Founded by Judge Jesse Turner in 1838, Crawford City was the first town in Arkansas to establish a post office. Later, the city's population grew to nearly 8,000. The city has also produced several notable people, including an unsuccessful Whig presidential candidate, U.S. attorney, Indian agent, state representative, and a judge on the Arkansas Supreme Court. Bob Burns, a native of Crawford City, became a famous radio and newspaper columnist and later a movie star. In addition, Burns invented the musical instrument "bazooka," a weapon that soldiers in World War II nicknamed after his invention.
The Crawford city population is a little lower than the rest of the United States. The median family income in the city is $63,722, and males earn about $42,200 compared to $30,763 for women. Crawford also has a low poverty rate: 2.7% of its civilian population lives below the poverty line. Meanwhile, more than one-third of the county's residents are aged 65 or older.
The population of Crawford was over 21,000 in the 1960s, down from nearly 70,000 in 1940. The decline is attributed to the Great Depression and out-of-state defense work. Today, the city is home to 61,948 people. The city's economic base has changed from yeoman to commercial farming, and local manufacturing to national and international scales. The city also boasts four churches and four industrial parks, and its state-of-the-art Van Buren Industrial Park is home to national and international businesses. Tourism thrives with historic sites, a state park, and the Boston Mountains.