Nevada County, Arkansas

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Nevada County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,310, less than half of its peak in 1920.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Prescott.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Nevada County is Arkansas's 63rd county, formed during the Reconstruction era on March 20, 1871, from portions of Hempstead, Ouachita and Columbia counties. It was named after the state of Nevada because of the perceived similarity between their physical shapes; the Arkansas county's shape, inverted, roughly follows the same outline as the state's boundary. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

History

This area was historically occupied by members of the Caddoan Confederacy, whose territory extended into present-day Texas and Louisiana. They settled along the waterways, using them for transportation and fishing. Colonial French and later European-American settlers also took over lands along the waterways, which formed their basic transportation routes well into the 19th century. After the Congress repealed Prohibition in the early 20th century, Nevada County voted to retain it and the county is still "dry."Template:Citation needed

Geography

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 (0.5%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is bounded on the north by the Little Missouri River, a branch of the Ouachita River, and drained by several tributaries of that stream and of Red River.<ref>Template:Cite AmCyc</ref> Nevada County is alternately considered as part of the greater regions of South Arkansas or Southwest Arkansas.Template:Citation needed

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

Clark County (northeast)
Ouachita County (east)
Columbia County (south)
Lafayette County (southwest)
Hempstead County (west)
Pike County (northwest)

Demographics

The population declined by more than half from 1920 to 1970, due to mechanization of agriculture and the decline of the lumber industry causing loss of jobs. In addition, blacks left in the Great Migration to midwestern and western industrial cities, where they found better work and less social oppression.

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File:USA Nevada County, Arkansas age pyramid.svg

Age pyramid Nevada County<ref>Based on 2000 census data</ref>

2020 census

Nevada County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	5,145	61.91%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,433	29.28%
Native American	37	0.45%
Asian	41	0.49%
Other/Mixed	300	3.61%
Hispanic or Latino	354	4.26%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,310 people, 3,397 households, and 2,263 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 9,955 people, 3,893 households, and 2,721 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,751 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 66.90% White, 31.18% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.85% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,893 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.90% were married couples living together, 14.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,962, and the median income for a family was $33,095. Males had a median income of $27,888 versus $17,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,184. About 18.30% of families and 22.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.00% of those under age 18 and 27.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government

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 Nevada 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>

Nevada County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>https://www.arcounties.org/site/assets/files/6033/november_races.pdf</ref>
Position	Officeholder	Party
County Judge	Mike Otwell	Republican
County Clerk	Tammie Ann Rose	Republican
Circuit Clerk	Rita Reyenga	Republican
Sheriff/Collector	Danny Martin	Democratic
Treasurer	C. Lorelei Hale	(Unknown)
Assessor	Pam Box	Independent
Coroner	David Gummeson	Republican

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 5 Democrats and 4 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

District 1: Dennis Pruitt (D) of Prescott
District 2: Willie Wilson (D) of Prescott
District 3: Patricia Grimes (D) of Prescott
District 4: James Roy Cornelius (R) of Prescott
District 5: Eric Jackson (D) of Prescott
District 6: Herbert Coleman (D) of Rosston
District 7: Regina Irizarry (R) of Buckner
District 8: Todd Butler (R) of Emmet
District 9: Tommy Poole (R) of Prescott

Additionally, the townships of Nevada 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=":1" />

Alabama: Nelson Irizarry (D)
Albany: Micah Stockton (R)
Emmet: Ryan McBrayer (R)

Politics

Historically, the county was a stronghold of the Greenback Party, controlling county offices from 1880 to 1884, and later a stronghold for the Populist Party in the 1890s.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Prior to 2000, Nevada County was considered an "ancestral" Democratic-voting county, with exceptions for the 1968 George Wallace campaign and the 1972 and 1984 landslides of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, respectively.