Woodruff County, Arkansas

Woodruff County, Arkansas
Woodruff County courthouse in Augusta
Location in the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	November 26, 1862
Named for	William E. Woodruff
Seat	Augusta
Largest city	Augusta
Area
• Total	594 sq mi (1,538 km2)
• Land	587 sq mi (1,520 km2)
• Water	7.2 sq mi (19 km2), 1.2%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	6,741
• Density	12/sq mi (5/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	woodruffcounty.arkansas.gov/index

Woodruff County is located in the Arkansas Delta in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for William E. Woodruff, founder of the state's first newspaper, the Arkansas Gazette. Created as Arkansas's 54th county in 1862, Woodruff County is home to one incorporated town and four incorporated cities, including Augusta, the county seat. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns. Occupying only 587 square miles (152,000 ha), Woodruff County is the 13th smallest county in Arkansas. As of the 2010 Census, the county's population is 7,260 people in 3,531 households.^[1] Based on population, the county is the second-smallest county of the 75 in Arkansas.^[2] Located in the Arkansas Delta, the county is largely flat with fertile soils. Historically covered in forest, bayous and swamps, the area was cleared for agriculture by early settlers. It is drained by the Cache River and the White River. Along the Cache River, the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) runs north-south across the county, preserving bottomland forest, sloughs and wildlife habitat.

Although no Interstate highways are located in Woodruff County, two United States highways (U.S. Route 49 [US 49] and US 64) and twelve Arkansas state highways run in the county. Two Union Pacific Railroad lines cross the county.^[3]

Geography

Top: The Cache River runs through a hardwood forest in Woodruff County
Bottom: Typical countryside in Woodruff County. This photo taken along Highway 64B north of Patterson.

The county is located in the Arkansas Delta, one of the six primary geographic regions of Arkansas. The Arkansas Delta is a subregion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which is a flat area consisting of rich, fertile sediment deposits from the Mississippi River between Louisiana and Illinois. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 594 square miles (1,540 km²), of which 587 square miles (1,520 km²) is land and 7.2 square miles (19 km²) (1.2%) is water.^[4] Major hydrologic features include the Cache River, which roughly bisects the county north-south, Bayou De View, which runs through eastern Woodruff County, and the White River, which serves as the county's western boundary.

Prior to settlement, Woodruff County was densely forested, with bayous, sloughs, and swamps crossing the land. Seeking to take advantage of the area's fertile soils, settlers cleared the land to better suit row crops. Although some swampland has been preserved in the Cache River NWR and some former farmland has undergone reforestation, the majority (56 percent) of the county remains in cultivation.^{[Note 1]} Another large land use in Woodruff County is the Cache River NWR, owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Stretching approximately 90 miles (140 km) across adjacent counties, the NWR is listed as a Ramsar wetlands of international importance, and serves as a key wintering area for ducks and the largest contiguous tract of bottomland hardwood forest in North America. The NWR aggressively seeks willing property owners to sell land to add to the NWR's boundaries, adding 2,000 acres (810 ha) in 2015.^[6]

The county is located approximately 75 miles (121 km) northeast of Little Rock and 81.3 miles (130.8 km) west of Memphis, Tennessee.^{[Note 2]} Woodruff County is surrounded by five other Delta counties: Jackson County to the north, Cross County to the northeast, St. Francis County to the southeast, Monroe County to the south and Prairie County to the southwest. West of Woodruff County is White County, which is something of combination point for the Delta, Ozarks, and Central Arkansas.

Climate

Woodruff County has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Woodruff County experiences all four seasons, although summers can be extremely hot and humid and winters are mild with little snow. July is the hottest month of the year, with an average high of 93 °F (33.9 °C) and an average low of 70 °F (21.1 °C). Temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are not uncommon. January is the coldest month with an average high of 49 °F (9.4 °C) and an average low of 27 °F (−2.8 °C). The highest temperature was 112 °F (44.4 °C), recorded in 1936 and 1972. The lowest temperature recorded was −11 °F (−24 °C), on January 8, 1942.

Communities

Streetside in Cotton Plant

Four incorporated cities and one incorporated towns are located within the county. The largest city and county seat, Augusta, is located in the western part of the county near the White River and the White County border. Augusta's population in 2010 was 2,199—well below its peak of 3,496 at the 1980 Census. McCrory and Patterson are adjacent to each other, located near the county's center. Cotton Plant and Hunter are both located in the southern part of Woodruff County, with 2010 populations of 649 and 105, respectively.

Woodruff County has dozens of unincorporated communities and ghost towns within its borders. This is due to early settlers in Arkansas tending to cluster in small clusters rather than incorporated towns. For example, Fitzhugh and Gregory had post offices at some point in their history. Other communities are simply a few dwellings at a crossroads that have adopted a common place name over time. Some are officially listed as populated places by the United States Geological Survey, and others are listed as historic settlements.

Unincorporated communities

Historic communities

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 Woodruff County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. ^[10][11]

Demographics

Age pyramid Woodruff County^[17]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[18] there were 8,741 people, 3,531 households, and 2,439 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 4,089 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 67.86% White, 30.75% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. 0.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,531 households out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.60% were married couples living together, 16.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,099, and the median income for a family was $27,824. Males had a median income of $24,051 versus $17,995 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,269. About 21.70% of families and 27.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.10% of those under age 18 and 27.00% of those age 65 or over.

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 Woodruff County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive 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.^[19][20]

A portion of Woodruff County is represented in the Arkansas State Senate by the Republican Ronald R. Caldwell, a real estate businessman from Wynne in Cross County. In the Arkansas House of Representatives, the local member is Michael John Gray, a Democrat and a farmer from Augusta who also holds a law degree.

Infrastructure

Aviation

The Woodruff County Airport located along US 64 between Patterson and Augusta is the only public own/public use airport in the county. It is a general aviation airport, serving primarily agricultural (spraying) and recreational operations. For the twelve-month period ending June 30, 2014, the facility saw 5,500 general aviation operations.^[21]

Major highways

Highway 64B east of Augusta

See also

• Arkansas portal
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Woodruff County, Arkansas

References

Notes

References

		Jackson County	Cross County
	White County
		Woodruff County, Arkansas
	Prairie County	Monroe County	St. Francis County

Municipalities and communities of Woodruff County, Arkansas, United States
County seat: Augusta
Cities	Augusta Cotton Plant McCrory Patterson
Town	Hunter
Unincorporated communities	Barson Becton Bemis Bulltown Casey Cavell Colona Daggett DeView Dixie Fitzhugh Four Forks Goodrich Grays Gregory Hillemann Howell Little Dixie‡ Maberry McClelland McGregor Morton Negro Head Corner New Augusta New Salem, Arkansas Overcup Penrose Pleasant Grove Pumpkin Bend Revel Riverside Shady Grove Tip Union Wiville
Ghost town	Cow Mound Flynn Kramer Morelock Quinlan Simmons Sturdevant Taylorville
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

State of Arkansas
Little Rock (capital)
Topics	Index Outline Arkansans Aviation Colleges and universities Congressional delegations Constitution Energy Geography Government Governors High schools Historic Landmarks History Images Lakes Music Places Rivers School districts Sports and recreation State parks Territory Townships Transportation Visitor attractions Water
Society	Crime Culture Demographics Economy Education Politics
Regions	Arkansas River Valley Ark-La-Tex Bayou Bartholomew Boston Mountains Central Arkansas Crowley's Ridge Delta Four State Area Mississippi Alluvial Plain New Madrid Seismic Zone Northwest Arkansas Ouachita Mountains Ozarks Piney Woods South Arkansas Timberlands
Metros	Central Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Fort Smith Texarkana Jonesboro Pine Bluff Hot Springs Tri-State
Largest cities	Little Rock Fort Smith Fayetteville Springdale Jonesboro North Little Rock Conway Rogers Pine Bluff Bentonville Hot Springs Benton Texarkana Sherwood Jacksonville Russellville Bella Vista West Memphis Paragould Cabot
Counties	Arkansas Ashley Baxter Benton Boone Bradley Calhoun Carroll Chicot Clark Clay Cleburne Cleveland Columbia Conway Craighead Crawford Crittenden Cross Dallas Desha Drew Faulkner Franklin Fulton Garland Grant Greene Hempstead Hot Spring Howard Independence Izard Jackson Jefferson Johnson Lafayette Lawrence Lee Lincoln Little River Logan Lonoke Madison Marion Miller Mississippi Monroe Montgomery Nevada Newton Ouachita Perry Phillips Pike Poinsett Polk Pope Prairie Pulaski Randolph Saline Scott Searcy Sebastian Sevier Sharp St. Francis Stone Union Van Buren Washington White Woodruff Yell

Coordinates: 35°11′42″N 91°13′17″W / 35.19500°N 91.22139°W / 35.19500; -91.22139