp (R) * District 13: Lorrie A. Runion (R) Additionally, the townships of Sebastian County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth 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 ...
. 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: * District 1: Charlie Carpenter (R) * District 2: Steve Wiley (R) * District 4: William Justin Hayes (R) * Upper Township: Paul Foley (R)


Politics

Whereas most of Arkansas was overwhelmingly blue up to the mid-2000s, Sebastian has been a solidly Republican county at the presidential level since
Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
won it in 1952. Since that election, no Democrat has ever again carried this county, though native son
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, ...
came within less than 1,000 votes of doing so during both of his campaigns.
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
is the only other Democrat to come reasonably close to winning the county. However, Democrats continued to split most local offices and state legislative seats with Republicans well into the 1990s. While Fort Smith has elected Democratic mayors and still elects some Democrats to the state legislature, the rest of the county is powerfully Republican.


Education

Public education is provided by several school districts (listed below from largest to smallest): * Fort Smith School District * Greenwood School District * Lavaca School District *
Hackett School District Hackett School District (HSD) is a school district based in Hackett, Arkansas, Education in the United States, United States. HSD supports more than 600 students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and employs approximately 100 educators and sta ...
* Hartford School District


Communities


Cities

* Barling *
Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...
* Fort Smith (county seat) * Greenwood (county seat) * Hackett *
Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
* Huntington * Lavaca *
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...


Towns

* Central City * Midland


Townships

* Bass Little (some of Greenwood) * Big Creek ( Lavaca) * Beverly * Bloomer * Center (most of Greenwood) * Cole ( Hackett) * Dayton * Diamond ( Huntington) * Fort Chafee UT (part of Barling, part of Fort Smith) * Hartford (
Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
) * Island * Jim Fork ( Midland) * Lon Norris (part of Fort Smith) * Marion (
Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...
, small part of Fort Smith) * Mississippi * Mont Sandels ( Central City, most of Barling) * Prairie * Rogers * Sugarloaf (part of
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
) * Upper (most of Fort Smith) * Washburn * White Oak


Notable people

* John Sebastian Little, member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...
and the 21st
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of 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 ...
* Mathew Pitsch, Republican member of the
Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...
for Sebastian County


See also

* List of lakes in Sebastian County, Arkansas *
National Register of Historic Places listings in Sebastian County, Arkansas National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...


References


External links


Sebastian County, Arkansas
entry on the
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 ...

Sebastian County official website
{{authority control 1851 establishments in Arkansas Populated places established in 1851 Fort Smith metropolitan area