Garland County, Arkansas

Not to be confused with Garland, Arkansas.

Garland County, Arkansas
Garland County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	April 5, 1873
Named for	Augustus Hill Garland
Seat	Hot Springs
Largest city	Hot Springs
Area
• Total	735 sq mi (1,904 km2)
• Land	678 sq mi (1,756 km2)
• Water	57 sq mi (148 km2), 7.7%
Population
• (2010)	96,024
• Density	142/sq mi (55/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Garland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 96,024. The county seat is Hot Springs.

Garland County comprises the Hot Springs, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county includes Hot Springs National Park, the first property to be protected under federal legislation; a law was passed in 1832 supported by President Andrew Jackson to preserve this area, even before Arkansas was admitted as a state.

History

This area was occupied by the historic Natchitoches people, who frequented the hot springs for their healing powers. Their ancestors among regional indigenous peoples had been coming to this area for thousands of years.

President Thomas Jefferson requested William Dunbar, a planter and amateur scientist of Natchez, to explore this area. Dunbar led small group of a dozen soldiers and friend George Hunter, a chemist, to the Ouachita Mountains to report on the Indian tribes, minerals, and springs. They reached Hot Springs in December 1804, where they found a basic cabin used by visitors to the springs.

The first European-American settler was Jean Pierre Emanuel Prudhomme, a descendant of French colonists. An owner of a plantation at Red River, Prudhomme was suffering from illness and sought relief from the springs. In 1807 He built the first permanent European house by the springs, living here for two years. Isaac Cates and John Percival, two trappers from Alabama, joined him. Percival foresaw a great potential for the area and built log cabins in order to rent to visitors to the springs.

In 1828, Ludovicus Belding came with wife and children to visit the hot springs. After a few months they built a small hotel for the visitors of the springs.

In 1832 President Andrew Jackson signed legislation to protect the hot springs area for recreational use by American citizens, the first time such action was taken. This was four years before Arkansas became a state, on June 16, 1836. A dispute among original settlers and their descendants over control of the property was settled by the US Supreme Court in 1877 in favor of the federal government. Hot Springs National Park was established in 1921 and is managed by the National Park Service. Garland County is Arkansas' 68th county, formed on April 5, 1873, from portions of Hot Spring, Montgomery, and Saline Counties. It was named for Augustus H. Garland, eleventh governor of Arkansas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 735 square miles (1,900 km²), of which 678 square miles (1,760 km²) is land and 57 square miles (150 km²) (7.7%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 70
• U.S. Highway 270
• Highway 5
• Highway 7
• Highway 88

Adjacent counties

• Perry County (north)
• Saline County (east)
• Hot Spring County (south)
• Montgomery County (west)
• Yell County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Hot Springs National Park
• Ouachita National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	9,023		—
1890	15,328		69.9%
1900	18,773		22.5%
1910	27,271		45.3%
1920	25,785		−5.4%
1930	36,031		39.7%
1940	41,664		15.6%
1950	47,102		13.1%
1960	46,697		−0.9%
1970	54,131		15.9%
1980	70,531		30.3%
1990	73,397		4.1%
2000	88,068		20.0%
2010	96,024		9.0%
Est. 2014	97,322		1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

Age pyramid Garland County

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 88,068 people, 37,813 households, and 25,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 130 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 44,953 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile (26/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.85% White, 7.80% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. 2.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 37,813 households out of which 25.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.20% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.30% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 21.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,724, and the median income for a family was $38,079. Males had a median income of $28,117 versus $20,421 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,631. About 10.50% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Hot Springs (county seat)

Towns

• Fountain Lake
• Lonsdale
• Mountain Pine
• Jessieville

Census-designated places

• Hot Springs Village
• Lake Hamilton
• Piney
• Rockwell

Unincorporated community

• Royal

Townships

Townships in Garland County, Arkansas as of 2010

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

Township	FIPS code	ANSI code (GNIS ID)	Population center(s)	Pop. (2010)	Pop. density (/mi²)	Pop. density (/km²)	Total area (mi²)	Total area (km²)	Land area (mi²)	Land area (km²)	Water area (mi²)	Water area (km²)	Geographic coordinates
Hale	05-91581	00066591	Mountain Pine, most of CDP Hot Springs Village, small part of CDP Rockwell	16,142	41.99	16.21
Hot Springs	05-91773	00066592	most of Hot Springs	41,479	801.70	309.54
Lake Hamilton	05-92100	00066594	CDP Lake Hamilton, most of CDP Rockwell	20,534	260.45	100.56
Whittington	05-94047	00066602	Fountain Lake, Lonsdale, CDP Piney, part of CDP Hot Springs Village, small part of Hot Springs	17,599	108.09	41.73
Source: Source:

See also

• List of lakes in Garland County, Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Garland County, Arkansas

External links

• Garland County government's website
• Hot Springs, Arkansas Community Guides • What to do and where to find it in Hot Springs, Arkansas.