Searcy County, Arkansas

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Not to be confused with Searcy, Arkansas.

Searcy County, Arkansas
Searcy County Courthouse
Location in the state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 13, 1838
Seat	Marshall
Largest city	Marshall
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	669 sq mi (1,733 km²) 666 sq mi (1,725 km²) 2.4 sq mi (6 km²), 0.4%
PopulationEst.  - (2015)  - Density	7,869 12/sq mi (5/km²)
Congressional districts	1st, 3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Searcy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,195. The county seat is Marshall. The county was formed December 13, 1838, from a portion of Marion County and named for Richard Searcy, the first clerk and judge in the Arkansas Territory. The city of Searcy, Arkansas, some seventy miles away, shares the name despite having never been part of Searcy County. The county is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 669 square miles (1,730 km²), of which 666 square miles (1,720 km²) is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 65
• Arkansas Highway 14
• Arkansas Highway 16
• Arkansas Highway 27
• Arkansas Highway 66
• Arkansas Highway 74
• Arkansas Highway 235
• Arkansas Highway 333
• Arkansas Highway 374
• Arkansas Highway 377

Adjacent counties

• Marion County (north)
• Baxter County (northeast)
• Stone County (east)
• Van Buren County (south)
• Pope County (southwest)
• Newton County (west)
• Boone County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Buffalo National River (part)
• Ozark National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	936		—
1850	1,979		111.4%
1860	5,271		166.3%
1870	5,614		6.5%
1880	7,278		29.6%
1890	9,664		32.8%
1900	11,988		24.0%
1910	14,825		23.7%
1920	14,590		−1.6%
1930	11,056		−24.2%
1940	11,942		8.0%
1950	10,424		−12.7%
1960	8,124		−22.1%
1970	7,731		−4.8%
1980	8,847		14.4%
1990	7,841		−11.4%
2000	8,261		5.4%
2010	8,195		−0.8%
Est. 2015	7,869		−4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2015

Age pyramid Searcy County

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 8,261 people, 3,523 households, and 2,466 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 4,292 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.26% White, 0.04% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,523 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,397, and the median income for a family was $27,580. Males had a median income of $21,768 versus $16,276 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,536. About 17.80% of families and 23.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.00% of those under age 18 and 26.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Searcy is among the northwestern Arkansas counties that have been traditionally Republican in political leanings. In Presidential elections since World War II Jimmy Carter was the only Democrat to carry the county. It was one of the only counties in Arkansas to be won by Alf Landon. In the 1992 election George H. W. Bush won his second-highest margin in the state, and the Republican nominee has received over 60 percent in Presidential elections from 2000 to 2012 inclusive. In 2012, Searcy County voted over 73 percent for Mitt Romney, while President Barack Obama received just 22 percent.

The county is in Arkansas's 1st congressional district, which from Reconstruction until 2010 sent only Democrats to the U.S. House. That year, it elected Republican Rick Crawford, who currently holds the seat as of 2014. In the Arkansas House of Representatives Searcy County is represented by second-term Republican David Branscum from the 83rd (and formerly the 90th prior to 2013) district. The state senator, Missy Thomas Irvin, is also a Republican, serving her second term from the 18th district.

Since 1980, in gubernatorial races, the county has tended to favor Republicans in all but one contest. It voted for Frank White in his successful run against freshman Democrat incumbent Bill Clinton in 1980. It supported White again in 1982 and 1986 in rematches with Clinton. It also voted for Woody Freeman over Clinton in 1984. It was the only county in Arkansas where Republican Sheffield Nelson won in both 1990 and 1994. In 1990, it was Nelson's best county in the entire state, winning 64 percent to then-Governor Bill Clinton's 36 percent in Searcy County. In 1994, Searcy County was among the two counties to vote for Nelson over incumbent Democrat Jim Guy Tucker, Benton County being the other (which actually voted for Clinton over Nelson in 1990).

In 1998, Searcy County voted for Republican Mike Huckabee with just under 70 percent, and again in 2002, albeit with a reduced margin of 57 percent. In 2006, it voted 52 percent for Republican ex-Congressman Asa Hutchinson, who lost to Democrat Mike Beebe. In 2010, however, it did vote for incumbent Democrat Mike Beebe with a margin of 57 percent to 40 percent over former state Senator Jim Keet, the first time it had done so since 1978. Keet was regarded as a weak candidate, as he failed to carry a single county.

See also Winston County, Alabama.

Education

Public education is provided for early childhood, elementary and secondary education from multiple school districts including:

• Searcy County School District, which includes Marshall High School
• Ozark Mountain School District, which includes Searcy County-based St. Joe High School and St. Joe Elementary School.

Communities

Cities

• Leslie
• Marshall (county seat)

Towns

• Gilbert
• Pindall
• St. Joe

Townships

Townships in Searcy County, Arkansas as of 2010

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas and some may have incorporated towns or cities within part of their space. Townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the US Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (often referred to as "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. The townships of Searcy County are listed below with the town(s) and/or city that are fully or partially inside them listed in parentheses.

Township	FIPS code	ANSI code (GNIS ID)	Population center(s)	Pop. (2010)	Pop. density (/mi²)	Pop. density (/km²)	Land area (mi²)	Land area (km²)	Water area (mi²)	Water area (km²)	Geographic coordinates
Bear Creek No. 4	05-90177	02406938	Marshall	989	21.20	8.18	46.655	120.8	0.174	0.4507	35.971174, -92.623964
Bear Creek No. 5	05-90178	02406939	Marshall	728	492.22	190.08	1.479	3.831	0.002	0.005180	35.909629, -92.646337
Bear Creek No. 6	05-90179	02406940	Marshall	913	36.64	14.15	24.917	64.53	0.096	0.2486	35.904425, -92.608797
Calf Creek	05-90708	00066892		326	4.01	1.55	81.202	210.3	0.514	1.331	35.903196, -92.846919
Long Creek	05-92274	00069086		474	10.72	4.14	44.219	114.5	0.060	0.1554	35.923104, -92.487694
Mount Pleasant	05-90981	00066895		465	4.28	1.65	108.750	281.7	0.248	0.6423	35.789412, -92.84286
Oxley	05-92801	02407397		364	11.37	4.39	32.018	82.93	0.027	0.06993	35.867295, -92.463161
Prairie	05-93012	00069090	Pindall	550	13.82	5.34	39.793	103.1	0.018	0.04662	36.065325, -92.89125
Red River	05-93087	00069091		321	9.69	3.78	33.144	85.84	0.064	0.1658	35.815267, -92.687262
Rock Creek	05-93213	00069093		547	10.48	3.99	52.915	137.0	0.097	0.2512	36.021866, -92.496667
St. Joe	05-93279	00069094	St. Joe	390	13.07	5.05	29.838	77.28	0.239	0.6190	35.986869, -92.854089
Shady Grove	05-93351	00069095		189	4.41	2.87	42.834	110.9	0.971	2.515	35.743664, -92.655141
Spring	05-93456	00069096	Marshall	588	12.59	4.86	46.715	121.0	0.227	0.5879	35.904585, -92.710556
Tomahawk	05-93618	00069098	Gilbert, St. Joe	574	10.68	4.12	53.762	139.2	0.421	1.090	36.036902, -92.715763
Wileys Cove	05-94062	00069099	Leslie	777	17.18	6.63	45.225	117.1	0.210	0.5439	35.855434, -92.51986
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Searcy County, Arkansas

External links

• Searcy County Arkansas Chamber of Commerce
• Searcy County Library (extensive local genealogy records and fulltime genealogy staff)
• Searcy County entry in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas
• Searcy County Map from Encyclopedia of Arkansas
• Searcy County Map from U. S. Census Bureau