| Union County, Arkansas | |
Location in the state of Arkansas |
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Arkansas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | November 2, 1829 |
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| Seat | El Dorado |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,055.27 sq mi (2,733 km²) 1,038.90 sq mi (2,691 km²) 16.37 sq mi (42 km²), 1.55% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
41,639 40/sq mi (15.47/km²) |
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 41,639. The county seat is El Dorado. The county was formed on November 2, 1829, and named in recognition of the citizens' petition for a new county, stating that they were petitioning "in the spirit of Union and Unity".
The El Dorado Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Union County.
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In 1931, a monument was established at the Union County border with Union Parish, Louisiana, through the private efforts of former Arkansas Governor George Washington Donaghey (1856–1937), who was born in Union Parish and grew up in the border area before he moved as a teenager to Conway, Arkansas. As governor, he oversaw the construction of the state capitol building in Little Rock and brought about the establishment of the state health unit and its agricultural colleges. After his gubernatorial tenure, Donaghey, who felt a kinship to both states, commissioned a park on the land about the monument. Known for its intricate carvings and Art Deco style, the monument includes references to different modes of transportation a century apart—1831 and 1931—and mentions Huey P. Long, Jr., whose educational program Donaghey admired. The land was not registered with the state parks offices in either state, timber companies cut trees thereabouts, and the monument was forgotten. In 1975, State Representative Louise B. Johnson obtained passage of a law to refurbish the monument. Resoration efforts were finally unveiled in 2009.[1]
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,055.27 square miles (2,733.1 km2), of which 1,038.90 square miles (2,690.7 km2) (or 98.45%) is land and 16.37 square miles (42.4 km2) (or 1.55%) is water.[2] Union County, along with Columbia County, has the largest bromine reserve in the United States. The lowest point in the state of Arkansas is located on the Ouachita River in Union County and Ashley County, where it flows out of Arkansas and into Louisiana.
South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field
The border with Union Parish, Louisiana is rather unusual since the counties both share the same name. The only other instances in which two neighboring counties with the same name share a state border are Sabine County, Texas and Sabine Parish, Louisiana, Bristol County, Massachusetts and Bristol County, Rhode Island, Kent County, Maryland and Kent County, Delaware, and Escambia County, Alabama and Escambia County, Florida respectively.
Union County was formed on November 2, 1828 from portions of Clark County and Hempstead County.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 640 |
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| 1840 | 2,889 | 351.4% | |
| 1850 | 10,298 | 256.5% | |
| 1860 | 12,288 | 19.3% | |
| 1870 | 10,571 | −14.0% | |
| 1880 | 13,419 | 26.9% | |
| 1890 | 14,977 | 11.6% | |
| 1900 | 22,495 | 50.2% | |
| 1910 | 30,723 | 36.6% | |
| 1920 | 29,691 | −3.4% | |
| 1930 | 55,800 | 87.9% | |
| 1940 | 50,461 | −9.6% | |
| 1950 | 49,686 | −1.5% | |
| 1960 | 49,518 | −0.3% | |
| 1970 | 45,428 | −8.3% | |
| 1980 | 48,573 | 6.9% | |
| 1990 | 46,719 | −3.8% | |
| 2000 | 45,629 | −2.3% | |
| 2010 | 41,639 | −8.7% | |
| [3][4][5] | |||
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 45,629 people, 17,989 households, and 12,646 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 20,676 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.15% White, 31.97% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 17,989 households out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.30% were married couples living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% 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 3.00.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 22.70% 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 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,809, and the median income for a family was $36,805. Males had a median income of $31,868 versus $19,740 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,063. About 14.70% of families and 18.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.80% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.
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 Union County are listed below with the town(s) and/or city that are fully or partially inside them listed in parentheses. [8][9]
| Ouachita County | Calhoun County | Bradley County | ||
| Columbia County | Ashley County | |||
| Union County, Arkansas | ||||
| Claiborne Parish, Louisiana | Union Parish, Louisiana | Morehouse Parish, Louisiana |
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