Craighead County

Craighead County was formed February 19, 1859, from parts of Greene, Mississippi and Poinsett counties and was named from Thomas H. Craighead, who represented Mississippi and Crittenden counties in the state legislature. Craighead County has two county seats, Jonesboro and Lake City. The landscape of Craighead County is flat, fertile farmland with rolling hills with Crowley's Ridge in the center. Arkansas State University, which continues to grow and is the county's largest employer, is located in Jonesboro. Citizens in Craighead County revel in its status as the "Capital City of Northeast Arkansas" with a Main Street Jonesboro celebration in May of each year, which brings hundreds of people into the county. As of the 2000 census, Craighead County had a population of 82,148 residents.