Interesting
Facts About Arkansas
Vacation
Spots in Arkansas
Blytheville is a city in
and one of the two county seats of Mississippi County, Arkansas, United
States. The population was 18,272 at the 2000 census, with an estimated
population of 16,638 in 2005.
Blytheville
was founded in 1879 by the Methodist clergyman Henry T. Blythe. Blytheville
is located in Mississippi County approximately 60 miles north of West Memphis.
Because of the abundance of trees, the city grew quickly and was incorporated
in 1889. According to records, the city had a large and diverse population
in 1890. As the vast forest began to shrink, the people of Blytheville
started growing cotton. Blytheville was a huge agricultural community until
1980, when farming was increasingly mechanized. Since then, Blytheville
has developed a growing industrial base, much of which is centered around
the steel industry.
Blytheville is the home to
Arkansas Northeastern College, a two-year community college. It was formerly
known as Mississippi County Community College until the merger with the
Cotton Boll Technical Institute. Until the 1990s, Blytheville was home
to Blytheville Air Force Base later renamed to Eaker Air Force Base, a
major airfield that was part of the Strategic Air Command.
top
|