Dierks was formerly known as "Hardscrabble". It was then changed to "Dierks" after Hans Dierks, the oldest of four brothers who owned the Dierks Lumber and Coal Company. In 2007, Dierks celebrated its 100th birthday.
2009 tornado
Severe thunderstorms that moved through southwest Arkansas on April 9, 2009, produced an EF3 tornado that destroyed the city's water treatment plant. A training technician from the Arkansas Rural Water Association helped the utility operators establish a temporary connection to the neighboring Nashville Rural Water System until the National Guard could deliver a pair of portable water purification systems. The Boy Scouts of America helped to give water bottles to families that were on the city water. A smaller tornado in 2010 hit the local laundromat and tore down a few power lines. No injuries or deaths were reported.
Geography
Dierks is located in north-central Howard County at , along the southern edge of the Ouachita Mountains. It sits in the valley of Holly Creek, a southwest-flowing tributary of the Saline River. U.S. Route 70 passes through the city on Front Street and Main Avenue, leading northeast to Glenwood and southwest to De Queen. U.S. Route 278 also passes through Dierks, leading north out of town along Main Avenue with US 70 before turning northwest towards Wickes, from Dierks. US 278 runs east out of Dierks on 4th Street and Massey Avenue, eventually traveling southeast to Nashville. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land. Dierks Lake is a reservoir on the Saline River northwest of the city limits. It is a popular fishing spot and offers three different areas to camp: Jefferson Ridge, Blue Ridge, and Horseshoe Bend.
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,230 people, 465 households, and 349 families residing in the city. The population density was 660.2 people per square mile. There were 542 housing units at an average density of 290.9/sq mi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.93% White, 0.57% Black or African American, 1.14% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 1.46% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 465 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,900, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $26,765 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,515. About 9.8% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public education
Public education for elementary and secondary students is primarily provided by the Dierks School District, which includes:
JoAnn Walters Elementary School, serving prekindergarten through grade 6
Dierks High School, serving grades 7 through 12. The school's sports teams are the Outlaws, and the mascot is a horse named Blue. The school's colors are royal blue and white.
Public library
The Dierks Branch Library is a branch library of the Southwest Arkansas Regional Library system.
Events
Because of its logging heritage, Dierks holds an annual Pine Tree Festival the first weekend in August every year. Vendors set up booths, and there are games and activities throughout the weekend. There is a loader contest, BBQ cook-off, tractor show, car show, talent show, and on Saturday there is a concert with a country singer or band. In 2008, Craig Morgan was the artist. Throughout the years many country music artists played the Pine Tree Festival. Examples are Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr., Skeeter Davis, Keith Whitley, and John Anderson.
