Faulkner County, Arkansas

Faulkner County is a county located in the Central Arkansas region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 113,237, making it the fifth most populous of Arkansas's seventy-five counties. The county seat and largest city is Conway. Faulkner County was created on April 12, 1873, one of nine counties formed during Reconstruction, and is named for Arkansas Militia Colonel Sandy Faulkner, a popular figure in the state at the time.Located at the intersection of the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley, the county was sparsely populated for much of its early years. Largely a county of rural settlements, growth came slowly following the Civil War and Reconstruction. A college, known today as University of Central Arkansas was established in 1907, but population continued to grow slowly. The growth of Little Rock and the construction of Interstate 40 have made Conway and other parts of Faulkner County into bedroom communities for the state capitol. Today Faulkner County is included in the Central Arkansas metro area, with Conway as a principal city.