Mississippi County, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mississippi County
U.S. county
Mississippi County Courthouse, Osceola
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
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)
• 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. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,685. There are two county seats, Blytheville and Osceola. The county is named for the Mississippi River which borders the county to the east. Mississippi County is part of the First Congressional District in Arkansas.

The Blytheville, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Mississippi County.

History

Pre-European Exploration

Extant early settlements include the Eaker Site and the Sherman Mound.

1812 New Madrid Earthquake

Local oral tradition held that prior to the major earthquakes of 1812, the lands in Mississippi County were higher in elevation compared to now and were not prone to flooding. Though the earthquake was named for New Madrid, Missouri, as that was the only town in the area with any population, the actual epicenter of the quake was three miles below what is now Blytheville, Arkansas.

Antebellum Period

American settlers were recorded in the area as early as 1828. These early settlers include John Troy, the first Mississippi County Judge and namesake of Troy township and G.C. Barfield, the first county surveyor and namesake of Barfield Landing.

Mississippi County was created on November 1, 1833, when it was split off from Craighead County. By 1836, when Arkansas achieved statehood, the county's white population had slightly increased and the local Native population was pushed in the eastern part of the county, towards what is now Big Lake. The first county seat was a small community called Cornwall, which was located at on the banks of the Mississippi River, on the remains of an old Spanish "encampment." Osceola was named as the County Seat in 1833, and later incorporated in 1843.

The Federal Swamp Act of 1850 granted federally controlled swamp lands to their respective state governments for sale. According to the 1852 surveyor general's report, Mississippi County had the largest amount of swamp and "Sunken" lands of any county in the country.

Reconstruction Period

Following the American Civil War, Mississippi County was one of 10 counties in Arkansas put under martial law due to increased activity from the Ku Klux Klan. In 1872, a series of racial and political confrontations known as the Black Hawk War took place. The genesis of this was the murder of "Carpetbagger" Charles Fitzpatrick by the county Sherriff J.B. Murray over Fitzpatrick's allegations of Murray's embezzlement of school funds.

20th century

During World War 2, a B-25 pilot training school was constructed at Blytheville, with satellite landing strips at Manilla and in the Missouri Bootheel. The facility was later reopened in 1954 at Blytheville Air Force Base, and hosted a squadron of B-52s from 1959 to 1992.

In 1987, Nucor Steel opened a steel plant at Barfield Landing on the Mississippi River. In 2014, U.S. Steel opened a steel plant at Osceola. Mississippi County is now reportedly the largest steel producing county in America.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 920 square miles (2,400 km²), of which 901 square miles (2,330 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (2.1%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

• Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Age pyramid Mississippi County

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 40,685 people, 16,389 households, and 10,635 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 46,480 people living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 60.5% White, 33.9% Black, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, <0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race and 1.2% from two or more races. 3.6% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Economy

A steel plant rises behind a soybean field in Mississippi County

The economy of Mississippi County transitioned from agriculture (especially cotton) to manufacturing (mostly steel production) beginning in the 1980s. Over $2.1 billion has been invested in plants and supporting infrastructure in the county, with major facilities being operated by Nucor and Big River Steel (a U.S. Steel company). As of 2021 Mississippi County is the second-largest steel producing county in the United States. The county's position near the center of the United States and along the Mississippi River allows the input for steel mills, scrap metal, to be shipped in on barges, often the most inexpensive method of shipping, and by railroad from Memphis. Company executives have also praised the work ethic of the rural farm families of the area as a natural fit for ironworkers.

Education

Public education

Mississippi County is home to the following public school districts, listed in order of student population:

• 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

The following school districts are based outside of the county but serve portions:

• East Poinsett County School District
• KIPP: Delta Public Schools
• Nettleton School District

Libraries

Mississippi County is served by the Mississippi–Crittenden Regional Library System, which includes the Mississippi County Library System (central library) and 13 branch libraries in communities throughout the county.

Media

Radio

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

Print

• NEA Town Courier, Newspaper, Blytheville, Arkansas
• The Osceola Times, Newspaper, Osceola, Arkansas

Television

There are no television stations in Mississippi County, Arkansas. Mississippi County, Arkansas is placed in the Memphis, TN Television Market. Those stations include:

• ABC- WATN 24
• NBC- WMC 5
• CBS- WREG 3
• Fox- WHBQ 13
• PBS- WKNO 10
• CW- WLMT 30
• Ion WPXX 50

However some residents in county may watch stations from the Jackson, TN, Jonesboro, AR, or Little Rock, AR Television Markets.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

• Armorel

Townships

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

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Misisipi (Arkansas) para niños