Greene County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,090. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Paragould, which sits atop Crowley's Ridge. Greene County is included in Jonesboro–Paragould Combined Statistical Area.

History

The first settler in the area was Benjamin Crowley, who arrived from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

in 1821 and made his home about west of Paragould. Greene County was formed on 5 November 1833 out of portions of Lawrence County and originally contained parts of present

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...

and Craighead counties. The county was named for Revolutionary War hero

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

. The first county seat was in Benjamin Crowley's home. By 1836, when Arkansas became a state, the county seat was located in a settlement called "Paris" (not to be confused with present-day

Paris, Arkansas Paris is a city in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, and serves as the county seat for the northern district of Logan County; its southern district counterpart is Booneville. Its population was 3,176 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Geography ...

). In 1848 a national highway was made through the area, and the county seat was moved to Gainesville, which had a reputation as rather lawless. The seat remained there until 1883, when it was transferred to the new town of Paragould. The people in Gainesville opposed the move, and shots reportedly were fired, since tempers were high. The courthouse was built in 1888 and survives in downtown Paragould. In the early 20th century,

, Greene, and Craighead counties had policies forbidding African Americans from living in the area.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 49 U.S. Route 49 (US 49) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with US Route 62/ Highway 1/ Highway 139 (US 62/AR 1/AR 139). Its southern terminus is ...

* U.S. Highway 49 Business * U.S. Highway 49Y *

U.S. Highway 63 U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US ...

* U.S. Highway 412 * US 412B

U.S. Highway 412 Business *

Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

* Highway 34 * Highway 69 * Highway 90 * Highway 135 * Highway 139 * Highway 141 * Highway 168 * Highway 228 * Highway 351 * Highway 358

Adjacent counties

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Flo ...

(north) * Dunklin County, Missouri (east) * Craighead County (south) * Lawrence County (southwest) * Randolph County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 45,736 people, 17,254 households, and 12,280 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 42,090 people living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% White, 0.6% Black, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, <0.1% from some other race and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.1% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 37,331 people, 14,750 households, and 10,708 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 65 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 16,161 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.45%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.13%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.42% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.47% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 14,750 households, out of which 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,828, and the median income for a family was $37,316. Males had a median income of $27,535 versus $20,375 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,403. About 9.90% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Over the past few election cycles, Greene County has swung hard towards the GOP. The last Democrat to carry this county was

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...

in 2000. Twenty years later, Joe Biden failed to even garner twenty percent of the county's vote.

Communities

Cities

* Marmaduke * Paragould

Towns

* Delaplaine * Lafe * Oak Grove Heights

Unincorporated communities

* Beech Grove * Cotton Belt * Fontaine * Gainesville * Hopewell *

Light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 t ...

* Walcott * Walnut Corner

Townships

Greene County Arkansas 2010 Township Map large

* Blue Cane * Breckenridge ( Lafe) * Bryan * Cache * Clark (most of Paragould) * Collier * Crowley * Evening Shade * Friendship * Hays * Hopewell * Hurricane ( Marmaduke) * Jones ( Delaplaine) * Lake * Main Shore * Poland * Reynolds * St. Francis (small part of Paragould) * Salem * Shady Grove * Spring Grove (part of Paragould) * Sugar Creek * Union ( Oak Grove Heights) * Walnut Corner

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Greene County Technical School District * Marmaduke School District *

Paragould School District Paragould School District is a public school district headquartered in Paragould, Arkansas. It serves the northern portion of Paragould and Oak Grove Heights. The district includes numerous campuses, including the Paragould Secondary Complex ( ...

** It consists of the boundary of the original Paragould School District, plus the Oak Grove School district,Home
Paragould School District. February 11, 1997. Retrieved on October 14, 2017. "Paragould School District is a consolidated district comprising the former districts of Oak Grove, Stanford, and Paragould." which merged with the former Paragould district on July 1, 1985,ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls
"

Arkansas Department of Education Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osa ...

. Retrieved on October 13, 2017. and the Stanford School District. The new merged district was originally called the Northeast Arkansas School District;ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls
"

. Retrieved on October 13, 2017. b 1997 the name of the new district became the Paragould School District. *

Rector School District Rector School District is a public school district based in Rector, Arkansas, United States. The school district encompasses of land, including portions of Clay County and Greene County serving the communities of Rector and Greenway. The Rec ...

** The Greenway School District and the former Rector District merged into the Clay County Central School District on July 1, 1984. The name of the merged district later became the Rector School District. Former districts: *

Delaplaine School District Delaplaine School District was a school district headquartered in Delaplaine, Arkansas. It served Delaplaine, O'Kean, and Peach Orchard. It was administratively divided between an elementary school (Delaplaine Elementary School) and a high schoo ...

- Consolidated into Greene County Technical in 2004.

References

External links

Greene County Online

Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce
{{coord, 36, 06, 21, N, 90, 33, 41, W, region:US-AR_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title 1833 establishments in Arkansas Territory Populated places established in 1833 Jonesboro-Paragould Combined Statistical Area Sundown towns in Arkansas