Sharp County, Arkansas

Sharp County Education, Geography, and History

Sharp County is a county located in the state of Arkansas. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 17,264. The county seat is Ash Flat. The county was formed on July 18, 1868. The county was named for Ephraim Sharp, a state legislator from the area.

Etymology - Origin of Sharp County Name

Sharp is named for early settler Ephraim Sharp.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Sharp County History

Sharp county was created in 1868, from a part of Lawrence County and was named for Ephraim Sharp who was a member of the State Legislature representing Lawrence, Randolph and Greene counties when the new county was formed. Crystal River Cave opened for tours in the 1930's, and many people from eastern Arkansas built cabins along the Spring River, where the beauty of the foothills is all around. The Harold E. Alexander Wildlife Management Area has public land fronting the Spring River available for recreation and overnight use. Hunting is allowed in designated places. The economic base of the county is agriculture; cattle, broilers, hay, and watermelons, and some light manufacturing with tourism being number one. Most of the working people located in the county commute to nearby Batesville. Cherokee Village, a long established resort-retirement community, is very active, as well as Hardy Old Town, which is located downtown and dates back to the early 1880's and features numerous quaint antique and gift shops. Hardy and Evening Shade served as the two courthouses until 1964 when the new courthouse was built in Ash Flat.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 606 square miles (1,570 km²), of which 604 square miles (1,560 km²) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²) (0.3%) is water.

The landscape of the county is rolling hills in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Oregon County, Mo.
• Northeast: Randolph County
• Southeast: Lawrence County
• South: Independence County
• West: Izard County
• Northwest: Fulton County

Education

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