Dumas, Arkansas

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Dumas is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 5,238 at the 2000 census.

Dumas is mentioned in the song I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas, a tune by Phil Baxter and Carl Moore which was a hit in the 1930s and 1940s. For decades large signs on the highway entrances to Dumas proclaimed "Welcome to Dumas, home of the Ding Dong Daddies". The city of Dumas, Texas also claims that the song was written about that city.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Tornado Damage
4 Notes
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Dumas is located at 33°53′12″N, 91°29′19″W (33.886626, -91.488544)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.7 km² (3.0 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,238 people, 1,977 households, and 1,399 families residing in the city. The population density was 683.2/km² (1,768.0/mi²). There were 2,177 housing units at an average density of 284.0/km² (734.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 36.62% White, 60.02% Black or African American, 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 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 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 for the city was $12,727. About 22.6% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.9% of those under age 18 and 23.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Tornado Damage

On February 24, 2007, Dumas was struck by a tornado at around 3 p.m. CT (4 p.m. ET). More than 40 people were injured and many buildings were damaged or destroyed. The local Dumas police stated on CNN that "the feed mill was the local employer and now it is gone". ^[1] Following the storm, U.S Senator Mark Pryor had criticized FEMA's response to the recovery and cleanup efforts. ^[2]