Manila in Mississippi County and Northeastern Arkansas
Manila is a city of roughly 3,257 people in Mississippi County, located in the northeastern corner of Arkansas near the Missouri border. U.S. Highway 63 runs through the community, connecting it to Jonesboro roughly forty miles to the southwest and Paragould to the south. The city developed as a farming community in the early twentieth century and retains that agricultural identity today.
Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge lies a few miles east of Manila. The refuge protects over 11,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest and open water habitat created by the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812, which caused the land to sink and fill with water. Big Lake is one of the oldest national wildlife refuges in the country, established in 1915, and provides habitat for migratory waterfowl, wading birds, and various fish species. The refuge draws birdwatchers and anglers, though visitor numbers remain modest compared to larger parks.
Mississippi County's economy depends heavily on agriculture, with cotton, soybeans, and rice as the primary crops. The flat Delta terrain is crisscrossed by drainage ditches and levees that manage seasonal water levels. Manila's commercial district is small, with essential services concentrated along the highway. Larger shopping and healthcare facilities are found in Blytheville or Jonesboro.
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Manila is a city of roughly 3,257 people in Mississippi County, located in the northeastern corner of Arkansas near the Missouri border. U.S. Highway 63 runs through the community, connecting it to Jonesboro roughly forty miles to the southwest and Paragould to the south. The city developed as a farming community in the early twentieth century and retains that agricultural identity today.
Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge lies a few miles east of Manila. The refuge protects over 11,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest and open water habitat created by the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812, which caused the land to sink and fill with water. Big Lake is one of the oldest national wildlife refuges in the country, established in 1915, and provides habitat for migratory waterfowl, wading birds, and various fish species. The refuge draws birdwatchers and anglers, though visitor numbers remain modest compared to larger parks.
Mississippi County's economy depends heavily on agriculture, with cotton, soybeans, and rice as the primary crops. The flat Delta terrain is crisscrossed by drainage ditches and levees that manage seasonal water levels. Manila's commercial district is small, with essential services concentrated along the highway. Larger shopping and healthcare facilities are found in Blytheville or Jonesboro.
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