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Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population was 37,331. The county seat is Paragould which sits atop Crowley's Ridge.
History
The first settler to the area was Benjamin Crowley of Kentucky who arrived in 1821 and established a home about 12 miles west of Paragould.
Greene County was formed on 5 November 1833 out of portions of Lawrence County, Arkansas and contained portions of present Clay County, Arkansas and Craighead County, Arkansas. The county was named after Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. The original county seat was in Benjamin Crowley's home. By 1836 when Arkansas became a State the county seat was located at a settlement called "Paris".
In 1848 a national highway was put through and the county seat was moved to the community of Gainesville, Arkansas which had a reputation as a relatively lawless town. The county seat remained there until 1883 when it was moved to the new town of Paragould. The residents of Gainesville opposed the move and it is reported that shots were fired and tempers were high. A new courthouse was built in 1888 and the building still survives in downtown Paragould.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,501 km² (580 mi²). 1,496 km² (578 mi²) of it is land and 6 km² (2 mi²) of it (0.37%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Clay County (north)
- Dunklin County, Missouri (east)
- Craighead County (south)
- Lawrence County (southwest)
- Randolph County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 37,331 people, 14,750 households, and 10,708 families residing in the county. The population density was 25/km² (65/mi²). There were 16,161 housing units at an average density of 11/km² (28/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.45% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 14,750 households out of which 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,828, and the median income for a family was $37,316. Males had a median income of $27,535 versus $20,375 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,403. About 9.90% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
"Greene County, Arkansas"