Craighead County, Arkansas
Craighead County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 111,231. The county has two county seats — Jonesboro and Lake City. Craighead County is Arkansas's 58th county, formed on February 19, 1859, and named for state Senator Thomas Craighead. It is one of several dry counties within the state of Arkansas, in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is largely prohibited.
Craighead County is included in Jonesboro–Paragould Combined Statistical Area.
History
Craighead County was part of the territory claimed for France on April 9, 1682, by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, who laid claim to all of the land drained by the Mississippi River and its tributaries. LaSalle's claim was named Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV, King of France.The Treaty of Fontainebleau was signed between France and Spain and ownership of the Louisiana territory west of the Mississippi River was transferred to the Spanish crown as a result of the Seven Years' War and Craighead County became a Spanish possession.
Spain controlled the territory encompassing the county until October 1, 1800, when Napoleon Bonaparte forced Spain to return the lost territories to France under the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso. Napoleon maintained grandiose plans to establish a vast French Empire in Louisiana but the Royal Navy prevented him from transferring troops or settlers to the acquired territories.
Fear was high in the United States that Napoleon would attempt to close the Mississippi River to American trade. President Thomas Jefferson inquired about purchasing an area near the mouth of the river to ensure that it would stay open to American goods. Napoleon, needing money, offered to sell the United States the entire territory of Louisiana for $23,213,568.
The treaty was finalized in 1803 and the land that would become Craighead County became the possession of the United States.
Craighead County remained in the Louisiana Territory until the State of Louisiana was admitted to the Union. At that time the territory that includes modern day Arkansas was attached to the Missouri Territory.
In 1813, the area was included in a new political subdivision known as Arkansas County which was a political subdivision of the Arkansas District of the Territory of Missouri. In 1815 the county was further subdivided and Lawrence County was formed with its seat at Davidsonville. This new county included most of what is now northern Arkansas. The modern Craighead county lay partially within Arkansas County and partially within Lawrence County.
Residents of the Missouri Territory soon began petitioning Congress for admission to the Union. Their request did not include the District of Arkansas and Arkansas residents petitioned for separate territorial status for their district. In 1819 the Arkansas Territory was formed.
In 1838, Poinsett County was formed and included most of present-day Craighead County. This situation persisted until 1850 when residents of the area complained about the distance to the Poinsett County seat.
In 1858, State Senator William A. Jones campaign platform included a promise to seek the formation of a new county for the area. His election was successful and helped push legislation for the formation of the new county.
The new county was to be formed from lands taken from Greene, Mississippi, and Poinsett counties, and it was to be named "Crowley County" in honor of Crowley's Ridge which runs through the center of the county.
Senator Thomas Craighead represented Mississippi County, and opposed the bill because the farmland it took from Mississippi County was a major source of property taxes for the county.
One day while Senator Craighead was away from the floor, Senator Jones amended the bill to change the county's name to "Craighead County". The Senate, thinking it was a compromise, approved the bill as amended; by the time Senator Craighead returned, the bill had already left the Senate, and he took no further action.
Craighead County was officially formed February 19, 1859; in gratitude, the citizens then named the main county seat Jonesboro, for Senator Jones. Lake City, just across the St. Francis River from the Buffalo Island area, was added as a second county seat in 1883.
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, of which is land and is water. Crowley's Ridge is the county's most prominent geological feature.Major highways
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Airport
Adjacent counties
- Greene County
- Dunklin County, Missouri
- Mississippi County
- Poinsett County
- Jackson County
- Lawrence County
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 111,231. The median age was 33.5 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.3 males age 18 and over.The racial makeup of the county was 72.5% White, 16.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.1% from some other race, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.0% of the population.
66.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 33.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 43,221 households in the county, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.2% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 46,739 housing units, of which 7.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 55.8% were owner-occupied and 44.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.6%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census, there were 82,148 people, 32,301 households, and 22,093 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 35,133 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 89.27% White, 7.78% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 2.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 32,301 households, out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.30% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.60% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 14.00% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,425, and the median income for a family was $40,688. Males had a median income of $30,366 versus $21,109 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,091. About 11.60% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.40% of those under age 18 and 13.40% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Craighead County Quorum Court has thirteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.| Position | Officeholder | Party |
| County Judge | Marvin Day | Republican |
| County Clerk | Mary Dawn Marshall | Republican |
| Circuit Clerk | David Vaughn | Republican |
| Sheriff | Marty Boyd | Republican |
| Treasurer | Terry McNatt | Republican |
| Collector | Wes Eddington | Republican |
| Assessor | Hannah Towell | Republican |
| Coroner | Toby Emerson | Republican |
In addition to the countywide offices, the Eastern District of Craighead County elects a deputy clerk and deputy sheriff. The eastern district officials as of the 2024 elections are:
- Deputy Clerk: Lesia Couch
- Deputy Sheriff: Chris Kelems
- District 1: Brad Noel of Jonesboro
- District 2: Garrett Barnes of Jonesboro
- District 3: Barry Forrest of Jonesboro
- District 4: Linda Allison of Jonesboro
- District 5: Rick Myers of Jonesboro
- District 6: Darrell Cook of Jonesboro
- District 7: Richard Rogers of Jonesboro
- District 8: David Tennison of Jonesboro
- District 9: Josh Longmire of Jonesboro
- District 10: Steve Cline of Bono
- District 11: Dan Pasmore of Jonesboro
- District 12: Terry Couch of Caraway
- District 13: Kevin D. Williams of Jonesboro
- District 2: Roger Watkins
- District 3: Michael Hames
- District 7: Danny Williford
- District 9: Scott A. Davis
- District 10: Jerry Allison
- District 11: Chris W. Ayers
- District 13: Dan Walker