Nevada County, Arkansas
Nevada County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,310, less than half of its peak in 1920. The county seat is Prescott. Nevada County is Arkansas's 63rd county, formed during the Reconstruction era on March 20, 1871, from portions of Hempstead, Ouachita and Columbia counties. It was named after the state of Nevada because of the perceived similarity between their physical shapes; the Arkansas county's shape, inverted, roughly follows the same outline as the state's boundary. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.
History
This area was historically occupied by members of the Caddoan Confederacy, whose territory extended into present-day Texas and Louisiana. They settled along the waterways, using them for transportation and fishing. Colonial French and later European-American settlers also took over lands along the waterways, which formed their basic transportation routes well into the 19th century. After the Congress repealed Prohibition in the early 20th century, Nevada County voted to retain it and the county is still "dry."Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is bounded on the north by the Little Missouri River, a branch of the Ouachita River, and drained by several tributaries of that stream and of Red River. Nevada County is alternately considered as part of the greater regions of South Arkansas or Southwest Arkansas.Major highways
- 20px Interstate 30
- 20px U.S. Highway 67
- 25px U.S. Highway 278
- 25px U.S. Highway 371
- 20px Highway 19
- 20px Highway 24
- 20px Highway 32
- 20px Highway 51
- 20px Highway 53
Adjacent counties
Demographics
The population declined by more than half from 1920 to 1970, due to mechanization of agriculture and the decline of the lumber industry causing loss of jobs. In addition, blacks left in the Great Migration to midwestern and western industrial cities, where they found better work and less social oppression.2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,310. The median age was 44.2 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.1 males age 18 and over.The racial makeup of the county was 62.8% White, 29.4% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.3% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,427 households in the county, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.3% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.6% 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 4,298 housing units, of which 20.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.5% were owner-occupied and 27.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census, there were 9,955 people, 3,893 households, and 2,721 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 4,751 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 66.90% White, 31.18% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.85% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 3,893 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.90% were married couples living together, 14.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.70% 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 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,962, and the median income for a family was $33,095. Males had a median income of $27,888 versus $17,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,184. About 18.30% of families and 22.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.00% of those under age 18 and 27.10% of those age 65 or over.
Government
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 Nevada 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.| Position | Officeholder | Party |
| County Judge | Mike Otwell | Republican |
| County Clerk | Tammie Ann Rose | Republican |
| Circuit Clerk | Rita Reyenga | Republican |
| Sheriff/Collector | Danny Martin | Democratic |
| Treasurer | C. Lorelei Hale | |
| Assessor | Pam Box | Independent |
| Coroner | David Gummeson | Republican |
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 5 Democrats and 4 Republicans. Justices of the Peace of the Quorum Court following the elections are:
- District 1: Dennis Pruitt of Prescott
- District 2: Willie Wilson of Prescott
- District 3: Patricia Grimes of Prescott
- District 4: James Roy Cornelius of Prescott
- District 5: Eric Jackson of Prescott
- District 6: Herbert Coleman of Rosston
- District 7: Regina Irizarry of Buckner
- District 8: Todd Butler of Emmet
- District 9: Tommy Poole of Prescott
- Alabama: Nelson Irizarry
- Albany: Micah Stockton
- Emmet: Ryan McBrayer
Politics
Historically, the county was a stronghold of the Greenback Party, controlling county offices from 1880 to 1884, and later a stronghold for the Populist Party in the 1890s.Prior to 2000, Nevada County was considered an "ancestral" Democratic-voting county, with exceptions for the 1968 George Wallace campaign and the 1972 and 1984 landslides of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, respectively.