Mississippi County, Arkansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mississippi County
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Mississippi County Courthouse, Osceola
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Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
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 Arkansas's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Arkansas |
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| Founded | November 1, 1833 | |
| Named for | Mississippi River | |
| Seat | Blytheville and Osceola | |
| Largest city | Blytheville | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 920 sq mi (2,400 km2) | |
| • Land | 901 sq mi (2,330 km2) | |
| • Water | 19 sq mi (50 km2) 2.1%% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 40,685 | |
| • Density | 44.22/sq mi (17.07/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
Mississippi County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is named after the mighty Mississippi River, which forms its eastern border. In 2020, about 40,685 people lived here. The county has two main towns where the county government offices are located: Blytheville and Osceola. Mississippi County is also part of Arkansas's First Congressional District.
The area around Blytheville, including all of Mississippi County, is known as the Blytheville, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area. This means it's a smaller city area with strong economic ties.
Contents
History of Mississippi County
Early Settlements and Earthquakes
Before Europeans arrived, people lived in this area for a very long time. We know this from old sites like the Eaker Site and the Sherman Mound. These places show us how early communities lived.
A huge event happened in 1812: the New Madrid Earthquake. Even though it's named after a town in Missouri, the main spot where the earthquake started (called the epicenter) was actually very close to where Blytheville is today. People who lived there at the time said the land used to be higher and didn't flood as much before the earthquake.
How the County Began
American settlers started moving to this area around 1828. Some of the first settlers were John Troy, who became the first county judge, and G.C. Barfield, the first county surveyor.
Mississippi County was officially created on November 1, 1833. It was formed from a part of Craighead County. By 1836, when Arkansas became a state, more settlers had arrived. The local Native American people moved towards the eastern part of the county, near what is now Big Lake. The first county seat was a small place called Cornwall. Later, Osceola was chosen as the county seat in 1833 and became an official town in 1843.
In 1850, a law called the Federal Swamp Act gave swampy lands to states to sell. Mississippi County had the most swampy and "sunken" lands of any county in the country at that time.
After the Civil War
After the American Civil War, there were some difficult times in Mississippi County. In 1872, there were conflicts known as the Black Hawk War. This period was marked by unrest and political disagreements.
The 20th Century and Steel
During World War II, a special school was built in Blytheville to train pilots for B-25 planes. This base was used again from 1954 to 1992, hosting large B-52 planes.
A big change for the county's economy happened in 1987 when Nucor Steel opened a steel plant. Later, in 2014, U.S. Steel also opened a plant in Osceola. Today, Mississippi County is known as one of the largest steel-producing counties in America!
Geography of Mississippi County
Mississippi County covers about 920 square miles. Most of this (901 square miles) is land, and about 19 square miles (2.1%) is water.
Main Roads
Many important roads run through Mississippi County, connecting its towns and cities.
Interstate 55
U.S. Highway 61
U.S. Highway 78
Highway 14
Highway 18
Highway 18 Business
Highway 77
Highway 118
Highway 119
Highway 135
Highway 136
Highway 137
Highway 137 Spur
Highway 140
Highway 150
Highway 151
Highway 158
Highway 181
Highway 239
Highway 239 Spur
Highway 947
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Neighboring Counties
Mississippi County shares borders with several other counties:
- Dunklin County, Missouri (to the northwest)
- Pemiscot County, Missouri (to the north)
- Dyer County, Tennessee (to the northeast)
- Lauderdale County, Tennessee (to the east)
- Tipton County, Tennessee (to the southeast)
- Crittenden County (to the south)
- Poinsett County (to the southwest)
- Craighead County (to the west)
Protected Areas
The Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a special protected area in the county. It's a great place for nature and wildlife.
People of Mississippi County
The population of Mississippi County has changed over the years. In 2020, there were 40,685 people living here.
Population Details
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 40,685 people, 16,389 households, and 10,635 families in the county. The people living in Mississippi County come from many different backgrounds:
- White: 56.19%
- Black or African American: 35.03%
- Native American: 0.16%
- Asian: 0.59%
- Pacific Islander: 0.01%
- Other/Mixed races: 3.66%
- Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 4.35%
Economy and Jobs
For a long time, farming, especially growing cotton, was the main way people made a living in Mississippi County. But starting in the 1980s, things changed a lot. The county became a big center for manufacturing, especially steel production.
Companies like Nucor and Big River Steel (which is part of U.S. Steel) have invested a lot of money to build large steel plants here. By 2021, Mississippi County was the second-largest steel-producing county in the entire United States! This is partly because of its great location near the middle of the country and along the Mississippi River. This allows materials like scrap metal to be easily brought in by barges (which is often cheaper) and by train from Memphis.
Education
Schools for Kids
Mississippi County has several public school districts that help kids learn and grow. They are listed here from largest to smallest by student numbers:
- Blytheville School District
- Osceola School District
- Gosnell School District
- Southern Mississippi County School District
- Manila School District
- Buffalo Island Central School District
- Armorel School District
Some other school districts also serve parts of Mississippi County, even if their main offices are outside the county:
- East Poinsett County School District
- KIPP: Delta Public Schools
- Nettleton School District
Libraries
If you love to read, you're in luck! Mississippi County is served by the Mississippi–Crittenden Regional Library System. This system includes a main library for Mississippi County and 13 smaller branch libraries in different towns.
Media and News
Radio Stations
You can listen to several radio stations in Mississippi County:
- FM:
- FM 88.3 KBCM Blytheville
- FM 93.9 KAMJ Gosnell
- FM 96.3 KHLS Blytheville
- FM 103.7 KAIA K279BJ Blytheville
- FM 107.3 KOSE-FM Osceola
- AM:
- AM 860 KOSE Wilson
Newspapers
To keep up with local news, you can read these newspapers:
- NEA Town Courier, based in Blytheville
- The Osceola Times, based in Osceola
Television
There are no TV stations located directly in Mississippi County. However, residents can watch stations from the Memphis, Tennessee, TV market. These include:
Some people in the county might also be able to watch TV stations from Jackson, Tennessee, Jonesboro, Arkansas, or Little Rock, Arkansas.
Communities in Mississippi County
Cities
These are the larger towns in Mississippi County:
- Blytheville (one of the county seats)
- Gosnell
- Joiner
- Keiser
- Leachville
- Luxora
- Manila
- Osceola (the other county seat)
- Wilson
Smaller Towns
These are the smaller towns in the county:
Census-Designated Places
Townships
Counties are often divided into smaller areas called townships. Here are the townships in Mississippi County:
- Big Lake (includes Manila)
- Bowen (includes Gosnell)
- Burdette (includes Burdette)
- Canadian (includes Huffman)
- Carson (includes Marie)
- Chickasawba (includes Blytheville)
- Dyess (includes Dyess)
- Fletcher (includes Luxora, Victoria)
- Golden Lake (includes Wilson)
- Half Moon Lake
- Hector (includes Dell)
- Little River (includes Etowah)
- McGavock (includes Joiner)
- Monroe (includes Keiser, Osceola)
- Neal (includes Leachville)
- Scott (includes Bassett)
- Whitton (includes Birdsong)
Images for kids
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Mississippi County Courthouse, Osceola
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Flag of Mississippi County, Arkansas
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Misisipi (Arkansas) para niños
