Franklin County, Arkansas: Difference between revisions
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Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Franklin County is a county in Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,097.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county has two county seats, Charleston and Ozark.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was formed on December 19, 1837, and named for Benjamin Franklin,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> American statesman. Franklin County is a damp county, with alcohol sales allowed except in Prairie & Alix townships, and limits on liquor sales in the city of Branch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
[edit]Franklin County was carved out of Crawford County in December 1837. At that time, Franklin was significantly larger than it is at present, encompassing part of present-day Logan County which was formed in 1871.
Initially, the county had a single courthouse at Ozark. To promote economic growth in the county, federal land grants were made in 1853 to incentivize the construction and operation of the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad. From receivership in 1875 after a railroad debt crisis, it was reorganized as the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railway.<ref name=LoC>Map of Franklin County, Arkansas; showing the land grant of the Little Rock & Fort Smith Railway. United States. General Land Office. Little Rock & Fort Smith R.R. Co. Published: Washington, 1893. Accessed February 3, 2022.</ref> A number of towns were established in the 1890s on the north bank of the river along its right of way. Many farmers purchased land that had been owned by the railway. After complaints about how difficult it was to cross the river at times, a second courthouse was established at Charleston for citizens in the settlements south of the river, sometime in the 1890s, probably after 1892 since "Charleston" did not appear in an 1893 railroad map in all capital letters as "OZARK" did.<ref name=LoC /> In 1906 the railway was acquired by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. In 1917 the line became a backbone of the MoPac, which merged into the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982.
The reality television show, The Simple Life, starring Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton was filmed in Altus in 2003.
As of February 2024 animal rights activists have voted Franklin County, AR most likely to support animal abusers as in the case of James Williams and Williams Plumbing with their attempts at killing a female dog and her puppies.
Geography
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Major highways
[edit]- File:I-40 (AR).svg Interstate 40
- File:US 64.svg U.S. Highway 64
- File:Arkansas 22.svg Highway 22
- File:Arkansas 23.svg Highway 23
- File:Arkansas 41.svg Highway 41
- File:Arkansas 60.svg Highway 60
- File:Arkansas 96.svg Highway 96
.svg){kind=link}
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Madison County (north)
- Johnson County (east)
- Logan County (southeast)
- Sebastian County (southwest)
- Crawford County (west)
National protected area
[edit]- Ozark National Forest (part)
Demographics
[edit]
2020 census
[edit]| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 15,201 | 88.91% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 78 | 0.46% |
| Native American | 199 | 1.16% |
| Asian | 162 | 0.95% |
| Pacific Islander | 10 | 0.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 956 | 5.59% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 491 | 2.87% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,097 people, 6,723 households, and 4,537 families residing in the county.
2000 census
[edit]As of the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 17,771 people, 6,882 households, and 4,961 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 7,673 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 96.17% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 1.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,882 households, out of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,848, and the median income for a family was $36,189. Males had a median income of $27,907 versus $18,822 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,616. About 10.60% of families and 15.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over. Template:Clear left
Government
[edit]Government
[edit]The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas 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 Franklin County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief operating 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Position | Officeholder | Party |
|---|---|---|
| County Judge | Rickey Bowman | Republican |
| County Clerk | Tammy Sisson | Republican |
| Circuit Clerk | Janice King | Republican |
| Sheriff | Johnny Crocker | Republican |
| Treasurer | Shelly Wilson | Democratic |
| Collector | Margaret Hamilton | Republican |
| Assessor | Rose McKinnon | Republican |
| Coroner | Casey White | Democratic |
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 6 Republicans, 1 Democrat, and 1 Independent. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
- District 1: Roy Day (R)
- District 2: Freddy Ree (D)
- District 3: David L. Bowles Sr. (R)
- District 4: Vacant
- District 5: Dennis Fisher (R)
- District 6: Brian Lachowski (R)
- District 7: Gary O'Neal (R)
- District 8: Luke Verkamp (R)
- District 9: Lacey Neissl Clark (I)
Additionally, the townships of Franklin 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref name=":0" />
- Boston: Doug L. Gilliam (I)
- Hogan: H.R. Holloway (R)
- Mill Creek: Wesley Ryan Keeton (I)
- Mountain: Greg Beard (R)
- Prairie: Brandon Hendrix (R)
- White Oak: Orla Larsen (R)
- Wittich: Timothy O'Neal (R)
Politics
[edit]Over the past few election cycles, Franklin County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry this county was Arkansas native Bill Clinton in 1996. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
Communities
[edit]Cities
[edit]- Altus
- Branch
- Charleston (county seat)
- Ozark (county seat)
- Wiederkehr Village
Town
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]Ghost towns
[edit]Townships
[edit]Template:Arkansas Townships About <ref>Template:Cite map</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Alix (part of Wiederkehr Village)
- Barham
- Black Oak
- Boston
- Cobb
- Cravens
- Donald (most of Branch)
- Grover
- Hogan (Altus, Denning, part of Wiederkehr Village)
- Hurricane
- Ivy
- Limestone
- McIlroy
- Middle
- Mill Creek
- Miller
- Morgan
- Mountain
- Mulberry
- Prairie (Charleston, small part of Branch)
- Shores
- Six Mile
- Walker
- Wallace
- Watalula
- Weaver
- White Oak (Ozark, most of Wiederkehr Village)
- White Rock
- Wittich
Education
[edit]School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>
- Charleston School District
- County Line School District
- Huntsville School District
- Jasper School District
- Mulberry School District
- Ozark School District
See also
[edit]- List of lakes in Franklin County, Arkansas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Franklin County, Arkansas
- Gary Stubblefield
References
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Shropshire, Lola. Franklin County, Arkansas: Images of America, Arcadia Publishing, 128 pages, Aug 2000 Template:ISBN