Saline

Formed November 2, 1835 (32^nd county)

Saline County (123,424), Benton (35,011)                

The high clock tower and corner lower towers give the tan brick courthouse uniqueness.  It was built in 1901 and sits on a square at Main, Conway, Market and Sevier streets.  The building is two blocks west of Arkansas State Highway 35.  The designer is Charles L. Thompson in Romanesque Revival style.  The building was renovated in 1995 and an addition was added.  Benton has always been the county seat.  Saline comes from local salt works.  Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton provided the county seat’s name.  Benton also provided the name of Benton County and its county seat.  Independence and Pulaski counties provided the land for Saline County on November 2, 1835 as the 32^nd county.  

Saline County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 13 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Four Circuit Court Judges and a District Court Judge, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Saline County (judicial.)  The county is located in central Arkansas just to the southwest of Little Rock, Arkansas.  The Saline River flows south out of this county.  The center of the county is 3.8 miles East-Northeast of Benton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Perry, Pulaski, Grant, Hot Spring, and Garland counties.  The county is shaped like a crooked stick with four steps on both sides and a longer extension to the east.  Benton is in the south and east part of the county.  Benton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 28.4% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SA-LEEN.  

The area of the county is 730.5 square miles.  It is 28 of 75 in size.  It ranks 6 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 169.0 persons per square mile making it 6 out of 75 in the state.  Saline County has 55.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 30 crosses from Pulaski County, northeast, into Hot Spring County, southwest.  United States Highway 65 cuts the far eastern part of the county from Pulaski County into Grant County, north to south.  United States Highway 67 enters joined with Interstate Highway 30 from Pulaski County, splits, and parallels it into Hot Spring County.  United States Highway 70 also is joined with Interstate Highway 30 and United States Highway 67 from Pulaski County but after splitting continues west into Garland County.  United States Highway 167 enters jointly with United States Highway 65 from Pulaski County, splits, and heads separately into Grant County.  The county is in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Alexander