Little River County, Arkansas

History

Little River County is Arkansas's 59th county, formed from Sevier County on March 5, 1867, and named for the Little River. The county is separated from all other surrounding counties in the state by water (a characteristic shared only with neighboring Miller County), with the Little River, Millwood Lake and the Red River forming the boundaries of the county within the state.

Little River County is also one of several dry counties within the state of Arkansas, prohibiting the sale of alcohol.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 565 square miles (1,460 km²), of which 532 square miles (1,380 km²) is land and 33 square miles (85 km²) (5.8%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Arkansas by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 13,628 people, 5,465 households, and 3,912 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 6,435 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.52% White, 21.27% Black or African American, 1.45% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 1.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,465 households out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,417, and the median income for a family was $36,207. Males had a median income of $32,489 versus $18,435 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,899. About 11.90% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 17.80% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Townships

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Little River County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

Notable people