BLYTHEVILLE

city, northern seat of Mississippi county (the southern seat is Osceola), northeastern Arkansas, U.S. It lies in the Mississippi River valley, about 70 miles (113 km) north of Memphis, Tennessee. Laid out in 1880 by Henry T. Blythe, a Methodist minister, it initially had a lumber-oriented economy. After intensive logging had cleared the county's cypress and hardwood forests, the region was developed for agriculture and the processing of agricultural products. Blytheville annexed Chickasawba in 1907 and developed as the service centre for a productive cotton-growing area; soybeans, rice, and wheat are also grown there. The population increased after 1962, when Blytheville Air Force Base (renamed Eaker Air Force Base in 1988) was included within the city limits. The base, closed in 1992, is now a commercial airport and industrial park. The manufacture of steel, automobile components, and tools are important to the economy. Mississippi County Community College opened in Blytheville in 1975, and Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge is 12 miles (19 km) west. Inc. town, 1891; city, 1915. Pop. (1990) 22,523; (1998 est.) 18,566.