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Greene County, Arkansas facts for kids

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Greene County
U.S. county
Courthouse in Paragould
Courthouse in Paragould
Map of Arkansas highlighting Greene 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 November 5, 1833
Named for Nathanael Greene
Seat Paragould
Largest city Paragould
Area
 • Total 580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Land 578 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water 1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 45,736
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 46,743 Increase
 • Density 78.9/sq mi (30.45/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

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 12 miles (19 km) 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 580 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 578 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 49.svg U.S. Highway 49
  • US 49B.svg U.S. Highway 49 Business
  • US 49Y.svg U.S. Highway 49Y
  • US 63.svg U.S. Highway 63
  • US 412.svg U.S. Highway 412
  • US 412B.svg U.S. Highway 412 Business
  • Arkansas 1.svg Highway 1
  • Arkansas 34.svg Highway 34
  • Arkansas 69.svg Highway 69
  • Arkansas 90.svg Highway 90
  • Arkansas 135.svg Highway 135
  • Arkansas 139.svg Highway 139
  • Arkansas 141.svg Highway 141
  • Arkansas 168.svg Highway 168
  • Arkansas 228.svg Highway 228
  • Arkansas 351.svg Highway 351
  • Arkansas 358.svg Highway 358

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 1,586 —
1850 2,593 63.5%
1860 5,843 125.3%
1870 7,573 29.6%
1880 7,480 −1.2%
1890 12,908 72.6%
1900 16,979 31.5%
1910 23,852 40.5%
1920 26,105 9.4%
1930 26,127 0.1%
1940 30,204 15.6%
1950 29,149 −3.5%
1960 25,198 −13.6%
1970 24,765 −1.7%
1980 30,744 24.1%
1990 31,804 3.4%
2000 37,331 17.4%
2010 42,090 12.7%
2020 45,736 8.7%
2023 (est.) 46,743 11.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010
USA Greene County, Arkansas age pyramid
Age pyramid Greene County

2020 census

Greene County racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 40,509 88.57%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 926 2.02%
Native American 138 0.3%
Asian 181 0.4%
Pacific Islander 287 0.63%
Other/Mixed 2,099 4.59%
Hispanic or Latino 1,596 3.49%

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.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Greene County Arkansas 2010 Township Map large
Townships in Greene 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 Greene County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

  • 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:

  • 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, which merged with the former Paragould district on July 1, 1985, 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

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

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