Ashley County, Arkansas

The forested western part of the county devel- oped into the city of Crossett in the late 1800s and became home to one of the largest indus- trial enterprises in Arkansas: the Crossett Lum- ber Company. Georgia-Pacific Corporation (GP) bought Crossett Lumber in 1962 and contin- ues to be the county’s biggest employer. At its peak, GP owned some 800,000 acres in south- east Arkansas and northeast Louisiana, and Crossett touted itself as “The Forestry Capital of the South.” Today, forest products account for 57 percent of the value of all shipments from the county and are responsible for 26 percent of the employment. Other large employers are the Bemis Company in Crossett and the Barnes Companies in the City of Hamburg, which is also the County Seat. Ashley County Judge, Jim Hudson, is full of downhome character and happily shares his ad- oration of the county and its people. “The main attraction is we’re a small rural county with a Mayberry feel.We have two major cities and five outlying towns with populations from 300 up to 800. Half of our industries are agriculture- based, the others are forestry. We have a lot of What: Rural Arkansas county; population 22,000 Where: Southeast Arkansas Website: www.arcounties.org/counties/ash- ley AT A GLANCE ASHLEY COUNTY, ARKANSAS ASHLEY COUNTY, ARKANSAS