 Today Faulkner County is included in the Central Arkansas metro area, with Conway as a principal city.Faulkner County was formed from parts of Conway and Pulaski counties on April 12, 1873, and is named after Colonel Sanford C. 'Sandy' Faulkner who was the composer of the popular fiddle tune "The Arkansas Traveler".According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.