Dermott, Arkansas

Dermott, Arkansas
—  City  —
Location in Chicot County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Arkansas
County Chicot
Area
 • Total 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km2)
 • Land 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 141 ft (43 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 3,292
 • Density 1,135.2/sq mi (438.9/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 71638
Area code(s) 870
FIPS code 05-18520
GNIS feature ID 0057646

Dermott is a city in Chicot County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,292 at the 2000 census. Dermott was incorporated in 1890.

Dermott is home to the Dermott Crawfish Festival.

Contents

Geography

Dermott is located at (33.528712, -91.437657)[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2), of which 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (2.41%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 4865 people, 1,216 households, and 824 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,165.3 people per square mile (449.1/km²). There were 1,404 housing units at an average density of 497.0 per square mile (191.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 25.24% White, 73.27% Black or African American, 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 Hispanic 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 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 for the city was $9,998. About 25.9% of families and 32.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.0% of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.

Dermott Crawfish Festival

The Dermott Crawfish Festival is one of the oldest and most successful festivals in Arkansas. This festival is held annually and is sponsored by the Dermott Chamber of Commerce. This festival includes hundreds of vendors, and brings thousands of visitors to the area each year. The Crawfish Festival has something for everyone, including two bandstands promoting local musicians. The Crawfish Festival has featured many art exhibits over the years, of the works of noted Texas artist Larry D. Alexander, who is a native of Dermott. Alexander has often ended "The Arkansas Schools Tours" there at the festival, which was a well-known annual event from 1996 through 2006. Alexander is also widely known for the Clinton Family Portrait oil painting that he painted and gave to president Bill Clinton in 1995. The Crawfish Festival is typically a food and music festival, but each year something new is added. In 2006, a car/truck/rim show was added to the festival. The Crawfish Festival also hosts a carnival during the entire week. Other events included in the festival are the annual Rotary Club pancake breakfast, bingo, a horseshoe pitching contest, an antique tractor show, and multiple cash drawings. The Crawfish Festival is held annually on the third weekend in May.[3]

Sports

Dermott High School's colors are orange and black. They are the home of the Mighty Rams or just Rams. The basketball team over the years has fought for several state championships. They belong to the 8-AA Southeast conference. The last championship Dermott won was in 1994, but the most outstanding championship was in 1985 when 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 haven't made a playoff run since 2000 when they made it to the championship game. Dermott has 4 state championships and plenty of regional and tournament championships.

Notable people

Larry D. Alexander - Visual Artist/Writer.[4]

Robert L. Hill - Unionist (founder of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America)

Samuel L. Kountz - Kidney transplantation surgeon

References

External links