Newton County, Arkansas

{{Infobox U.S. county

| county = Newton County

| state = Arkansas

| seal =

| founded year = 1842

| founded date = December 14

| seat wl = Jasper

| largest city wl = Jasper

| area_total_sq_mi = 823

| area_land_sq_mi = 821

| area_water_sq_mi = 2.3

| area percentage = 0.3%

| population_as_of = 2020

| population_total = 7225

| pop_est_as_of = 2023

| population_est = 7071 {{loss}}

| density_sq_mi = auto

| web =

| ex image = {{Photomontage

|photo1a = Boxley Valley 001.jpg{{!}}Boxley Valley

| photo2a = Twin Falls, Camp Orr Boy Scout Camp, Arkansas.jpg{{!}}Twin/Triple Falls

| photo2b = Newton County Courthouse (Arkansas) 003.jpg{{!}}Courthouse

| photo2c = Hawksbill Crag Trail 012.jpg {{!}}Hawksbill Crag

| photo3a = Near Whitaker Point - Hawksbill Crag - panoramio.jpg{{!}}Near Hawksbill Crag

| spacing = 1

| position = center

| color_border = white

| color = white

| size = 266

| foot_montage = Clockwise from top: Boxley Valley, Hawksbill Crag, the Ozark Mountains in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness, Twin/Triple Falls at Camp Orr Boy Scout Camp, and the Newton County Courthouse in Jasper (center) }}

| ex image cap =

| district = 4th

| time zone = Central

| named for = Thomas Willoughby Newton

}}

Newton County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,225.{{cite web|title=Census - Geography Profile: Newton County, Arkansas|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Newton_County,_Arkansas?g=0500000US05101|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 20, 2023}} The county seat is Jasper.{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}} Newton County is Arkansas's 46th county, formed on December 14, 1842, and named for Thomas W. Newton, an Arkansas Congressman.

Newton County is part of the Harrison, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area.

It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.{{cite web|url=https://www.nabca.org/sites/default/files/assets/publications/white_papers/WetDry%20Counties.pdf|publisher=National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association|title=Wet and Dry Counties|date=January 2017}}

History

Newton County residents were divided during the Civil War, serving in both the Confederate and Union armies. John Cecil, who had served as Newton County's sheriff, served as a Confederate Captain. Jasper blacksmith James R. Vanderpool (ca. 1832–1880) served as Captain of Union Company C, 1st Regiment Arkansas Infantry Volunteers, while farmer and teacher John McCoy (1820–1903) served as Captain of Union Company F, 1st Regiment Arkansas Infantry Volunteers. Many Newton County citizens served under each of these men, as well as in other units. As an example of how the war divided families, Confederate Captain Cecil's brother, Sam, served as a sergeant in Union Company D, 2nd Regiment Arkansas Cavalry Volunteers. Violence took a severe toll on the civilian population, and at one point, Captains McCoy and Vanderpool escorted 20 wagons of Unionist families from Newton County to Missouri to seek refuge.Lackey, Walter F. History of Newton County, Arkansas, Point Lookout, MO: S of O Press, 1950.

Geography

File:Low Gap, Arkansas 002.jpg

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|823|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|821|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|2.3|sqmi}} (0.3%) is water.{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_05.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}

Newton County lies almost entirely within the rugged Boston Mountain range of the Ozark Mountains where elevations exceed {{convert|2500|ft|m}}. The Buffalo National River, a popular destination for canoeing and recreation, runs through the county from west to east. Highway 7, which traverses the county from north to south, has been rated as one of the most scenic drives in the country.

=Adjacent counties=

Boone County (north)
Searcy County (east)
Pope County (southeast)
Johnson County (south)
Madison County (west)
Carroll County (northwest)

=National protected areas=

Demographics

{{US Census population

|1850= 1758

|1860= 3393

|1870= 4374

|1880= 6120

|1890= 9950

|1900= 12538

|1910= 10612

|1920= 11199

|1930= 10564

|1940= 10881

|1950= 8685

|1960= 5963

|1970= 5844

|1980= 7756

|1990= 7666

|2000= 8608

|2010= 8330

|2020= 7225

|estyear=2023

|estimate=7071

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 30, 2024}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2015}}
1790–1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=August 27, 2015}} 1900–1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ar190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=August 27, 2015}}
1990–2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=August 27, 2015}} 2010{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05/05101.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 23, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607033429/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05/05101.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}}

}}

Image:USA Newton County, Arkansas age pyramid.svg data]]

=2020 census=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:right" \|+Newton County racial composition{{Cite web\|title=Explore Census Data\|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US05101&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2\|access-date=December 28, 2021\|website=data.census.gov}} !scope="col"\| Race !scope="col"\| Number !scope="col"\| Percentage
scope="row"\| White (non-Hispanic) \| 6,658 \| 92.15%
scope="row"\| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) \| 6 \| 0.08%
scope="row"\| Native American \| 66 \| 0.91%
scope="row"\| Asian \| 24 \| 0.33%
scope="row"\| Pacific Islander \| 1 \| 0.01%
scope="row"\| Other/Mixed \| 388 \| 5.37%
scope="row"\| Hispanic or Latino \| 82 \| 1.13%

class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|+Newton County racial composition{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US05101&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 28, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 6,658

| 92.15%

scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 6

| 0.08%

scope="row"| Native American

| 66

| 0.91%

scope="row"| Asian

| 24

| 0.33%

scope="row"| Pacific Islander

| 1

| 0.01%

scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 388

| 5.37%

scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 82

| 1.13%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,225 people, 2,936 households, and 1,800 families residing in the county.

=2000 census=

As of the 2000 census,{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}} there were 8,608 people, 3,500 households, and 2,495 families residing in the county. The population density was 4/km² (10/sq mi), one of the most sparse among county populations in Arkansas. There were 4,316 housing units at an average density of {{convert|5|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the county was 99.29% White, 0.00% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,500 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 27.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,756, and the median income for a family was $30,134. Males had a median income of $22,406 versus $17,654 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,788. About 15.70% of families and 20.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.80% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Native residents of Newton County were interviewed in 1970 for research being done by a doctoral student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. A Ph.D. degree was awarded to Bethany K. Dumas in May 1971 after she completed "A Study of the Dialect of Newton County, Arkansas." Results are discussed in two of her published articles/chapters: "The Morphology of Newton County, Arkansas: An Exercise in Studying Ozark Dialect," Mid–South Folklore 3 (1975), 115–125, and "Southern Mountain English" Chapter 5 of The Workings of Language, ed. R. S. Wheeler, Westport, CT, and London: Praeger, 1999, 67–79.

Government

File:Newton County Courthouse (Arkansas) 005.jpg

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 Newton 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.{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Quorum Courts |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=6348 |encyclopedia= Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture |publisher= Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System |date= March 24, 2014 |last= Teske |first= Steven |access-date= January 23, 2016 }}{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Office of County Judge |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5720 |encyclopedia= Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture |publisher= Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System |date= August 28, 2015 |last= Goss |first= Kay C. |access-date= January 23, 2016 }}

class="wikitable mw-collapsible"

|+Newton County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials{{Cite web |title=Newton {{!}} Association of Arkansas Counties |url=https://www.arcounties.org/counties/newton/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=www.arcounties.org}}https://www.arcounties.org/site/assets/files/6033/november_races.pdf

!Position

!Officeholder

!Party