Cleburne County is a county in Arkansas, United States, set among the Ozark foothills around Greers Ferry Lake. It had a population of 24,711 at the 2020 census and covers 592 square miles (1,530 km2), of which 38 square miles (98 km2) is water, centred near 35°32′N 92°01′W.
Heber Springs is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 72543. The county holds 4 cities, 2 towns and 4 census-designated places, plus a long list of smaller unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 05023, within Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district.
Towns & Villages in Cleburne County
Cleburne County has 4 incorporated cities, 2 incorporated towns and 4 census-designated places, alongside roughly two dozen smaller unincorporated communities scattered through the lake country and river valleys. CDP and Unincorp. rows carry no independent municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heber Springs | City · seat | — | 72543 |
| Greers Ferry | City | — | 72067 |
| Fairfield Bay | City | — | 72088 |
| Quitman | City | — | 72131 |
| Concord | Town | — | 72523 |
| Higden | Town | — | — |
| Drasco | CDP | — | 72530 |
| Edgemont | CDP | — | 72044 |
| Tumbling Shoals | CDP | — | — |
| Wilburn | CDP | — | 72179 |
| Almond | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Banner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brewer | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brownsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Budd Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Driftwood Shores | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fivemile | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hiram | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hopewell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ida | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lake Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lone Pine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McJester | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Partain | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pearson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Post Oak | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Prim | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rainbow Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sandiff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Snell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Shore Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunny Slope | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tannenbaum | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Pangburn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whispering Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wolf Bayou | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodrow | Unincorp. | — | — |
Fairfield Bay sits mostly across the line in Van Buren County, with only a slice of the resort community in Cleburne County. Quitman straddles the Cleburne–Faulkner county line; both slivers share the same town government.
ZIP Codes
- 72543 — Heber Springs
- 72067 — Greers Ferry
- 72088 — Fairfield Bay
- 72131 — Quitman (also serves the Cleburne County side)
- 72523 — Concord
- 72530 — Drasco
- 72044 — Edgemont
- 72179 — Wilburn
Higden, Tumbling Shoals and the smaller unincorporated communities generally use a neighboring town’s ZIP code rather than one of their own.
Geography
Cleburne County lies in the foothills of the Ozark Plateau, where the terrain rolls from wooded ridges down to the Little Red River valley. Greers Ferry Lake, a Little Red River reservoir built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s, covers much of the county’s water and stretches west into Van Buren County. Of the county’s 592 square miles, 554 square miles are land and 38 square miles are water.
Cleburne County borders Stone County to the north, Independence County to the northeast, White County to the southeast, Faulkner County to the southwest and Van Buren County to the west.
Demographics
Cleburne County had 24,711 residents at the 2020 census, with Heber Springs and Fairfield Bay standing as its two largest communities. Fairfield Bay, a retirement and lake-resort community, gives the county an older median age than the state as a whole. Median household income runs below the Arkansas median of $58,700, reflecting the county’s rural, retirement- and tourism-oriented economy. At 592 square miles, the county’s overall population density is about 45 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism and retirement living around Greers Ferry Lake drive much of the local economy, with marinas, resorts and vacation-rental businesses concentrated at Fairfield Bay and Greers Ferry. Heber Springs anchors county government, healthcare and retail, including Baxter Health’s Heber Springs clinic. Cleburne County remains a dry county, so alcohol sales are prohibited countywide. Poultry farming and timber round out the rural economy outside the lake corridor.
History
The Arkansas General Assembly created Cleburne County on February 20, 1883, carving it from parts of Independence, Van Buren, White and Faulkner counties — the last of Arkansas’s 75 counties to be organized. It was named for Confederate Major-General Patrick Cleburne, an Irish-born officer killed at the Battle of Franklin in 1864. The county’s modern geography changed dramatically in the 1960s when the Corps of Engineers dammed the Little Red River to create Greers Ferry Lake, flooding old farmland and townsites and turning the county into a recreation destination; President John F. Kennedy dedicated the dam in October 1963, in one of his last public appearances before his assassination.
Getting There
Arkansas Highway 5 and Highway 25 are the county’s main north–south routes, with Highway 110 and Highway 16 crossing east–west toward White and Van Buren counties.
- Little Rock — roughly 65 miles south
- Conway — roughly 35 miles south
- Batesville — roughly 40 miles northeast
- Mountain View — roughly 30 miles north
Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cleburne County, Arkansas?
It sits in north-central Arkansas, in the Ozark foothills around Greers Ferry Lake, roughly 65 miles north of Little Rock.
What is the population of Cleburne County?
24,711 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Cleburne County?
592 square miles (1,530 km2), including 38 square miles of water, mostly Greers Ferry Lake.
What is the county seat of Cleburne County?
Heber Springs, also the county’s largest city.
How many towns and cities are in Cleburne County?
4 incorporated cities, 2 incorporated towns and 4 census-designated places, plus roughly two dozen smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Cleburne County?
Main ZIP codes include 72543 (Heber Springs), 72067 (Greers Ferry), 72088 (Fairfield Bay) and 72131 (Quitman).
Why is Cleburne County a dry county?
Voters have kept alcohol sales prohibited countywide since the county’s founding; it remains one of Arkansas’s dry counties today.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arkansas.