Craighead

Formed February 19, 1859 (55^th county)

Craighead County (111,233), Jonesboro (78,575), Lake City (2,322)

The red brick structure in Jonesboro looks like a courthouse.  The small house building in Lake City is in dramatic contrast.  Craighead is a dual seat county.  Jonesboro’s 1935 building is on Main Street between Washington and Jackson streets.  The site is on United States Highway 49.  There was an earlier courthouse in Jonesboro.  Elmer A. Stuck designed the Jonesboro facility in Art Deco Revival style.  Additions were added in 1992 and 1995.  The Lake City site was built in 1999 at Cobean and 1^st streets.  There was also an earlier courthouse in Lake City.  The architect is unknown for this Modern style building.  Arkansas State Highway 18 is in front of the courthouse.  State Senator Thomas Craighead is the source for the county’s name.  Jonesboro was named for Arkansas State Legislator, William A. Jones.  Lake City gets its name from its geographic location on a lake.  Jonesboro was the original county seat with Lake City being added in 1883.  The county was carved from Greene, Mississippi, and Poinsett counties on February 19, 1859 as the 55^th county. 

Craighead County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 13 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Eleven Circuit Court Judges serve Craighead, Clay, Crittenden, Greene, Mississippi, and Poinsett counties and Two District Court Judges, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Craighead County (judicial.)  The county is located in northeast Arkansas with a very small border with the heel of Missouri in the county’s northeast part.  Memphis, Tennessee is southeast of the county.  The center of the county is in Jonesboro 2.4 miles Southeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Greene County and Missouri and Mississippi, Poinsett, Jackson, and Lawrence counties.  A flat rectangle with its northwest corner cut out is the best description of the county.  Jonesboro is slightly west of center.  Lake City is in the eastern quarter of the county.  Jonesboro is one of the county seats and the largest city.  Lake City is the other county seat.  Jonesboro is 70.6% of the county population while Lake City is 2.1% of the county population.  

The area of the county is 713.0 square miles.  It is 31 of 75 in size.  It ranks 7 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 156.0 persons per square mile making it 7 out of 75 in the state.  Craighead County has 83.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 49 transits from Greene County, north, into Poinsett County, south.  United States Highway 63 crosses northwest to southeast, Lawrence County to Poinsett County.  The county is in the Jonesboro Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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