Jefferson County in south-central Arkansas is shaped by a sharp contrast between the Pine Bluff–White Hall side of the county and the broad Arkansas River lowlands to the east. Pine Bluff sits close to the western edge of the river plain, while short, much higher ridges rise toward the county’s western boundary. The Arkansas River then bends across the middle and continues through the long southeastern extension, accompanied by bayous, old channels, and small lakes. This page shows communities, roads, waterways, and an actual elevation range of about 49 to 158 meters. You can download the same four maps as high-resolution JPG files in one ZIP.
Pine Bluff is the easiest place to use as a map reference. White Hall lies immediately northwest, Redfield is farther north, Sherrill sits in the north-central interior, and Altheimer and Wabbaseka occupy the lower eastern plain. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas identifies Pine Bluff as the county seat and describes the city’s long relationship with the Arkansas River. That river-city setting is clearly visible on the supplied maps: the main road network is concentrated around Pine Bluff, while the terrain drops toward broad green lowlands and winding channels to the east.
Table of Contents
Pine Bluff and White Hall sit at the busiest road junctions
The general county map shows the greatest concentration of roads around Pine Bluff and White Hall. Routes 65, 270, 190, and 15 are among the clearest labels near Pine Bluff, with Routes 63 and 54 continuing south and Route 425 serving the southeastern side. Around White Hall, Routes 365 and 530 stand out, and Route 46 follows the northwestern side toward Redfield. Instead of memorizing each number, first separate the routes that head north toward White Hall and Redfield from those that cross or approach the Arkansas River plain.
East of the main urban area, the road network becomes more open. Routes 31 and 58 meet around Altheimer, while Route 79 continues toward Wabbaseka and Humphrey. Route 88 crosses the long southeastern extension of the county. Those roads are generally straighter and farther apart than the lines near Pine Bluff and the western ridges. The change in road geometry is one of the simplest clues that the county moves from rolling ground in the west into a much flatter alluvial landscape toward the east.
The county outline reinforces that geographic contrast. The northern portion is broad and relatively simple, but the boundary narrows south of Pine Bluff before extending far to the southeast through low river country. On the western side, the Redfield–White Hall–Pine Bluff corridor lies close to visibly rougher terrain. The southeastern extension, by comparison, is dominated by broad river bends, scattered waterways, and very little relief. The unusual shape makes more sense when the general and elevation maps are viewed together.
The city ranking emphasizes the Pine Bluff–White Hall concentration
The ranked city map lists six major communities. Pine Bluff is number 1, White Hall 2, Redfield 3, Altheimer 4, Wabbaseka 5, and Sherrill 6. The numbered markers are rankings rather than mileage. Pine Bluff and White Hall form the closest and strongest urban pair on the map, while Redfield is much farther north. Altheimer and Wabbaseka occupy the eastern lowlands, and Sherrill lies in the north-central interior.
The ranking becomes more useful when matched with the full map. Pine Bluff and White Hall sit where the western uplands descend toward the Arkansas River plain, which is also where several major routes converge. Redfield follows the same western side northward. Altheimer and Wabbaseka are surrounded by a flatter pattern of roads and drainage features, while Sherrill is positioned between the main urban area and the northern agricultural lowland. The map therefore shows both a clear population center and a set of smaller communities in very different terrain settings.
The legend includes numeric values next to the city names, but this article does not treat those values as current population estimates. The supplied map clearly supports the rank and position of the six communities, so those are the facts used here. For current population figures, a recent Census source is more appropriate. The Jefferson County government site and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas both provide additional information on the county’s cities and towns.
Arkansas River bends connect a web of bayous and old channels
The Arkansas River is the dominant water feature on the terrain and water map. It enters from the northwest, bends past the Pine Bluff area, and then swings east and southeast through the county. Old River Lake lies in the northwestern river corridor, while Yellow Lake and Lake Saracen are labeled closer to Pine Bluff. Large curved channels and smaller water bodies near the river give the lowland a very different appearance from the tightly cut uplands along the western boundary.
North of the river, Plum Bayou and Wabbaseka Bayou form long winding channels through the flat interior. Caney Bayou descends from the western side toward lower river country, and Bayou Bartholomew crosses the southwestern portion of the map. These named waterways are only part of a much denser network of minor creeks, ditches, and abandoned river bends. The water map makes clear that Jefferson County’s eastern half is not simply flat ground; it is a low landscape threaded by many connected channels.
Farther southeast, Swan Lake, English Lake, and Long Lake appear near different bends of the river system, and Bay Bayou is labeled close to the eastern end. None of these water bodies dominates the county like a large reservoir. Instead, the pattern is one of many small lakes, bayous, and old channels scattered across the river plain. This is especially visible in the southeastern extension, where water features occupy much more of the map than major roads or towns.
This terrain and water map is intended for general geographic reference. It does not show current river stage, flood risk, navigation conditions, fishing regulations, property boundaries, or live road access. Arkansas River conditions and smaller channels can change with rainfall and upstream releases. For recreation, flooding, or safety decisions, use current USGS information and the agency responsible for the specific waterway.
Elevation drops sharply from western ridges to the river plain
The supplied elevation map shows an actual countywide range of about 49 to 158 meters, with a mean near 68 meters. That is roughly 109 meters of relief. The highest brown and tan terrain is tightly concentrated along the western side, while the Arkansas River corridor and almost the entire eastern half are green and low. Jefferson County is not a high mountain county, but the contrast is visually strong because the river plain is so broad and flat.
The western uplands are made up of many short ridges and narrow valleys rather than one isolated hill. Brown and tan terrain extends south from the Redfield side past White Hall and toward the southwest of Pine Bluff. Small streams descend through those valleys toward lower ground. Around Pine Bluff, the relief decreases quickly and the landscape opens into the broad river corridor. The city and road maps make more sense once that transition is visible on the elevation layer.
East and southeast of the Arkansas River, local elevation change is minimal compared with the west. Altheimer, Wabbaseka, and Humphrey sit within a broad green lowland, and the winding shapes of old channels and bayous remain visible even where the terrain surface is almost uniform. The elevation map is intended for county-scale comparison, not survey-grade measurement. Exact parcel, road, bridge, or building heights require original elevation data or a professional survey.
Compare west and east from Pine Bluff to understand the county quickly
A practical way to use the four maps together is to begin at Pine Bluff and compare opposite directions. Moving northwest through White Hall toward Redfield brings you closer to higher ridges, tighter creek valleys, and roads that bend with the terrain. Moving east across the Arkansas River toward Altheimer and Wabbaseka leads into much flatter land where bayous, drainage channels, and long straight roads become more prominent. The change in settlements, roads, water, and elevation all happens along the same west-to-east comparison.
The southeastern extension offers another useful view. Leaving the Pine Bluff urban area, major roads become less dense while broad river bends and small lakes become much more visible. Elevation stays low, so the landscape resembles the eastern plain far more than the western uplands. In the opposite direction, the hills southwest of Pine Bluff rise within a short distance of the city. That close meeting of upland and river plain is one of the most distinctive map features in Jefferson County.
High-resolution JPG files for Pine Bluff roads and Arkansas River detail
The WebP images in the article are optimized for quick page viewing. The download ZIP contains the same four maps as high-resolution JPG files, each measuring 3638 × 2572 pixels in landscape orientation. Use the general map for Pine Bluff, surrounding communities, and major roads; the city map for the ranked distribution of six major places; the terrain and water map for the Arkansas River, bayous, and lakes; and the elevation map for comparing the western ridges with the eastern lowland.
The JPG files are suitable for classroom reference, presentations, trip preparation, personal printing, and general orientation. They should not replace legal boundary records, parcel surveys, flood studies, engineering plans, or live navigation. When exact or current information is required, consult Census TIGER/Line boundaries, USGS hydrography, USGS elevation data, and the appropriate local or state source for the specific decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pine Bluff within Jefferson County?
Pine Bluff is the county seat and the largest mapped city, positioned near the west-central edge of the Arkansas River lowland. White Hall is immediately northwest, while the Arkansas River bends north and east of the city. Because several major roads also converge here, Pine Bluff is the most useful starting point for reading all four maps.
Do the numbers 1 through 6 on the city map show distances?
No. They are ranking markers for the six major communities shown on the map. Pine Bluff is ranked first, followed by White Hall, Redfield, Altheimer, Wabbaseka, and Sherrill. The numbers do not represent straight-line mileage or driving distance.
How much elevation change is shown across Jefferson County?
The supplied elevation map shows an actual range of about 49–158 meters with a mean near 68 meters. Higher terrain is concentrated along the western boundary and drops quickly toward Pine Bluff and the Arkansas River. The eastern and southeastern parts are much lower and flatter.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains the general county map, ranked city map, terrain and water map, and elevation map as high-resolution JPG files for printing or offline reference.
- File Type: ZIP containing 4 JPG files
Related Maps
Sources and references
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas – Jefferson County – county history, Pine Bluff, Arkansas River, and municipalities
- Jefferson County, AR – Cities and Towns – official county information on cities and towns
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – county boundary and road data
- USGS National Hydrography – rivers, bayous, lakes, and hydrography data
- USGS 3D Elevation Program – elevation and terrain data
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
