Crittenden County, Arkansas

Crittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,163. The county seat is Marion, and the largest city is West Memphis. Crittenden County is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the county's media comes from Memphis, although some Little Rock TV ( Arkansas Educational Television Network, KATV) is imported by Comcast Cable. It lies within Arkansas's 1st congressional district.

History

Located in the Arkansas Delta, Crittenden County is Arkansas's 12th county, formed October 22, 1825, and named for Robert Crittenden, the first Secretary of the Arkansas Territory.

The legislature selected the (now extant) community of Greenock as the first county seat, and court was first held there in the home of William Lloyd in June 1826. Greenock served as the county seat for almost a decade before it the seat was moved to Marion.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Mississippi County (northeast)
* Tipton County, Tennessee (east)
* Shelby County, Tennessee (east)
* DeSoto County, Mississippi (southeast)
* Tunica County, Mississippi (south)
* Lee County (southwest)
* St. Francis County (west)
* Cross County (west)
* Poinsett County (northwest)

National protected area

* Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 48,163 people, 19,074 households, and 11,964 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 50,902 people living in the county. 51.2% were Black or African American, 46.1% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% of some other race and 1.1% of two or more races. 2.0% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 50,866 people, 18,471 households, and 13,373 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 20,507 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 50.91% White, 47.05% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 1.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 18,471 households, out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.80% were married couples living together, 21.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.10% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,109, and the median income for a family was $34,982. Males had a median income of $31,299 versus $21,783 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,424. About 21.00% of families and 25.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.30% of those under age 18 and 23.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Elementary and secondary education

Public school districts include:
* Earle School District, which operates Earle High School
* Marion School District, which operates Marion High School
* West Memphis School District, which operates Academies of West Memphis

Former school districts:
* Hughes School District, which operated Hughes High School
* Turrell School District

The Old Earle High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Postsecondary education

Crittenden County is served by Arkansas State University Mid-South in West Memphis. The college offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in conjunction with Arkansas State University, The University of Arkansas, The University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas Tech University and Franklin University.

Healthcare

Crittenden County was served by 152 Bed Crittenden Regional Hospital in West Memphis until late August 2014. The hospital operated a number of outpatient clinics in Marion and West Memphis and a Pediatric Dental Clinic in cooperation with the UT Dental School. Crittenden Regional Hospital has closed the ER and permanently closed on September 7, 2014.

West Memphis & Crittenden County are now served by Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden, an 11-bed, 65,000-square-foot acute care facility. The facility was opened December 13, 2018. The Arkansas Department of Health operates a clinic in West Memphis.

A number of private clinics also operate in Marion and West Memphis.

Government and politics

Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Crittenden County Quorum Court has eleven members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.

The composition of the Quorum Court after the 2024 elections is 8 Democrats and 3 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

* District 1: Vickie Miles (D)
* District 2: Albert Marconi (R)
* District 3: Stacy Allen (D)
* District 4: Tamara Hood (D)
* District 5: Marco McClendon (D)
* District 6: Thomas A. Dill (D)
* District 7: Rickey McCauley (D)
* District 8: Sidney Hardin (R)
* District 9: Kenneth Cross (D)
* District 10: Bradley Moore (R)
* District 11: Lisa Vickers O'Neil (D)

Additionally, the townships of Crittenden County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the Constitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:

* Black Oak: Scott D. Fraley (D)
* Jackson: Steve Johnson (D)
* Jasper: Stanley Griffin (D)
* Lucas: Roy O. Harness III (D)
* Mississippi: Eddie West (D)

Politics

Crittenden County has been a longtime Democratic stronghold, which begins to be more relevant as the state of Arkansas becomes more entrenched in the Republican Party and Black voters in the Mississippi Delta have become one of the last bases of Democratic support in the state. While the county's closeness to the larger Memphis area has led to a relatively stable population, the sharp rightward turn of Arkansas politically has led to the margins in this county to shrink with each presidential election.

Transportation

Major highways

* Interstate 40
* Interstate 55
* Interstate 555
* U.S. Highway 61
* U.S. Highway 63
* U.S. Highway 64
* U.S. Highway 70
* U.S. Route 78
* U.S. Highway 79
* Highway 38
* Highway 42
* Highway 50
* Highway 77
* Highway 118
* Highway 131
* Highway 147
* Highway 149
* Highway 184
* Highway 191
* Highway 218
* Highway 816

Airports

Crittenden County is served by the West Memphis Municipal Airport (KAWM), a General Aviation facility with a Control Tower and Instrument Landing capabilities. General DeWitt Spain Airport is a civil aviation airport just north of downtown Memphis.

The Memphis International Airport is nearby and provides commercial aviation through numerous carriers and is the international cargo hub for FedEx.

Rail

Union Pacific operates a 600 Acre intermodal facility west of Marion, Arkansas. BNSF Railway also operates a yard in Marion.

Limited Passenger Rail is available on Amtrak at Memphis Central Station in nearby Memphis. The City of New Orleans runs twice daily on a north–south route from Chicago to New Orleans.

Water

Crittenden County and West Memphis jointly operate a port on the Mississippi River. The International Port of Memphis lies just across the Mississippi River via Interstate 55. The International Port of Memphis is the 4th largest inland port in the United States.

Communities

Cities

* Earle
* Marion (county seat)
* Turrell
* West Memphis

Towns

* Anthonyville
* Crawfordsville
* Clarkedale
* Edmondson
* Gilmore
* Horseshoe Lake
* Jennette
* Jericho
* Sunset

Townships

* Black Oak
* Bob Ward ( Anthonyville, Edmondson, small part of Jennette)
* Fogleman ( Gilmore, Turrell)
* Jackson ( Crawfordsville, part of Marion, part of West Memphis small part of Jennette)
* Jasper (Sunset, most of Marion, part of West Memphis, small part of Clarkedale)
* Lucas ( Horseshoe Lake)
* Mississippi (most of West Memphis, part of Marion)
* Mound City (part of Marion, part of West Memphis, small part of Clarkedale)
* Proctor (part of West Memphis)
* Tyronza ( Earle, most of Jennette)
* Wappanocca (Jericho, most of Clarkedale)

See also

* List of lakes in Crittenden County, Arkansas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Crittenden County, Arkansas

References

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1825 establishments in Arkansas Territory
Populated places established in 1825
Counties in the Memphis metropolitan area
Arkansas counties on the Mississippi River
Black Belt (U.S. region)
Majority-minority counties in Arkansas