Ashley County
Also known as Ashley County, Arkansas, Ashley County, AR
county in Arkansas, United States
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- Arkansas
- Founded
- November 30, 1848
- Named after
- Chester Ashley
- Seat
- Hamburg
- Largest city
- Crossett
- Total
- 583.5 sq mi (1,511.3 km )
- Land
- 572.4 sq mi (1,482.5 km )
- Water
- 11.2 sq mi (28.9 km )
- Estimate 2025
- 17,831
- Density
- 33.302/sq mi (12.858/km )
- Time zone
- UTC−6 ( Central )
- Summer dst
- UTC−5 ( CDT )
Article
Ashley County is a rural South Arkansas county with a culture, economy, and history based on timber and agriculture. Created as Arkansas's 52nd county on November 30, 1848, Ashley County has seven incorporated municipalities, including Hamburg, the county seat and Crossett, the most populous city. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns. The county is named for Chester Ashley, a prominent lawyer in the Arkansas Territory and U.S. senator from the state from 1844 to 1848.
The county is roughly divided into two halves by Bayou Bartholomew, with the rich, fertile, alluvial soils of the Arkansas Delta in the east, and the shortleaf pine forests of the Arkansas Timberlands in the west. The county contains six protected areas: Overflow National Wildlife Refuge, Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, three Wildlife Management Areas and the Crossett Experimental Forest. Other historical features such as log cabins, one-room school houses, community centers, and museums describe the history and culture of Ashley County.