Hardy, Arkansas

8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1957 and the latest in 1983. It stands in Hardy Township. It lies in ZIP code area 72542. It stands on South Fork Spring River. The Survey maps it on the Hardy quadrangle. 743 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 377 feet above sea level.

Hardy within Sharp County

On record in Hardy

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 17 shown

Sherman and Merlene Bates Houselisted 2002
Sherman Bates Houselisted 1998
Fred Carter Houselisted 1998
Ernest Daugherty Houselisted 1998
Graham, Fred Houselisted 1999
Hardy Cemetery Historic Sectionlisted 2006
Hardy Downtown Historic Districtlisted 1995
David L. King Houselisted 2002
Esther Locke Houselisted 1998
Web Long House and Motellisted 1998
William Shaver Houselisted 1998
Silas Sherrill Houselisted 1998

Every listing in Sharp County

Population over time

2 figures

Hardy fell from 772 to 743 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

Year	People	Change
2010	772
2020	743	-29 (-4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

5 surveys from 8 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

1957 USGS Poplar Bluff quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
1959 USGS Poplar Bluff quadrangle1:250000
1960 USGS Poplar Bluff quadrangle1:250000
1968 USGS Hardy quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
1983 USGS Cherokee Village quadrangle1:100000

Fires near this place

78 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 78 fires within 5 miles of Hardy between 1997 and 2020, burning about 1,172 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 20 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Debris and open burning	31
Arson/incendiarism	20
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	18
Equipment and vehicle use	5
Natural	1
Misuse of fire by a minor	1
Railroad operations and maintenance	1
Recreation and ceremony	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
30 September 2008	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
28 September 2001	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
20 September 2000	Railroad operations and maintenance	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
15 September 1999	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
7 August 1997	Arson/incendiarism	6.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
23 August 2001	Debris and open burning	35 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
16 July 1999	Equipment and vehicle use	40 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
9 May 2001	Debris and open burning	3.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Sharp County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Hardy: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where	Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
	Hardy Crusher & Mill	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer

Every working recorded in Sharp County

Storms near this place

60 of 72 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Hardy in 72 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 19 hail, 19 flood, 18 thunderstorm wind, 15 flash flood. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
September 2006	Flash Flood	Hardy	1 killed	Water rescues continued at the Riverbend campground and the Spring River Beach Club. Some people were in trees to avoid the water. One man was swept away by the water and drowned.
March 2008	Flood	Hardy	$15,000,000	Heavy rain caused the Spring River at Hardy to go above major flood level. The mayor of Hardy was notified by the Little Rock Office of the National Weather Service the day before this event that very heavy rain was possible. The local officials took steps to notify the property owners along the river. As a result, only a few homes along the river had to be evacuated during the event and there were no fatalities. A significant amount of personal property was also moved out of the floodplain. The river rose quickly and the surge of water swept away homes, propane tanks, canoes, parked vehicles, and even pieces of the road. Approximately 112 homes were affected by the flood with at least 6 destroyed and more than 20 with major damage. Approximately 55 to 60 homes were seriously damaged. Two homes were swept down the river. Damage to public property was estimated at $2 Million. The Hardy City Hall, police station and city park sustained heavy damage with 4 feet of water in City Hall. U.S. Highway 63 flooded, as did the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. A portion of the railroad was washed out. This was the highest the river had been since at least December of 1982. There had been a significant amount of development in the floodplain since the 1982 flood.
April 2011	Flood	Hardy	$2,000,000	City Hall had to be evacuated, along with some houses in Hardy.
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	$500,000	Thunderstorm winds, estimated up to 90 mph, blew down numerous large trees. Several of these trees fell onto mobile homes.
May 2011	Flood	Hardy	$500,000	no account filed
November 2003	Flash Flood	Hardy	$300,000	Flash flooding occurred at the River Bend Park in Hardy. About 100 camping trailers and recreation vehicles were underwater. Twelve people had to be rescued from the camping trailers located at the park. No injuries were reported.
October 2009	Flood	Hardy	$250,000	Flooding on the Spring River at Hardy washed out Loberg Park, destroying the fence around the park, damaging playground equipment and partially washing out trails in the park. Two residents near the park had to be rescued by boat. The fence around the ballpark at Buford Beach was destroyed. A church was flooded. The library in Williford flooded. A fire engine was stranded in high water.
November 2015	Flash Flood	Hardy	$100,000	Several roads were flooded or washed out across the county.
July 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	$25,000	Trees and power lines were down across Hardy. Many people were without power.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	$15,000	Trees and power lines were blown down.
April 2021	Flash Flood	Hardy	$10,000	A campground manager reported the Spring River was out of its banks through Hardy, high water in River Bend Park, Loberg Park, and Hardy City RV Park Campground. One RV was washed away by the water. No injuries.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	$10,000	Minor tree damage occurred in the area.
April 2014	Flood	Hardy	$1,000	Heavy rainfall on the 27th caused the Spring River at Hardy to rise above flood stage during the very early morning hours on the 28th. The river then fell back below flood stage during the afternoon hours that same day.
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	$1,000	A tree was blown down.
July 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	$500	Thunderstorm winds up to 50 mph downed some trees.
April 2025	Flood	Hardy	-	Major river flooding was observed at Hardy along the Spring River.
April 2025	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Numerous businesses were inundated with flood waters in Hardy near the roads of Main Street and Woodland Hills Road.
June 2025	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Multiple roads were closed in the town of Hardy due to high water over the roadways making the roads impassable.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	-	The damage found was consistent with a macroburst with\|damage oriented from west and southwest to east and northeast\|over a large swath of around 3 miles by over 7 miles in dimension\|approximately. Wind damage was first noted along Acres Road,\|north of Hwy 63. Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped along\|the swath of damaging winds from Ozark Acres to the Williford area.
November 2024	Flood	Hardy	-	The Spring River at Hardy entered minor flood stage in early November with a crest of 12.98 feet occurring on November 4 at 9:25 PM CST.
March 2023	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Numerous roads in Sharp County were under water.
March 2023	Flood	Hardy	-	Heavy rain brought flooding to the Spring River at Hardy in late March.
May 2022	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Several roads were under water. Also, some cars were flooded.
May 2022	Flood	Hardy	-	The river forecast point at Hardy, along the Spring River, went into minor flood stage between May 2nd and May 3rd, 2022.
May 2022	Flood	Hardy	-	Heavy rain brought flooding to the Spring River at Hardy in early May.
April 2021	Flood	Hardy	-	Heavy rain brought flooding to the Spring River at Hardy at the end of April.
September 2020	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Standing water was reported over parts of roads across Sharp County.
February 2019	Flood	Hardy	-	Heavy rain brought flooding to the Spring River at Hardy on February 11.
August 2018	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Flash flooding was observed in portions of Hardy.
March 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	-	Social media reports trees and power lines down in Hardy.
April 2017	Flood	Hardy	-	Flooding was noted in Hardy after heavy rain fell. The flooding began early on 4/30/17.
May 2017	Flood	Hardy	-	Heavy rain at the end of April led to flooding which continued into May, 2017 along the Spring River at Hardy.
May 2017	Flood	Hardy	-	Additional flooding continued May 4-5, 2017 along the Spring River at Hardy.
March 2015	Flood	Hardy	-	Heavy rainfall caused the Spring River at Hardy to rise above flood stage during the afternoon hours on the 13th, falling back below flood stage during the morning hours on the 14th.
November 2015	Flood	Hardy	-	The Spring River at Hardy rose above flood stage during the afternoon hours of the 17th, falling back below flood stage during the morning hours of the 18th.
December 2015	Flood	Hardy	-	The Spring River at Hardy rose above flood stage during the evening hours on the 27th, falling back below flood stage during the late morning hours on the 29th.
December 2013	Flood	Hardy	-	Heavy rainfall on the 21st caused the Spring River at Hardy to rise above flood stage during the afternoon hours, falling below flood stage late that same evening.
August 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	-	Large limbs were blown down.
March 2008	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Roads were reported flooded in town. One driver was stranded in ponded water.
April 2008	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	U.S. Highway 63 was closed between Mammoth Spring and Hardy due to flooding.
July 2008	Heavy Rain	Hardy	-	At the Hardy gage on the Spring River, 2.17 inches of rain fell in one hour.
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	-	Trees down.
September 2006	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Excessive rain caused flash flooding at the Riverbend campground. Evacuations were carried out by boat.
September 2006	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	A vehicle overturned in water on Wirth Road. The occupants were uninjured.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	-	A large tree, 4 feet in diameter, was knocked down.
April 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down some large tree limbs.
June 2001	Flash Flood	Hardy	-	Heavy rains, up to 4 inches in some areas, caused street flooding in the town of Highland. No other damage was reported.
July 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	-	Thunderstorm winds knocked down some trees and damaged a camper.
May 2017	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
August 2010	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
May 2008	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
March 2006	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
April 2006	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
November 2006	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
August 2002	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
October 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Hardy	-	no account filed
September 2001	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
April 2000	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
April 1999	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed
May 1997	Hail	Hardy	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Sharp County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Cherokee Village	2.2 miles	10
Canton (historical)	2.7 miles	8
Hidden Valley	3.2 miles	10
Highland	3.5 miles	10
Stuart	4.1 miles	10
Draft (historical)	4.1 miles	10
Sellers Store	4.2 miles	8
Baker	4.4 miles	8

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Hardy	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q79299	The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 49856. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.