Crossett, Arkansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Crossett, Arkansas
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Crossett Municipal Building
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| Nickname(s):
Forestry Capital of the South
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Location of Crossett in Ashley County, Arkansas.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Ashley |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.96 sq mi (15.44 km2) |
| • Land | 5.79 sq mi (15.00 km2) |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.43 km2) |
| Elevation | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,822 |
| • Density | 832.53/sq mi (321.41/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
71635
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| Area code(s) | 870 |
| FIPS code | 05-16240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404159 |
Crossett is the largest city in Ashley County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 5,507, according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates. Combined with North Crossett and West Crossett, the population is 10,752. Crossett was incorporated in 1903.
There are four properties on Main Street in Crossett listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as the Crossett Experimental Forest, located 7 mi (11 km) south.
History
Edward Savage Crossett (1828–1910) moved to Davenport, Iowa in 1875. He became a member of the trading firm of Renwick, Shaw and Crossett. In 1882, Crossett made his first investment in a southern pine forest. In 1886 he sold his interest in the Renwick business, taking 10,000 acres of Arkansas land covered in yellow pines in payment. With fellow Iowans Charles Warner Gates and Dr. John Wenzel Watzek as investors in 1899, the Crossett Lumber Company was organized. Crossett was elected vice president of the society at its organizational meeting. Charles Gates' brother, Edgar Woodward "Cap" Gates, was sent to southern Arkansas to oversee construction of the mills and a new community, which his associates named in honor of Edward Savage Crossett.
The Crossett Lumber Company was established in 1899 with a small sawmill. The sawmill had a main steam engine, boiler, and heavy metal drive shafts and pulleys for sawing logs and lumber. The Mississippi River, Hamburg and Western Railroad (MRH&WR) reached Crossett on May 7, 1902. The first large pine mill began operation in 1902. The company built houses, schools and churches for the workers and their families. In 1903, all of this was incorporated as the company town of Crossett. The second large pine mill opened in 1905. By 1904, the Crossett Lumber Company had built the new village of Crossett for its workforce. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&PR) reached Crossett on March 10, 1907. The Arkansas, Louisiana and Gulf Railroad (AL&GR) reached Crossett on October 1, 1908.
In 1937, the Crossett Lumber Company built the paper mill. By 1960, the Crossett Lumber Company had opened a kraft paper mill, a food carton factory, and a flakeboard factory that made sheets of boards used much like plywood.
The Crossett Lumber Company merged with the Georgia-Pacific Company in 1962.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 square miles (16 km2), of which 5.8 square miles (15 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (2.83%) is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Crossett has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Crossett, Arkansas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1915–1919, 1928–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 87 (31) |
88 (31) |
92 (33) |
95 (35) |
98 (37) |
108 (42) |
113 (45) |
108 (42) |
106 (41) |
103 (39) |
90 (32) |
85 (29) |
113 (45) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 57.1 (13.9) |
61.6 (16.4) |
70.0 (21.1) |
77.6 (25.3) |
84.8 (29.3) |
91.6 (33.1) |
94.6 (34.8) |
94.9 (34.9) |
90.0 (32.2) |
79.9 (26.6) |
68.0 (20.0) |
59.3 (15.2) |
77.4 (25.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 45.6 (7.6) |
49.2 (9.6) |
56.9 (13.8) |
64.5 (18.1) |
72.8 (22.7) |
80.2 (26.8) |
83.4 (28.6) |
82.9 (28.3) |
77.1 (25.1) |
66.0 (18.9) |
55.1 (12.8) |
47.9 (8.8) |
65.1 (18.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.1 (1.2) |
36.8 (2.7) |
43.9 (6.6) |
51.4 (10.8) |
60.8 (16.0) |
68.8 (20.4) |
72.3 (22.4) |
70.9 (21.6) |
64.1 (17.8) |
52.1 (11.2) |
42.2 (5.7) |
36.4 (2.4) |
52.8 (11.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −3 (−19) |
−9 (−23) |
11 (−12) |
23 (−5) |
35 (2) |
43 (6) |
49 (9) |
37 (3) |
33 (1) |
22 (−6) |
12 (−11) |
0 (−18) |
−9 (−23) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.52 (140) |
5.51 (140) |
5.37 (136) |
5.65 (144) |
4.98 (126) |
3.67 (93) |
4.23 (107) |
3.62 (92) |
3.60 (91) |
4.29 (109) |
4.44 (113) |
5.79 (147) |
56.67 (1,439) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.2 (0.51) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.1 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 7.2 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 8.7 | 88.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 2,038 | — | |
| 1920 | 2,707 | 32.8% | |
| 1930 | 2,811 | 3.8% | |
| 1940 | 4,891 | 74.0% | |
| 1950 | 4,619 | −5.6% | |
| 1960 | 5,370 | 16.3% | |
| 1970 | 6,191 | 15.3% | |
| 1980 | 6,706 | 8.3% | |
| 1990 | 6,282 | −6.3% | |
| 2000 | 6,097 | −2.9% | |
| 2010 | 5,507 | −9.7% | |
| 2020 | 4,822 | −12.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2014 Estimate |
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2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 2,450 | 50.81% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,059 | 42.7% |
| Native American | 9 | 0.19% |
| Asian | 24 | 0.5% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 140 | 2.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 138 | 2.86% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,822 people, 1,902 households, and 1,243 families residing in the city.
Economy
A major employer in the town is the Georgia-Pacific paper mill, a Koch Brothers enterprise. Toxic waste from the plant includes carcinogens and other chemicals that have polluted local waterways and allegedly harmed the heath of residents. A documentary film (Company Town) on the paper mill and the environment in Crossett was released in September 2017.
On June 4, 2019, Georgia-Pacific announced it would permanently close one of its plants at the Crossett mill. Some 555 people were expected to be affected.
Notable people
- Gretha Boston, actress
- Jessie Clark, Football player for the Green Bay Packers
- Jeremy Evans, Basketball player for BC Khimki
- James D. Johnson, former Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court
- Keith Kidd, former football player for the Minnesota Vikings
- Bryant Nelson, former baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
- K. T. Oslin, country singer and songwriter
- Rylan Reed, All-American Offensive Tackle at Texas Tech
- Barry Switzer, football player and coach
See also
In Spanish: Crossett para niños
