Dallas County, Arkansas

Dallas County
U.S. county
Courthouse in Fordyce
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°58′37″N 92°40′23″W / 33.976944444444°N 92.673055555556°W / 33.976944444444; -92.673055555556
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	January 1, 1845
Named for	George M. Dallas
Seat	Fordyce
Largest city	Fordyce
Area
• Total	668 sq mi (1,730 km2)
• Land	667 sq mi (1,730 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.1%%
Population  (2010)
• Total	8,116
• Estimate  (2019)	7,009
• Density	12/sq mi (4.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Dallas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,116,^[1] making it the fourth-least populous county in Arkansas. The county seat is Fordyce.^[2] Dallas County is Arkansas's 49th county, formed on January 1, 1845; it was named for George M. Dallas, 11th Vice President of the United States.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 668 square miles (1,730 km²), of which 667 square miles (1,730 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (0.1%) is water.^[3]

Major highways[]

• U.S. Highway 79
• U.S. Highway 167
• Highway 7
• Highway 8
• Highway 9
• 
• Highway 48

Adjacent counties[]

• Grant County (northeast)
• Cleveland County (east)
• Calhoun County (southeast)
• Ouachita County (southwest)
• Clark County (west)
• Hot Spring County (northwest)

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	6,877		—
1860	8,283		20.4%
1870	5,707		−31.1%
1880	6,505		14.0%
1890	9,296		42.9%
1900	11,518		23.9%
1910	12,621		9.6%
1920	14,424		14.3%
1930	14,671		1.7%
1940	14,471		−1.4%
1950	12,416		−14.2%
1960	10,522		−15.3%
1970	10,022		−4.8%
1980	10,515		4.9%
1990	9,614		−8.6%
2000	9,210		−4.2%
2010	8,116		−11.9%
2019 (est.)	7,009	[4]	−13.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790–1960[6] 1900–1990[7] 1990–2000[8] 2010–2016[1]

As of the 2000 census,^[10] there were 9,210 people, 3,519 households, and 2,431 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 4,401 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.96% White, 40.98% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 1.01% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,519 households, out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 13.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.90% 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 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,608, and the median income for a family was $32,630. Males had a median income of $28,538 versus $17,884 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,610. About 13.30% of families and 18.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.80% of those under age 18 and 20.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government[]

Prior to 2004, this county was considered an "ancestral" Democratic county, where Democrats won every presidential race with exceptions for the 1968 campaign of George Wallace and the 1972 and 1984 landslides of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, respectively. Former Governor Bill Clinton won this county twice in his presidential runs: 1992 and 1996. Al Gore won this county in 2000, the most recent Democrat to do so.

As is the case with most rural counties since the turn of the millennium, the county has turned sharply rightward and away from a more socially liberal Democratic Party than the one Clinton led. Donald Trump won 54% of the vote in 2016 over former Arkansas First Lady and U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton, owing both to the strength of Trump in rural America and the decline of the Clinton brand in their home state. However, the large Black minority prevents a full Democratic fallout, as even Barack Obama and Clinton remained over 40% in their runs.

Communities[]

Cities[]

• Carthage
• Fordyce (county seat)
• Sparkman

Townships[]

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "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 and publications. The townships of Dallas County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.^[12][13]

Notable people[]

Mollie Burdett Banks Curry Gray (1862–1958), a native of Tulip in Dallas County, was a great-great-grand-niece of George Washington. When she died in 1958 in Shreveport, Louisiana, she was listed as the oldest descendant of President Washington. Mollie's first husband, , was from 1888 to 1892 a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Bossier Parish. He was wounded in the Second Battle of Manassas of the American Civil War.^[14][15]

See also[]

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

References[]

Coordinates: 33°58′37″N 92°40′23″W / 33.97694°N 92.67306°W / 33.97694; -92.67306