Editing Hardesty, Oklahoma

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Hardesty, Oklahoma
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Hardesty Historic Marker.jpg
|image_caption            = Historic marker on the western edge of Hardesty
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Texas County Oklahoma incorporated and unincorporated areas Hardesty highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 300px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Texas County, Oklahoma|Texas County]] and state of [[Oklahoma]].

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Oklahoma]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Oklahoma|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Texas County, Oklahoma|Texas]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 0.58
|area_land_km2            = 0.58
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.23
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.23
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 205
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|population_density_km2   = 352.22
|population_density_sq_mi = 911.11

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_m              = 886
|elevation_ft             = 
|coordinates              = {{coord|36|36|59|N|101|11|27|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 73944
|area_code                = [[Area code 580|580]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 40-32550<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1093528<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|1093528}}</ref>
|website                  =
}}

'''Hardesty''' is a town in [[Texas County, Oklahoma|Texas County]], [[Oklahoma]], United States. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the town’s population was 205.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://data.census.gov/all?q=Hardesty+town,+oklahoma|title=Hardesty (Town), Oklahoma|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=August 6, 2023}}</ref>

==History==
The original Hardesty was four miles northeast of the present community.<ref name=OHS>{{cite web|url= https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=HA019 |title=Hardesty|publisher=Oklahoma Historical Society|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref> It had a post office in 1887, with the name honoring A.J. "Jack" Hardesty, who had interests in the area. However, the [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad|Rock Island railroad]] bypassed the town in 1901 and created the locale that became [[Guymon, Oklahoma]]. Most of Hardesty’s residents and businesses relocated to Guymon, and the original town withered.<ref name=OHS/>

When a second Rock Island line later came through the county near the old Hardesty in 1929, a new community along the route was named Hardesty at the insistence of locals.<ref name=OHS/>  However, growth of the new Hardesty was stunted by the [[Great Depression]] and the [[Dust Bowl]].<ref name=OHS/>  The town nevertheless incorporated in 1947 and remains in place, complete with a post office and a school district covering 250 square miles.<ref name=OHS/><ref>{{cite web|url= https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm?_gl=1*1dsrk06*_ga*NDkzNTE3ODQyLjE2MzY3NTIzOTg.*_ga_3NXP3C8S9V*MTY0MzU3NjMzMS44LjAuMTY0MzU3NjMzMS4w |title=Find USPS Locations (using Hardesty, Oklahoma as the search term)|publisher=US Postal Service|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hardesty.k12.ok.us/ |title=Homepage|publisher=Hardesty Public Schools|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref>

==Geography==
Hardesty is just south of the [[Coldwater Creek (Oklahoma)|Coldwater Creek]] arm of the [[Optima Lake]] project, including [[Optima National Wildlife Refuge]], and the Optima Wildlife Management Area public hunting lands managed by the [[Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation]]. The town is approximately 18 miles southeast of [[Guymon, Oklahoma|Guymon]] along [[Oklahoma State Highway 3]],<ref>''Hardesty, OK,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1968</ref> which runs concurrently with [[U.S. Route 412 in Oklahoma|U.S. Route 412]] through Hardesty.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hardesty,+OK+73944/@36.6141711,-101.1988687,15.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8707d03282b3e543:0x2cdb085298792712!8m2!3d36.6164159!4d-101.1907148 |title=Hardesty, Oklahoma|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=July 16, 2020}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1950= 201
|1960= 187
|1970= 223
|1980= 243
|1990= 228
|2000= 277
|2010= 212
|2020= 205
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 277 people, 102 households, and 74 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,228.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 118 housing units at an average density of {{convert|523.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 76.17% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.44% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 20.58% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.81% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 27.80% of the population.

There were 102 households, out of which 46.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $28,214, and the median income for a family was $29,688. Males had a median income of $26,667 versus $20,089 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $11,836. About 24.2% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 24.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.0% of those 65 or over.

==Education==
In 2007, a lawsuit  was brought against the local high school for religious discrimination and failure to separate church and state, after a student allegedly was kicked off the basketball team for refusing to participate in compulsory pre and post game prayers.<ref name=ABC_atheist_descrimination>
{{cite news
 | url= https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3164811&page=1
 | title= The Black Sheep of Hardesty
 | author= John Stossel
 | publisher= [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
 | date=May 11, 2007
 | access-date=July 8, 2009}}
</ref> [[PACER (law)|PACER]] shows the federal case, CIV-06-845-M, ended with that Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice filed October 29, 2008, and signed by all parties.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

==See also==
* [[Hardesty Public School District]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/H/HA019.html Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Hardesty] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018202812/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/H/HA019.html |date=October 18, 2010 }}

{{Texas County, Oklahoma}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Texas County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Towns in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Oklahoma Panhandle]]