Dumas ( ) is a city in Desha 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 4,706 at the 2010 census.

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 Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

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 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

'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. In 2023, The shooter, Brandon Knight, was sentenced to 60 years for 10 counts of aggravated assault.

Geography

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 ...

, the city has a total area of , 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 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, Dumas 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 4,001 people, 1,739 households, and 1,207 families residing in the city.

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 5,238 people, 1,977 households, and 1,399 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,177 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 26.62%

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 ...

, 70.02%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 2.00% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 3.19% of the population 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. There were 1,977 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% 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, 23.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.19. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,754, and the median income for a family was $32,255. Males had a median income of $28,396 versus $19,363 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 $12,727. About 22.6% of families and 28.8% 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 39.9% of those under age 18 and 23.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Dumas is served by the Dumas School District. The Southeast Arkansas Public Library operates the Dumas Branch Library. - Check the hours and locations tab: "120 E. Choctaw Dumas, AR 71639"

Highways

U.S. Route 65 passes through the city, leading northwest to Pine Bluff and south (with U.S. Route 165) to McGehee. US 165 leads northeast from Dumas 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 Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...

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 Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

docu-reality series '' Nathan For You'' filmed portions of its Season 4 finale, " Finding Frances," in Dumas.

References

External links

*
Dumas Public Schools
(from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life) *Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
Dumas (Desha County)
{{authority control Cities in Desha County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas 1904 establishments in Arkansas