Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas, along the Missouri border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,373. The county seat is Harrison. It is Arkansas's 62nd county, formed on April 9, 1869.
Boone County is part of the Harrison, Arkansas, Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History Boone County was formed from the eastern portion of Carroll County. Contrary to popular belief, it was not named for frontiersman Daniel Boone. It was originally called Boon, since the residents believed it would be a "boon" to all who settled there. The county's first newspaper, begun in 1870, was the Boon County Advocate. However, when Governor Powell Clayton signed the act, creating the county 1869 it was titled An Act to Organize and Establish the County of Boone and for Other Purposes. So for whatever reason an "'e'" was added.
White supremacy
In 1905 and 1909, race riots were conducted to drive African-Americans out of the area. Boone County was marketed as an all-white sundown county into the 1920s. Boone County serves as the national headquarters of the white supremacy organization Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, led by Zinc resident Thomas Robb, who pastors a nearby Christian church. In 2017, Boone County Judge Robert Hathaway signed proclamations recognizing June as Confederate Heritage and History Month, and issued a similar proclamation for April 2019.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water. The county is located in the northwest portion of the state, and borders Missouri to the north.
The county lies entirely within the Ozark Mountains. Rolling hills of the Springfield and Salem Plateaus characterize the majority of the topography, with the more rugged Boston Mountains lying just to the south. Isolated peaks of the Boston Mountain range are found in the south, including Boat Mountain, Pilot's Knob, and Gaither Mountain. Portions of Bull Shoals Lake and Table Rock Lake lie in the northeast and northwest corners, respectively.
Hydrology
Boone County is predominantly located within the Bull Shoals Lake watershed, with a small segment west of US 65 within the Beaver Lake/Table Rock Lake watershed and a small area in the southwestern corner of the county serving as the headwaters of the Buffalo National River watershed. Crooked Creek drains much of Boone County to Bull Shoals Lake, with Long Creek and Osage Creek ultimately draining to Table Rock Lake.
Major highways
US 62 US 412 U.S. Route 65 U.S. Route 65B Highway 7 Highway 14 Highway 43 Highway 123 Highway 206 Highway 281 Highway 392 Highway 396 Highway 397 Highway 980
Adjacent counties Taney County, Missouri (north) Marion County (east) Searcy County (southeast) Newton County (south) Carroll County (west)
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 37,373. The median age was 43.0 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 6.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.
37.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 62.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 15,455 households in the county, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 17,368 housing units, of which 11.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.6% were owner-occupied and 28.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 33,948 people, 13,851 households, and 9,861 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 15,426 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.60% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 13,851 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,988, and the median income for a family was $34,974. Males had a median income of $27,114 versus $19,229 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,175. About 10.70% of families and 14.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public school districts School districts include: - Text list Alpena Bergman Harrison Lead Hill Omaha Valley Springs
Higher education North Arkansas College
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 Boone County Quorum Court has eleven 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. +Boone County, Arkansas Elected countywide officialsPositionOfficeholderPartyCounty JudgeRobert HathawayRepublicanCounty ClerkCrystal GraddyRepublicanCircuit ClerkJudy Kay HarrisRepublicanSheriffRoy MartinRepublicanTreasurerSandy CarterRepublicanCollectorAmy JenkinsRepublicanAssessorBrandi DiffeyRepublicanCoronerJake MattixRepublican The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 11 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are: District 1: Matt Odom (R) of Harrison District 2: Glenn Redding (R) of Harrison District 3: Heath Kirkpatrick (R) of Harrison District 4: Bryan Snavely (R) of Harrison District 5: Kyle Evatt (R) of Harrison District 6: Sam Tinsley (R) of Harrison District 7: Rodney Sullins (R) of Everton District 8: Shane M. Jones (R) of Harrison District 9: Ralph H. Guynn (R) of Harrison District 10: Bill Melbourne (R) of Omaha District 11: David Thompson (R) of Lead Hill
Additionally, the townships of Boone 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. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are: City: Mike Cardiel (R) North: Fred Starnes (R) South: George A. White (R)
In state government, Boone County is represented by three members in the Arkansas House of Representatives and two in the Arkansas Senate. Arkansas House Districts 83, 98, and 99 cover parts of Boone County, as well as Arkansas Senate Districts 16 and 17.
At the federal level, Boone County is part of Arkansas's 1st US congressional district, currently represented by Rick Crawford.
Over the past few election cycles, Boone County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry this county was then-Governor Bill Clinton in 1992, by only a 34-vote plurality.
Communities
Cities Diamond City Harrison (county seat)
Towns
Alpena (portions are also in Carroll County) Bellefonte Bergman Everton Lead Hill Omaha South Lead Hill Valley Springs Zinc
Census-designated place
Batavia
Unincorporated communities Bear Creek Springs Capps Hopewell Little Arkansaw Self
Historic communities Elixir was a town in the vicinity of many springs. It was nearby present day Bergman. Heavy rains flooded the town in 1883, which was a major factor in its decline by 1892. In the 1880s, both Lead Hill and Elixir were expecting a railroad but none materialized. This also helped the town's decline. Although the town is gone, the township of Elixir remains and currently contains Bergman. Keener was a town around one mile south of present-day Bergman. Keener was strong in the 1880s and had a population of about 1,000 people. But, Keener began to decline fast by 1892.
Townships
Former townships include Bear Creek, Crooked Creek, Elmwood, Harrison, Washington, and Young.
Township FIPS code ANSI code(GNIS ID) Populationcenter(s) Pop.(2010) Pop.density(/mi) Pop.density(/km) Land area(mi) Land area(km) Water area(mi) Water area(km) Geographic coordinates Batavia 911 85.48 33 Bellefonte Bellefonte, Harrison 2380 93.94 36.27 Blythe 245 20.76 8.01 Bryan Harrison 1018 57.03 22.02 Carrollton Alpena 843 32.5 12.55 Elixir Bergman 2802 53.88 20.80 Ewing 458 37.55 14.50 Gaither 676 32.20 12.43 Jackson Harrison 1340 61.64 23.80 Jefferson Valley Springs 1202 77.16 29.79 Lee 1867 40.73 15.73 Long Creek 902 22.75 8.78 North Harrison Harrison 8057 475.82 183.70 Olvey 440 37.27 14.39 Omaha Omaha 2267 29.07 11.22 Prairie Everton 444 27.36 10.54 South Harrison Harrison 7590 280.06 108.14 Sugar Loaf Diamond City, Lead Hill, South Lead Hill 2320 27.61 10.66 Summit 556 17.27 6.59 Zinc Zinc 585 23.82 9.20 Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Chronic wasting disease Chronic wasting disease has been found in Boone County as well as Benton, Carroll, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Newton, Pope, Searcy, Sebastian, Scott, and Washington counties.
See also Arkansas Highway 397 (1973–1980) List of lakes in Boone County, Arkansas National Register of Historic Places listings in Boone County, Arkansas List of sundown towns in the United States
References
External links
Unofficial/Community guide site County Ordinances genealogy information pages at USGenWeb Map of Boone County (U. S. Census Bureau) Map of Boone County from Encyclopedia of Arkansas Boone County entry in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas Boone County Historical and Railroad Society, Inc. Boone County School District Reference Map (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010)