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Clay County, Arkansas facts for kids

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Clay County
U.S. county
Historic Sheeks House in Corning, Arkansas.
Historic Sheeks House in Corning, Arkansas.
Map of Arkansas highlighting Clay County
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Map of the United States highlighting Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Arkansas
Founded 24 March, 1873
Seat Corning (western district);
Piggott (eastern district)
Largest city Piggott
Area
 • Total 641 sq mi (1,660 km2)
 • Land 639 sq mi (1,660 km2)
 • Water 2.0 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 14,552
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 14,201 Decrease
 • Density 22.702/sq mi (8.765/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Clay County is a place in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It's like a smaller region within the state. In 2020, about 14,552 people lived here.

Clay County is special because it has two main towns that act as its "county seats": Corning and Piggott. A county seat is like the main office for the county government. Also, Clay County has rules about where and how alcoholic drinks can be sold.

History of Clay County

Clay County became Arkansas's 67th county on March 24, 1873. At first, it was called Clayton County. It was named after John M. Clayton, who was a senator in Arkansas. Some people think it might have been named after his brother, Powell Clayton, who was a U.S. Senator.

A couple of years later, in 1875, the county's name was made shorter to "Clay." Some say this was to honor a famous statesman named Henry Clay. Others believe it was still named after John M. Clayton. The name change might have happened because people didn't fully trust Powell Clayton. He had made some strict rules when he was the Governor of Arkansas.

How the County Seats Changed

The first county seat was Corning, set up in 1873. This happened when the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway came through. Corning was the first town in the county to be officially recognized.

In 1877, the county seat moved to Boydsville. This was because people living east of the Black and Cache Rivers found it hard to get to Corning when there were floods. But then, people living west of the rivers had trouble. So, in 1881, Corning became the seat for the Western District again. Boydsville stayed the seat for the Eastern District.

Later, in 1882, another railroad, the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railroad, arrived. This helped other towns like Greenway, Rector, and Piggott grow. In 1887, the Eastern District's seat moved to Piggott. This is why Clay County still has two county seats today! Important county meetings happen in both Piggott and Corning.

Geography

Clay County covers about 641 square miles. Most of this area, about 639 square miles, is land. Only a small part, about 2 square miles, is water.

Major Highways

These are the main roads that go through Clay County:

  • I-57 (Future).svg Future Interstate 57
  • US 49 (1961).svg U.S. Highway 49
  • US 62 (1961).svg U.S. Highway 62
  • US 67 (1961).svg U.S. Highway 67
  • Arkansas 90.svg Highway 90
  • Arkansas 119.svg Highway 119
  • Arkansas 139.svg Highway 139

Neighboring Counties

Clay County shares its borders with these other counties:

People in Clay County (Demographics)

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880 7,213 —
1890 12,200 69.1%
1900 15,886 30.2%
1910 23,690 49.1%
1920 27,276 15.1%
1930 27,278 0.0%
1940 28,386 4.1%
1950 26,674 −6.0%
1960 21,258 −20.3%
1970 18,771 −11.7%
1980 20,616 9.8%
1990 18,107 −12.2%
2000 17,609 −2.8%
2010 16,083 −8.7%
2020 14,552 −9.5%
2023 (est.) 14,201 −11.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010
USA Clay County, Arkansas age pyramid
This chart shows the age groups of people living in Clay County.

2020 Census Information

The 2020 United States census counted how many people lived in Clay County and learned about their backgrounds.

Clay County racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 13,574 93.28%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 40 0.27%
Native American 44 0.3%
Asian 14 0.1%
Pacific Islander 5 0.03%
Other/Mixed 548 3.77%
Hispanic or Latino 327 2.25%

In 2020, there were 14,552 people living in the county. These people made up 6,444 households and 4,140 families.

Economy

Farming is very important to Clay County's economy. Farmers here grow many different kinds of crops. Rice is the most common crop. They also grow a lot of cotton, soybeans, corn, hay, and milo. There are also a few factories in the cities of Piggott, Corning, and Rector.

Education

Students in Clay County go to public schools provided by these districts:

  • Corning School District
  • Greene County Tech School District
  • Piggott School District
  • Rector School District

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated Community

Townships

Clay County Arkansas 2010 Township Map large
This map shows the different townships in Clay County, Arkansas, as of 2010.

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Clay County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Clay (Arkansas) para niños

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