Saint Francis

Formed October 13, 1827 (13^th county)

Saint Francis County (23,089), Forrest City (13,014)

The 1972 Modern style, brick courthouse is located at Izard and Cross streets.  The site is three blocks south of United States Highway 70.  Cromwell, Neyland, Truemper, Mallett, and Gatchell and Bob J. Beaver are the designers.  There was an earlier courthouse in Forrest City built in 1897.  Franklin (1827), Madison (1840 & 1856), Mount Vernon (1855), and Forrest City (1874) have all been county seats.  The county is named for Saint Francis of Assisi.  Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest provided the source of the county seat’s name.  Saint Francis County was formed on October 13, 1827 from a part of Phillips County as the 13^th county. 

Saint Francis County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 10 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Five Circuit Court Judges serve Saint Francis, Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, and Woodruff counties and a District Court Judge, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Saint Francis County (judicial.)  The county is in east central Arkansas west of Memphis, Tennessee.  The center of the county is 5.9 miles East-Southeast of Forrest City nearer Madison.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Cross, Crittenden, Lee, Monroe, and Woodruff counties.  A flat rectangle with a step extension in the southwest corner best describes the shape for the county.  The Saint Francis River crosses through the county north to south.  Forrest City is near the county’s center.  Forrest City is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 56.4% of the county population.  

The area of the county is 642.4 square miles.  It is 40 of 75 in size.  It ranks 26 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 35.9 persons per square mile making it 27 out of 75 in the state.  Saint Francis County has 71.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 crosses east to west from Crittenden County to Monroe County.  United States Highway 70 parallels Interstate Highway 40 from Crittenden County to Monroe County.  United States Highway 79 enters joined with United States Highway 70 from the east, Crittenden County, splits, and exits to the south, Lee County.  The county is in the Forrest City Micropolitan Statistical Area.