[3] The city was named for a large cave underneath the Crystal River Tourist Camp, which is the oldest motor court in Arkansas.

[6] The town is centered on, and partially located above, the Crystal River, an underground body of water located in the multi-room Crystal River Cave, for which the town is named.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), all land.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,922 people, 853 households, and 554 families residing in the city.

The racial makeup of the city was 0.3% Black, 96.9% white or European, 0.1% Asian, and 1.5% from two or more races.