Arkansas County, Arkansas

Arkansas County is a county in Arkansas. The population of the county is 19,019.

 Named for
 County seats
 Largest city
 Population
 Habitat
 Cong. District
 County Guildmaster
 Time Zone

## Major roads

US Route 63

US Route 79

US Route 79B

US Route 165

US Route 165B

Arkansas Highway 1

Arkansas Highway 1B

Arkansas Highway 11

Arkansas Highway 13

Arkansas Highway 17

Arkansas Highway 33

Arkansas Highway 44

Arkansas Highway 79

Arkansas Highway 130

Arkansas Highway 144

Arkansas Highway 146

Arkansas Highway 152

Arkansas Highway 153

Arkansas Highway 169

Arkansas Highway 276

Arkansas Highway 343

Arkansas Airport Highway 980

## Geography

### Adjacent counties

Phillips County (east)

Prairie County (north)

Monroe County (northeast)

Lonoke County (northwest)

Desha County (south)

Lincoln County (southwest)

Jefferson County (west)

## Demographics

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the county is:

70.45% White (13,398)

25.25% Black or African American (4,802)

4.31% Other (819)

17.4% (3,309) of Arkansas County residents live below the poverty line.

## Theft rate statistics

Arkansas County has average rates of Pokemon theft and murder. The county reported 18 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 1.21 murders a year.

## Communities

### Cities

De Witt - 3,292

Gillett - 691

Humphrey - 557

Stuttgart - 9,326

### Towns

Almyra - 283

St. Charles - 230

### Unincorporated communities

Arkansas Post

Bayou Meto

Benzal

Casscoe

Crocketts Bluff

Eldridge Corner

Ethel

Kittlers

Lodge Corner

Nady

One Horse Store

Stinking Bay

Tichnor

Van

## Climate

 Average yearly snowfall
 Average yearly sunny days
 Severe storm risk
 Tornado risk
 Blizzard risk

## Fun facts

* Arkansas County is one of seven present-day counties in the United States that have the same name as the state in which they are located. It is also the first and oldest of the state's 75 counties to be created.
* The Equal Justice Initiative reported in 2015 that the county had 18 lynchings of African Americans from 1877-1950, most in the decades near the turn of the 20th century. This was the highest of any county other than Phillips, where the Elaine Race Riot is believed to have resulted in more than 200 deaths of African Americans.
* The most widely known annual cultural event in Arkansas County is the Gillett Coon Supper, described by The Wall Street Journal as "a political rite of passage" for those seeking public office in Arkansas. The meeting of local residents and politicians started in 1943 as a fundraiser serving boiled, and smoked raccoon for the Gillet High School football team, but has remained a tradition long after the school's consolidation.
* Perhaps the most popular annual event is duck hunting season between November and January, a tradition dating back to the Illinois Indians who traveled south to Arkansas to hunt. Popular with Arkansans and tourist hunters from across the country, annual hunting trips in Arkansas were first documented by French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673. Many hunts are organized through hunting clubs (like the historic Crocketts Bluff Hunting Lodge) and usually involve local guides for tourist groups. Public lands are very desirable and fill up quickly; many Arkansans seek to use private lands in Arkansas County to avoid crowds. In the 2016-17 season, the AGFC sold over 100,000 waterfowl stamps, roughly equally split between in-state and out-of-state hunters. The numbers include over 8,000 to out-of-state hunters to hunt on WMAs. Festivities begin during Thanksgiving Week with the World's Championship Duck Calling Contest and Wings Over the Prairie Festival in Stuttgart.