Ashley County, Arkansas | |
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Location in the U.S. state of Arkansas |
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Arkansas's location in the U.S. |
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Founded | 1848 |
Named for | Chester Ashley |
Seat | Hamburg |
Largest city | Crossett |
Area | |
• Total | 941 sq mi (2,437 km2) |
• Land | 925 sq mi (2,396 km2) |
• Water | 15 sq mi (39 km2), 1.6% |
Population (est.) | |
• (2015) | 20,838 |
• Density | 23.6/sq mi (9/km²) |
Congressional district | 4th |
Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Website | ashleycounty |
Ashley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,853. The county seat is Hamburg. The county was formed in 1848 from parts of Chicot, Drew and Union counties and named after Chester Ashley. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.
Ashley County, the fifth-largest county in Arkansas in terms of land area, was formed on November 30, 1848 from portions of Drew, Chicot and Union Counties. It was named after Chester Ashley, a US Senator and land speculator. The final borders were laid in 1861. The courtroom in the courthouse has a one-of-a-kind architecture: it is round, and the seats are arranged so that members of the audience can always see each other.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 941 square miles (2,440 km2), of which 925 square miles (2,400 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (1.6%) is water. The lowest point in the state of Arkansas is located on the Ouachita River in Ashley County and Union County, where it flows out of Arkansas and into Louisiana.
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 24,209 people, 9,384 households, and 6,906 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 10,615 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.78% White, 27.10% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.73% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 3.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.