Benton County, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benton County
U.S. county
Clockwise from top: Benton County Courthouse in Bentonville, Beaver Lake, downtown Rogers, Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Bella Vista, and downtown Bentonville
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	September 30, 1836
Named for	Thomas Hart Benton
Seat	Bentonville
Largest city	Rogers
Area
• Total	884 sq mi (2,290 km2)
• Land	847 sq mi (2,190 km2)
• Water	37 sq mi (100 km2)  4.1%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	284,333
• Estimate  (2022)	302,863
• Density	321.64/sq mi (124.19/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Benton County is a county in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Created as Arkansas' 35th county on September 30, 1836, Benton County contains thirteen incorporated municipalities, including Bentonville, the county seat, and Rogers, the most populous city. The county was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. Senator from Missouri influential in Arkansas statehood.

The county is located within the Springfield Plateau of the Ozarks. Much of eastern Benton County is located along Beaver Lake, a reservoir of the White River. The county contains three protected areas: Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge, Pea Ridge National Military Park, and Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area, as well as parts of the Ozark National Forest, Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area, and two state wildlife management areas.

Benton County occupies 884.86 square miles (229,180 ha) and contained a population of 284,333 people in 100,749 households as of the 2020 Census, ranking it tenth in size and second in population among the state's 75 counties. The county's economy is heavily influenced by the presence of Walmart, headquartered in Bentonville, and hundreds of associated businesses, with agriculture, tourism, and construction also important sectors. Benton County's median household income is the highest in Arkansas and slightly above the national median.

History

Prior to white settlement of the county, the region was used by roving bands of Osage and Delaware who used the area for seasonal hunting grounds. Initial white settlement on Benton County took place around Maysville around 1830, followed by areas around Garfield, Cross Hollow, and Centerton. Settlers were predominantly from Tennessee, followed by Southern Piedmont states. Benton County was created from neighboring Washington County by the Arkansas General Assembly on September 30, 1836. Created shortly after statehood, it was named for Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. Senator from Missouri influential in Arkansas's statehood.

Following establishment, a citizen committee was established to select the county seat. It decided to create Bentonville, with a town square and 136 lots around it, in 1837. The first building serving as courthouse was the home of George P. Wallace, the first county judge, for the 1837 court term. By the following year, a log structure on the north side of the Bentonville square was complete and served as the first permanent courthouse. In 1841, a contractor was building a brick courthouse in the middle of the Bentonville square. It was burned by Union troops during the Civil War in 1862. Court resumed after the war in a rented office for a few months until a new two-story frame building was constructed east of the county jail. In 1870, the search for a more permanent home for county government began, and a new structure was finished after significant struggle and controversy, in 1874. This building was replaced by the present-day Benton County Courthouse in 1928.

On May 26, 2024, Benton County experienced the largest tornado in Arkansas history, an EF3 with a width of 1.8 miles (2.9 km). This also initiated the first ever Arkansas appearance of FEMA for emergency disaster relief.

Geography

Benton County is located within the Springfield Plateau subset of the Ozark Mountains. The plateau is gently rolling compared to the steeper Boston Mountains to the south and east, and contains karst features such as springs, losing streams, sinkholes and caves. Groundcover historically consisted of oak hickory forest or savannas and tall grass prairies. Today, most of the forest and almost all of the prairie have been replaced by agriculture or expanding residential areas. Poultry, cattle, and hog farming are primary land uses; pastureland and hayland are common. Application of poultry litter to agricultural fields is a non-point source that can impair water quality. Total suspended solids and turbidity values in streams are usually low, but total dissolved solids and water hardness values are high.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 884 square miles (2,290 km²), of which 847 square miles (2,190 km²) is land and 37 square miles (96 km²) (4.1%) is water. Most of the water is in Beaver Lake.

The county is located approximately 112 miles (180 km) east of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 212 miles (341 km) south of Kansas City, Missouri, and 215 miles (346 km) northwest of Little Rock, Arkansas. Benton County is surrounded by Barry County, Missouri and McDonald County, Missouri to the north, Delaware County, Oklahoma and Adair County, Oklahoma to the west, Carroll County to the east, and the other two counties of the NWA metropolitan area: Madison County to the east, and Washington County to the south. The highest point in Benton County is near the Lost Bridge Village Community Center on Whitney Mountain (formerly known as Poor Mountain).

Hydrology

Beaver Lake as seen from the Prairie Creek community

Benton County is divided into five watersheds. The eastern part of the county is drained by the White River, which includes Beaver Lake. Major tributaries include War Eagle Creek, Little Clifty Creek, Spider Creek, Indian Creek, Prairie Creek and Esculapia Creek. Northern Benton County is within the Elk River watershed; the northeast corner is drained by tributaries to Big Sugar Creek; north central Benton County drains to Little Sugar Creek. The southwest part of Benton County is within the Illinois River watershed; southwest and south-central parts of the county drain to Osage Creek and western Benton County drains to Flint Creek or Spavinaw Creek. Northeastern Benton County drains to tributaries of the Neosho River. A very small part of northwestern Benton County drains to the Grand Lake.

The county has natural springs, which were very important to early settlers. Benton County communities named for their nearby springs include Cave Springs, Eldorado Springs, Elm Springs, Osage Mills, Siloam Springs, Springdale, Springtown, and Sulphur Springs.

Protected areas

• Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge
• Ozark National Forest (part)
• Pea Ridge National Military Park
• Beaver Lake Wildlife Management Area
• Hobbs State Park - Conservation Area
• Wedington Wildlife Management Area
• Cave Springs Cave Natural Area
• Chesney Prairie Natural Area
• Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area (part)
• Healing Springs Natural Area
• Searles Prairie Natural Area

Demographics

Age pyramid Benton County

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, the county population was 221,339. The racial makeup of the county was 76.18% Non-Hispanic white, 1.27% Black or African American, 1.69% Native American, 2.85% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander. 15.49% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 284,333 people, 100,749 households, and 72,399 families residing in the county.

Culture

After the end of Prohibition in 1933, Benton County voters voted that year to stay dry and voted twice in 1944 to stay dry. In 2012, Benton County voters elected to make the county wet, allowing countywide retail alcohol sales.

Economy

• Walmart was founded in Rogers, and its corporate headquarters is located in Bentonville.
• Daisy Outdoor Products, known for its air rifles, is headquartered in Rogers.
• JB Hunt Transport Services corporate headquarters is located in Lowell.
• Tyson Foods, based in Springdale, has a distribution center located in Rogers.
• Simmons Foods, a major supplier of poultry, pet, and animal nutrition products, is based in Siloam Springs.
• America's Car-Mart, one of the largest American publicly held automotive retailers, is based in Rogers.

Transportation

Major highways

The historic Trail of Tears is on US highways 62 and 71 and connects with U.S. Route 412 in nearby Washington County.

Airports

• Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) is located near Highfill.
• Rogers Municipal Airport (ROG) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Rail

The Arkansas and Missouri Railroad parallels US Highways 62 and 71 in the county.

Communities

Cities

Towns

• Avoca
• Garfield
• Gateway
• Highfill
• Springtown

Census-designated places

• Cherokee City
• Hiwasse (former CDP)
• Lost Bridge Village
• Maysville
• Prairie Creek

Townships

Townships in Benton County, Arkansas as of 2010

Note: Most Arkansas counties have names for their townships. Benton County, however, has numbers instead of names.

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 Benton County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

Education

School districts include:

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Benton (Arkansas) para niños