Crittenden County, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Crittenden County
U.S. county
Crittenden County Courthouse in Marion
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	October 22, 1825
Named for	Robert Crittenden
Seat	Marion
Largest city	West Memphis
Area
• Total	636 sq mi (1,650 km2)
• Land	610 sq mi (1,600 km2)
• Water	27 sq mi (70 km2)  4.2%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	48,163
• Estimate  (2023)	47,139
• Density	75.73/sq mi (29.239/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Cotton workers on the road, carrying all they possess in the world during the Great Depression. Crittenden County, Arkansas, 1936.

Crittenden County is a county located in the state of Arkansas, USA. In 2020, about 48,163 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Marion. The biggest city is West Memphis. Crittenden County is part of the larger Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. This means it's connected to the big city of Memphis.

History

Crittenden County is the 12th county created in Arkansas. It was formed on October 22, 1825. The county was named after Robert Crittenden. He was the first Secretary of the Arkansas Territory.

The first county seat was a community called Greenock. Court meetings were held there starting in 1826. After about ten years, the county seat moved to Marion.

Geography

Crittenden County covers a total area of 636 square miles. Most of this area, about 610 square miles, is land. The rest, about 27 square miles (4.2%), is water.

Neighboring Counties

Crittenden County shares borders with several other counties:

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

Protected Areas

The county is home to the Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge. This is a special area set aside to protect wildlife.

Population Information

Age pyramid for Crittenden County

The number of people living in Crittenden County has changed over time. Here's how the population has grown and changed:

2020 Census Details

In 2020, the 2020 United States Census counted 48,163 people in Crittenden County. There were 19,074 households and 11,964 families.

The census also looks at the different backgrounds of people. Here's a breakdown of the main groups in Crittenden County in 2020:

Education

Crittenden County has many schools for students of all ages.

Schools for Kids

Public schools in the county are part of these districts:

• Earle School District, which includes Earle High School
• Marion School District, which includes Marion High School
• West Memphis School District, which includes Academies of West Memphis

The Old Earle High School is a historic building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

College and Higher Education

For students who want to continue their education, Arkansas State University Mid-South is located in West Memphis. This college works with other universities. It offers programs for bachelor's and master's degrees.

Healthcare

Crittenden County has medical facilities to help people stay healthy.

A new hospital, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden, opened in West Memphis in 2018. It is an 11-bed facility. The Arkansas Department of Health also runs a clinic in West Memphis. Many private clinics operate in Marion and West Memphis too.

Transportation

Getting around Crittenden County is easy, thanks to many roads, airports, and other ways to travel.

Main Roads

Many important highways pass through Crittenden County:

• 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

The West Memphis Municipal Airport (KAWM) serves Crittenden County. It's for general aviation, like private planes. The Memphis International Airport is also nearby. It handles commercial flights for many people and is a big cargo hub for FedEx.

Trains

Union Pacific and BNSF Railway both have train yards in Marion. You can also catch a passenger train, the City of New Orleans, at Memphis Central Station in nearby Memphis. This train travels between Chicago and New Orleans.

Water Travel

Crittenden County and West Memphis share a port on the Mississippi River. The International Port of Memphis is just across the river. It is one of the largest inland ports in the United States.

Communities

Crittenden County has several cities and towns where people live.

Cities

• Earle
• Marion (This is the county seat)
• Turrell
• West Memphis

Towns

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

Townships

Townships in Crittenden County, Arkansas as of 2010

Counties in Arkansas are divided into smaller areas called townships. Here are the townships in Crittenden County:

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

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Crittenden (Arkansas) para niños