The first settler in the area was Benjamin Crowley, who arrived from Kentucky in 1821 and made his home about west of Paragould. Greene County was formed on 5 November 1833 out of portions of Lawrence County and originally contained parts of present Clay and Craighead counties. The county was named for Revolutionary War heroNathanael Greene. The first county seat was in Benjamin Crowley's home. By 1836, when Arkansas became a state, the county seat was located in a settlement called "Paris". In 1848 a national highway was made through the area, and the county seat was moved to Gainesville, which had a reputation as rather lawless. The seat remained there until 1883, when it was transferred to the new town of Paragould. The people in Gainesville opposed the move, and shots reportedly were fired, since tempers were high. The courthouse was built in 1888 and survives in downtown Paragould. In the early 20th century, Clay, Greene, and Craighead counties had policies forbidding African Americans from living in the area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the 2010 census, there were 42,090 people living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% White, 0.6% Black, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, <0.1% from some other race and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.1% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the 2000 census, there were 37,331 people, 14,750 households, and 10,708 families living in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile. There were 16,161 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile. 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 couplesliving 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.
Government
Over The past few election cycles Greene county has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last democrat to carry this county was Al Gore in 2000.
