Greene County, Arkansas

Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,736. The county seat 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 in 1821 and made his home about west of Paragould.

Greene County was formed on November 5, 1833, out of portions of Lawrence County and originally contained parts of present Clay and Craighead counties. The county was named for Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. 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).

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

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 49
* U.S. Highway 49 Business
* U.S. Highway 49Y
* U.S. Highway 63
* U.S. Highway 412
* U.S. Highway 412 Business
* Highway 1
* Highway 34
* Highway 69
* Highway 90
* Highway 135
* Highway 139
* Highway 141
* Highway 168
* Highway 228
* Highway 351
* Highway 358

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 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 was . There were 16,161 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.45% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were Hispanic 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 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 for the county was $16,403. About 9.90% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

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 Greene 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 11 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

* District 1: Sherma Clark Dicus (R)
* District 2: Robert Glasco (R)
* District 3: Bill McCartney (R)
* District 4: Jonathan Davis (R)
* District 5: Michele Boling (R)
* District 6: Phillip Keeling (R)
* District 7: Allen Davis (R)
* District 8: Dean Wooldridge (R)
* District 9: Marc Reeves (R)
* District 10: Ronnie Roberts (R)
* District 11: Kirk Brinkley (R)

Additionally, the townships of Greene 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:

* Bula: Kevin Gillmore (R)
* Campground: Billy Joe Foster (R)
* Crowley's Ridge: Patrick Lenderman (R)
* Dalton: David Howell (R)
* Rush Island: Jeremy Perry (D)

Over the past few election cycles, Greene County has swung hard towards the GOP. The last Democrat to carry this county was Al Gore in 2000. Twenty years later, Joe Biden failed to even garner twenty percent of the county's vote.

Communities

Cities

* Marmaduke
* Paragould (county seat)

Towns

* Delaplaine
* Lafe
* Oak Grove Heights

Unincorporated communities

* Beech Grove
* Cotton Belt
* Fontaine
* Gainesville
* Hopewell
* Light
* Walcott
* Walnut Corner

Townships

* 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
** 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. Retrieved on October 13, 2017. and the Stanford School District. The new merged district was originally called the Northeast Arkansas School District; by 1997 the name of the new district became the Paragould School District.
* Rector School District
** 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 - Consolidated into Greene County Technical in 2004.

See also

* Lake Frierson State Park
* List of lakes in Greene County, Arkansas
* List of sundown towns in the United States
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Greene County, Arkansas

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