Cross County, Arkansas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cross County
U.S. county
Clockwise from top: Cross County Courthouse, the railroad overpass in Wynne, Lake Austell at Village Creek State Park, a sorghum field with Wynne grain elevator in the background, a preserved Native American mound at Parkin Archaeological State Park, and streetside in the Wynne Commercial Historic District
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	November 15, 1862
Named for	David C. Cross
Seat	Wynne
Largest city	Wynne
Area
• Total	622.33 sq mi (1,611.8 km²)
• Land	615.85 sq mi (1,595.0 km²)
• Water	6.48 sq mi (16.8 km²) 1.0%%
Population (2010)
• Total	17,870
• Estimate (2019)	16,419
• Density	28.715/sq mi (11.087/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Cross County is a rural Northeast Arkansas county in the Arkansas Delta. Created as Arkansas's 53rd county on November 15, 1862, Cross County contains four incorporated municipalities, including Wynne, the county seat and most populous city. It is named for Confederate Colonel David C. Cross, a political leader in the area.

The county is largely flat and fertile, mostly used for row agriculture typical of the rich alluvial soils of the Arkansas Delta. Crowley's Ridge, a forested deposit of loess hills rising from the flat Delta bisects the county from north to south, including part of Wynne and most of Village Creek State Park, the county's primary protected area of ecological value. Historical and cultural features range from Parkin Archeological State Park, which preserves a prehistoric Native American mound building settlement, to the Johnston Cotton Gin marking mechanization of the cotton farm, and the Northern Ohio School, a segregated school built by a lumber company for African-American children of employees.

Cross County occupies 622.33 square miles (1,612 ha) and contained a population of 17,870 people in 6,653 households as of the 2010 census, ranking it 49th in size and 43rd in population among the state's 75 counties. The economy is largely based on agriculture. Poverty and unemployment rates are above national averages, household incomes are below state and national averages. Politically, Cross County has transitioned from reliably Democratic to steadily Republican since the mid-20th century.

Cross County is mostly served by two school districts: Cross County School District and Wynne Public Schools. Higher education is provided at the Wynne campus of East Arkansas Community College, a public community college. Crossridge Community Hospital in Wynne is a community hospital providing primary care in the county. Although no Interstate highways serve Cross County, the county has access to two United States highways (US Highway 49 [US 49] and US 64) and thirteen Arkansas state highways. Cross County is also served by one public owned/public use general aviation airport, Wynne Municipal Airport, and seven community water systems provide potable water to customers in the county.

Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
Communities
Infrastructure
- Major highways
- Utilities
Images for kids
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 622 square miles (1,610 km²), of which 616 square miles (1,600 km²) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km²) (1.0%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 49
U.S. Highway 64
Highway 1
Highway 42
Highway 75

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	3,915	—
1880	5,050	29.0%
1890	7,693	52.3%
1900	11,051	43.7%
1910	14,042	27.1%
1920	18,579	32.3%
1930	25,723	38.5%
1940	26,046	1.3%
1950	24,757	−4.9%
1960	19,551	−21.0%
1970	19,783	1.2%
1980	20,434	3.3%
1990	19,225	−5.9%
2000	19,526	1.6%
2010	17,870	−8.5%
2019 (est.)	16,419	−8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2016

Age pyramid Cross County

2020 census

Cross County Racial Composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White	12,067	71.69%
Black or African American	3,651	21.69%
Native American	38	0.23%
Asian	102	0.61%
Pacific Islander	5	0.03%
Other/Mixed	618	3.67%
Hispanic or Latino	352	2.09%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 16,833 people, 6,653 households, and 4,652 families residing in the county.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Townships in Cross 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 Cross County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

Bedford (small part of Wynne)
Brushy Lake
Coldwater
Ellis
Fair Oaks
Hickory Ridge (Hickory Ridge)
Mitchell (Cherry Valley)
Searcy
Smith
Twist
Tyronza (Parkin)
Wynne (most of Wynne)

Infrastructure

Major highways

Cross County is not served by any Interstate highways; the nearest access to the Interstate system is Interstate 40 (I-40) in St. Francis County to the south. Two United States highways serve Cross County: U.S. Highway 49 (US 49) runs north–south in western Cross County; and US 64 runs east–west across the length of Cross County.

Highway 1B runs north as a rural highway in Vanndale

Eleven state highways serve the traveling public in the county, varying from short connector routes to long highways traversing the entire county. Highway 1, which runs north–south the length of the Arkansas Delta, essentially bisects the county, serving as a principal arterial through Wynne and connecting Cherry Valley and Vanndale to the state highway system. Highway 42 runs east–west across the northern part of Cross County through Hickory Ridge, Cherry Valley, Birdeye, Coldwater, and Twist. Highway 75 runs north–south though east Cross County, connecting Parkin and Coldwater to I-40 to the south and I-555 to the north.

Highway 163 begins at Wittsburg and runs north along Crowley's Ridge to Birdeye and toward Jonesboro. It is designated as the Crowley's Ridge Parkway, a National Scenic Byway and Arkansas Scenic Byway.

Utilities

Parkin Water Company water treatment plant in Parkin

Entergy Arkansas is the sole provider of electricity in most of Cross County, with exception of an area northeast of Wynne roughly between Highway 1 and the St. Francis River, which is served by Woodruff Electric Cooperative. Telephone communication service is provided by AT&T, cable television is provided by East Arkansas Video. Centerpoint Energy is the natural gas utility in Cross County.

The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is responsible for the regulation and oversight of public water systems throughout the state. Cross County contains seven community water systems. Cross County Rural Water System is the largest by customer count (9276), though it extends into portions of five other counties. Wynne Water Utilities is largest by customers in Cross County (8837), followed by the Vanndale-Birdeye Water Association (2389). Cherry Valley Waterworks, Hickory Ridge Waterworks, Parkin Rural Water Association, and Parkin Water Company are all smaller water systems with under 1000 customers. All use groundwater from various aquifers as source water.

Images for kids

St. Francis River at Parkin
This segment of the Memphis to Little Rock Road in Village Creek State Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is preserved as a trail
EACC-Wynne
Wynne Police Department patrol car
Native American pottery found nearby on display at Parkin Archaeological State Park
Entrance to downtown Wynne
The W.M. Smith & Sons store was the historic center of the Birdeye community