Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 28 buildings. Most of Dyess was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1939 on, and the census since 1970.
Dyess dates its founding to 1934 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dyess’s history is told.
Peaked at 515 in 2000; 339 people lived here in 2020.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dyess’ Wikipedia page.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
From Wikipedia’s history of Dyess.
Dyess Colony was established in Mississippi County in 1934 as part of the New Deal efforts of Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide economic relief to destitute workers in the Great Depression. The experiment was the largest such community-building experiment established by the federal government during these years.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
BuiltDyess Colony Center is built
In the archiveFarmer who has been resettled on good land, Dyess Colony, Mississippi County, Arkansas
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereTommy Cash is born hereOne decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2012Dyess AR 018
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2012Dyess AR 001
2007Sign
2007Main-Street-Dyess
2007Dyess-Colony-Administration-Building
2007Dyess - Colony Administration Building
2005ARMap-doton-DyessEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dyess. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dyess.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Dyess’ page.
Retake this view · +15Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Dyess’s post office has been open since 1935.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
In 1934, according to Wikidata. Dyess’ post office opened in 1935, and the census of 1970 counted 433 people here.
One place: the Dyess Colony Center (listed 1976).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (24), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
