Greene County

The Territorial Legislature from part of Lawrence County formed Greene County on November 5, 1833. It was named for Nathaniel Greene, an American General in the Revolutionary War. The county seat is Paragould. Greene County has rich, flat delta farmland in the eastern and western parts of the county and rolling hills in the center that includes Crowley's Ridge. In the early days, railroads hauled timber out of the county but as more people settled in the area, agriculture replaced timber as a principal activity with top crops being rice, soybeans, and small grains. Crowley's Ridge rises above the flat delta on both sides and is composed of ocean-bottom sand, gravel, and clay, capped with wind-blown dust. Lake Frierson, Lake Hubble and the Bland and Little Rivers offer good fishing. The St. Francis River, which forms the county's eastern border with Missouri and the Cache River along the western border, offers fishing and hunting. As of the 2000 census, Greene County had a population of 37,331 residents.