Hardy, Arkansas Facts for Kids

The Spring River, which begins in Mammoth Spring, flows through Hardy. The Spring River flows into the Black River, which flows into the White River, and the White River eventually empties into the Mississippi River.

U.S. Route 63 is the main highway which runs through the town. In its course through Arkansas, Route 63 runs from the Missouri state line at Mammoth Spring to connect with Interstate 55 near Gilmore.

When roads were poor and travel much more difficult, Hardy was one of two county seats of Sharp County. The other was Evening Shade. In 1963, Ash Flat was named the county seat, and Hardy and Evening Shade lost that designation.

Hardy is served by the BNSF Railway. Formerly, the railroad through Hardy was part of the Frisco (St. Louis – San Francisco Railway) which had about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of trackage, and served Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. In 1980, the much larger Burlington Northern acquired the Frisco and integrated it into its own system.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14.0 km²), of which 5.2 square miles (13.4 km²) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km²), or 4.63%, is water.

History

In the early 1950s, the Horrell and Clay families both had grocery stores there. Conway Horn ran a general mercantile store. Charles Cone ran the Western Auto Store. Two places to eat were Bonnie's Cafe and Mrs. Rogers' sundries store. Arthur Snow was a pharmacist and owned a drugstore. The agent for the Frisco Railroad was Virgil L. Walker, Jr. Dink Booth was the barber. The Thomsons ran the movie theater, and Ben Dalton published a newspaper. Ottie Cate ran a poultry and ice house, and Bill Shaver had the Standard Oil service station. Tom Walker was in charge of the local bank, and Woodrow Wilson ran a Mobil service station. "Peavine" Clouse was the city marshal. "Guinea" Gray was a local painter, and Clifford Brummet had the contract to carry the mail between the post office and the arriving trains. He also had a farm near Hardy. Arthur Garner sold real estate. Dewey Dark ran the Rose Hill Resort. Doctor Miller was a local medical doctor. Leonard Johns worked at the Post Office.

The Discovery Channel reality television series Clash of the Ozarks is set in Hardy. The program focuses on the lives of the people in the community.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	347	—
1910	329	−5.2%
1920	399	21.3%
1930	508	27.3%
1940	721	41.9%
1950	599	−16.9%
1960	555	−7.3%
1970	692	24.7%
1980	643	−7.1%
1990	538	−16.3%
2000	578	7.4%
2010	772	33.6%
2020	743	−3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Hardy racial composition
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	680	91.52%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1	0.13%
Native American	9	1.21%
Asian	1	0.13%
Other/Mixed	33	4.44%
Hispanic or Latino	19	2.56%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 743 people, 352 households, and 181 families residing in the city.

Education

It is served by the Highland School District, which operates Highland High School. The Highland district was formed from the 1962 consolidation of the Ash Flat School District and the Hardy School District. Due to the previous rivalry between the two districts, some members of the community were unsure whether the vote to consolidate would succeed.

Notable people

The Wilburn Brothers Doyle and Teddy born here in 1930 and 1931.

Hardy, Arkansas facts for kids

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

2020 census

Education

Notable people

See also