Dermott is a city in Chicot County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2010 census. Dermott was incorporated in 1890. Dermott was home to the Dermott Crawfish Festival.

Geography

Dermott is located in the northwest corner of Chicot County at (33.528712, -91.437657). Bayou Bartholomew, a tributary of the

Ouachita River The Ouachita River ( ) is a river that runs south and east through the United States, U.S. U.S. state, states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River (Louisiana), Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana. It i ...

, touches the southwest corner of the city. U.S. Route 165 passes southeast of the city center, leading north to McGehee and south to Montrose. Arkansas Highway 35 passes through the center of Dermott and leads northwest to Monticello. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Dermott has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.97%, is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Dermott has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,021 people, 810 households, and 547 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 2,889 people living in the city. 77.8% were

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 20.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% from some other race and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.0% were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 4865 people, 1,216 households, and 824 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,404 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 25.24%

, 73.27%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 1,216 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 27.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.21. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $17,857, and the median income for a family was $22,214. Males had a median income of $21,134 versus $17,318 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $9,998. About 25.9% of families and 32.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 43.0% of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

The Dermott Crawfish Festival was one of the oldest festivals in Arkansas. The festival was held annually on the third weekend in May and was sponsored by the Dermott Chamber of Commerce. From 1996 through 2006, the Texas artist Larry D. Alexander, who is a native of Dermott, usually ended his Arkansas Schools Tours with a two-day art exhibit and print signing there at the festival. The Crawfish Festival was typically a food and music festival. In 2006, a car/truck/rim show was added to the festival. The Crawfish Festival also hosted a carnival during the entire week. Other events included in the festival were the annual Rotary Club pancake breakfast, bingo, a horseshoe pitching contest, an antique tractor show, and multiple cash drawings. In 2012 the Dermott Chamber of Commerce cancelled the Dermott Crawfish Festival and no longer sponsors this event. Community leaders and African American Business owners formed a committee to continue the Spirit of the community and now host Dermott Community Festival.

Education

Dermott School District operates public schools in the community. Dermott High School's colors are orange and black. They are the home of the Mighty Rams or Rams. The boys basketball teams won state basketball championships in 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1994. For 2012–14, the Dermott Rams belong to the 2A Region 7 West conference. For its first championship in 1986, Dermott went undefeated (35-0) and won the overall state championship, coached by Willie Parker and Leroy Kennedy. The Rams have been in the top in the 2-AA class but have not made a playoff run since 2000, when they made it to the championship game. Dermott has four state championships and numerous regional and tournament championships. The Southeast Arkansas Public Library operates the Dermott Branch Library. Dermott 4M5

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Dermott was the site of one of several camps holding German prisoners of war.

Notable people

* Thane Read, global peace activist * Larry D. Alexander, visual artist/writerEncyclopedia of Arkansas - Larry Dell Alexander
/ref> * Robert L. Hill, founder of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America * Art Kaufman, defensive coordinator, California Golden Bears football * Samuel L. Kountz, kidney transplant surgeon * Zilner Randolph, jazz musician

References

External links

Dermott Crawfish Festival
* Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
Dermott (Chicot County)Dermott Area Chamber of CommerceDermott School District
{{authority control Cities in Chicot County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas Populated places established in 1890