Dierks, Arkansas

Dierks, Arkansas
City
Location in Howard County and the state of Arkansas Location in Howard County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Howard
Area
• Total	1.9 sq mi (4.8 km2)
• Land	1.9 sq mi (4.8 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	443 ft (135 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,230
• Density	647.4/sq mi (256.3/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	71833
Area code(s)	870
FIPS code	05-18970
GNIS feature ID	0076796
Website	http://dierkschamberofcommerce.com/

Dierks is a city in Howard County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,230 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land. It is located at (34.119793, -94.017452).

History

Dierks was formerly known as Hardscrabble. It was then changed to Dierks after Herman Dierks, who owned the Dierks Lumber Company. Dierks has a lake that is used as a fishing spot. It also has three different areas to camp: Jefferson Ridge, Blue Ridge, and Horseshoe Bend.

In 2007, Dierks celebrated its 100th birthday.

Dierks holds an annual Pine Tree Festival the first weekend in August every year. Vendors set up booths and there are games and activities throughout the weekend. There is a loader contest, BBQ cook-off, tractor show, car show, talent show, and on Saturday there is a concert with a country singer or band. In 2008, Craig Morgan was the artist. Throughout the years many country music artists played the Pine Tree Festival. Examples are Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr., Skeeter Davis, and John Anderson.

There are two schools in the city, JoAnn Walters Elementary School and Dierks High School. They are the Outlaws and the actual mascot uniform is a horse named Blue. Their colors are royal blue and white.

2009 Tornado

Severe thunderstorms that moved through southwest Arkansas on April 9, 2009 produced an EF3 tornado that destroyed the city’s water treatment plant. A training technician from the Arkansas Rural Water Association helped the utility operators establish a temporary connection to the neighboring Nashville Rural Water System until the National Guard could deliver a pair of portable water purification systems. The Boy Scouts of America helped to give water bottles to families that were on the city water.

2010 Tornado

There was also a smaller tornado in 2010 which hit the local laundromat and tore down a few power lines. No injuries or deaths were reported.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	272		—
1920	1,495		449.6%
1930	1,544		3.3%
1940	1,459		−5.5%
1950	1,253		−14.1%
1960	1,276		1.8%
1970	1,159		−9.2%
1980	1,249		7.8%
1990	1,263		1.1%
2000	1,230		−2.6%
2010	1,133		−7.9%
Est. 2014	1,108		−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 2014 Estimate

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,230 people, 465 households, and 349 families residing in the city. The population density was 660.2 people per square mile (255.3/km²). There were 542 housing units at an average density of 290.9/sq mi (112.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.93% White, 0.57% Black or African American, 1.14% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 1.46% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 465 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,900, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $26,765 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,515. About 9.8% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education

Public education for elementary and secondary students is primarily provided by the Dierks School District, which includes:

• Dierks Elementary School, serving prekindergarten through grade 6.
• Dierks High School, serving grades 7 through 12.

Public library

The Dierks Branch Library is a branch library of the Southwest Arkansas Regional Library system.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Dierks has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.