A young man walks the empty early morning streets of Turrell, Ark. Ten to 12 years ago the small town 30 miles north of Memphis, Tenn. had a population of 970 people, now it’s around 700 it peaked at 1,041 in 1980. Turrell tried to attract a Toyota plant and a Walmart distribution center, but it was one of many Delta towns that struck out. Its population has shrunk since 1980. Many small farm towns up and down the Delta kept growing, like Turrell, through the 1970s. But since 2000, 12 of the 13 incorporated towns in Crittenden County, Ark, have lost population.
From the series Home: The Arkansas Delta