Dumas, Arkansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dumas, Arkansas
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| City of Dumas | |
Entering Dumas from the north on U.S. 65.
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Location of Dumas in Desha County, Arkansas.
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| County | Desha |
| Townships | Randolph, Walnut Lake |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.91 sq mi (7.53 km2) |
| • Land | 2.91 sq mi (7.53 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 161 ft (49 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,001 |
| • Density | 1,376.81/sq mi (531.65/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code(s) |
71639, 71662
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| Area code(s) | 870 |
| FIPS code | 05-19990 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403515 |
Dumas (/ˈduːmɪs/ DO-miss) is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,706 at the 2010 census.
Contents
History
In 1870, a planter, merchant and surveyor of French descent, William B. Dumas, bought acres of farmland from the Abercrombie Holmes family. The area was named Watson District and the town continued to develop. Then, the District was renamed Dumas and was incorporated in 1904.
Dumas proudly proclaims itself as "Home of the Ding Dong Daddy", a reference to the vaudeville song "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas" by Phil Baxter. However, this is up for debate, as the city of Dumas, Texas, also lays claim, with some documentation, to the song being about them.
On February 24, 2007, Dumas was struck by a long-tracked EF3 tornado. Twenty-eight people were injured, and many homes and business were damaged or destroyed. Police said on CNN that "the feed mill was the local employer and now it is gone". Following the storm, U.S. Senator Mark Pryor criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response to the recovery and cleanup efforts.
On March 19, 2022, two gunmen killed one person and injured at least 26 others, including six children, at the Hood-Nic Festival, an annual car show held in the city. One suspect was later arrested and admitted to firing a gun at another man present at the festival.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.4 km2), all land. The city is located in the Delta Lowlands sub-region of the Arkansas Delta, producing a topography which is largely flat.
Climate
The climate in the area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Dumas has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Dumas, Arkansas | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 90 (32) |
87 (31) |
93 (34) |
95 (35) |
101 (38) |
110 (43) |
111 (44) |
112 (44) |
109 (43) |
100 (38) |
96 (36) |
85 (29) |
112 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 63.5 (17.5) |
67.7 (19.8) |
76.5 (24.7) |
82.3 (27.9) |
88.7 (31.5) |
98.8 (37.1) |
101.6 (38.7) |
101.8 (38.8) |
97.3 (36.3) |
87.6 (30.9) |
77.5 (25.3) |
65.7 (18.7) |
101.8 (38.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 53.2 (11.8) |
57.7 (14.3) |
66.5 (19.2) |
75.5 (24.2) |
82.8 (28.2) |
89.5 (31.9) |
91.7 (33.2) |
91.3 (32.9) |
86.3 (30.2) |
76.7 (24.8) |
64.4 (18.0) |
55.5 (13.1) |
74.3 (23.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 35.4 (1.9) |
38.0 (3.3) |
45.1 (7.3) |
53.8 (12.1) |
62.4 (16.9) |
69.7 (20.9) |
72.0 (22.2) |
70.6 (21.4) |
64.0 (17.8) |
53.2 (11.8) |
43.5 (6.4) |
37.4 (3.0) |
53.8 (12.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 21.1 (−6.1) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
32.9 (0.5) |
46.1 (7.8) |
54.9 (12.7) |
61.0 (16.1) |
64.5 (18.1) |
65.3 (18.5) |
56.7 (13.7) |
39.3 (4.1) |
35.0 (1.7) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
21.1 (−6.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −5 (−21) |
1 (−17) |
12 (−11) |
27 (−3) |
36 (2) |
45 (7) |
50 (10) |
50 (10) |
34 (1) |
25 (−4) |
12 (−11) |
−2 (−19) |
−5 (−21) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.45 (113) |
4.65 (118) |
5.21 (132) |
5.54 (141) |
4.92 (125) |
3.31 (84) |
3.37 (86) |
2.90 (74) |
2.82 (72) |
4.43 (113) |
4.15 (105) |
5.43 (138) |
51.18 (1,301) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.2 (0.51) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0.7 (1.8) |
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 519 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,124 | 116.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,669 | 48.5% | |
| 1940 | 2,323 | 39.2% | |
| 1950 | 2,512 | 8.1% | |
| 1960 | 3,540 | 40.9% | |
| 1970 | 4,600 | 29.9% | |
| 1980 | 6,091 | 32.4% | |
| 1990 | 5,520 | −9.4% | |
| 2000 | 5,238 | −5.1% | |
| 2010 | 4,706 | −10.2% | |
| 2020 | 4,001 | −15.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2014 Estimate |
|||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,013 | 25.32% |
| Black or African American | 2,511 | 62.76% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 22 | 0.55% |
| Other/Mixed | 116 | 2.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 333 | 8.32% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 4,001 people, 1,739 households, and 1,207 families residing in the city.
Education
Dumas is served by the Dumas School District.
The Southeast Arkansas Public Library operates the Dumas Branch Library.
Highways
U.S. Route 65 passes through the city, leading northwest 41 miles (66 km) to Pine Bluff and south (with U.S. Route 165) 19 miles (31 km) to McGehee. US 165 leads northeast from Dumas 34 miles (55 km) to DeWitt.
Notable people
- Jim Hines (1946 - 2023), Olympic gold medalist
- Slink Johnson Actor, producer, comedian
- Charlotte Tillar Schexnayder (1923 - 2020), Newspaper editor and publisher, state legislator
In popular culture
In September 2011 the feature film Mud, written and directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey, was filmed in and around Dumas. Several townspeople served as extras in the film, with a few having acquired small speaking roles.
The Comedy Central docu-reality series Nathan For You filmed portions of its Season 4 finale, "Finding Frances," in Dumas.
See also
In Spanish: Dumas (Arkansas) para niños
