text:
Arcadia, Louisiana

Arcadia is a town in, and the parish seat of, Bienville Parish in northern Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,919 at the 2010 census. Arcadia has the highest elevation of any incorporated municipality in Louisiana. Arcadia's name commemorates the Ancient Greek region of Arcadia.

History
In 1934, bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde were killed near Arcadia in a shootout. Their bodies were brought for embalming to a furniture store in Arcadia which also served as a funeral parlor. Enormous crowds of onlookers descended upon the city when news of the pair's deaths there became public.

Arcadia has been a center of the poultry industry, with up to 300 independent growers for years supplying the local feed mill operated by poultry company Pilgrim's Pride. In 2009 the company, facing bankruptcy, announced that it would close most of its Louisiana operations, including plants in Arcadia, Athens, Choudrant, and Farmerville; these operations were estimated to have provided a combined 1,300 jobs. Several weeks later, Pilgrim's Pride accepted an US$80million (equivalent to $ million in ) offer from Foster Farms of California to purchase their operations and keep the plants running. Foster Farms put up $40 million of the purchase price, with the other $40 million covered by the State of Louisiana.

Geography
Arcadia is located at 32.55194°N, -92.92417°W (32.551931, −92.924233) and has an elevation of 384 ft above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.9 km2, all land. It is 50 mi east of Shreveport.

Demographics
At the census of 2000, there were 3,041 people, 1,071 households, and 737 families residing in the town. At the 2019 American Community Survey, Arcadia had a population of 2,774 people and 1,469 housing units. The population density was 1,025.6 PD/sqmi. In 2000, there were 1,231 housing units at an average density of 415.2 /sqmi. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,746 people, 1,127 households, and 620 families residing in the town.

In 2019, the racial makeup of Arcadia was 73.2% Black or African American, 22% non-Hispanic white, 4.1% some other race, and 0.7% two or more races. Previously, the racial makeup of the town was 37.98% White, 60.57% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.61% of the population.

In 2000, there were 1,071 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 27.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.16. In the town of Arcadia, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,661, and the median income for a family was $26,250. Males had a median income of $25,885 versus $17,279 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,962. About 27.1% of families and 31.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.7% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over. At the 2019 census estimates, the median household income increased to $23,494. About 41.9% of the population lived at or below the poverty line, and 17.5% of Arcadians held a bachelor's degree or higher.

Religion
Among the numerous churches in downtown Arcadia are First United Methodist Church and the First Baptist Church, both in large sanctuaries. The Louisiana Baptist Convention was founded in 1848 in nearby Mount Lebanon.

Government
The Bienville Parish Courthouse was formerly located in a residential section of Arcadia but moved in 2013 to a newly constructed building off Interstate 20.

Media

The weekly newspaper, The Bienville Democrat, is printed on Wednesdays in Natchitoches, and then distributed across Bienville Parish. The current editor is Priscilla Smith.

A former Bienville Democrat editor, Wayne E. Dring (1940–2017), managed the newspaper for fifteen years, in which capacity he attended nearly all public events in Bienville Parish.

Education
Arcadia is a part of the Bienville Parish School Board. Arcadia's two public schools are located in the Arcadia School Complex, which encompasses both Arcadia High School and Crawford Elementary

Transportation
The Arcadia-Bienville Parish Airport is located two nautical miles (2.3 mi, 3.7 km) southwest of Arcadia's central business district.

Notable people

 * Rodney Cook, organizer of Possums Unlimited (“or PU for short” ) and its annual Possum Festival which provided over $100,000 in its 10 year run to charities including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
 * Marcus Fizer, professional basketball player, former collegiate All-American at Iowa State University (1999–2000) and McDonald's All-American from Arcadia High School (1996–1997)
 * Patrick O. Jefferson, African-American member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 11 since 2012; lawyer in Arcadia
 * Dub Jones, retired Pro Bowler born in 1924
 * Henderson Jordan (1896–1958), Bienville Parish sheriff who participated in the ambush of Bonnie and Clyde
 * C. L. McCrary (1905–1989), Arcadia businessman and state representative from Bienville Parish from 1960 to 1964
 * Philip H. Mecom (1889–1969), United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana
 * Danny Roy Moore (1925–c. 2020), State senator from Bienville and Claiborne parishes
 * Prentiss Oakley (1905–1957), Jordan's successor as sheriff; also part of the posse that brought down Bonnie and Clyde
 * Pol Perritt, MLB player, pitched for New York Giants in 1917 World Series
 * Bettye Swann, soul singer best known for the 1967 hit "Make Me Yours"
 * Lorris M. Wimberly, former four-time Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, farmer and insurance agent
 * Rush Wimberly, lawyer in Arcadia and Shreveport, member of both houses of the Louisiana legislature from 1900 to 1912; former Bienville Parish attorney and school superintendent

title: Arcadia, Louisiana


text:
Bienville, Louisiana

Bienville is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 218 at the 2010 census.

History
Bienville was established in 1891 when the railroad was extended to that point. It took its name from Bienville Parish.

Geography
Bienville is located near the center of Bienville Parish at 32.3525°N, -92.97694°W (32.352635, -92.976816).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 28.6 km2, of which 0.04 sqkm, or 0.13%, is water.

Climate
This climatic region is typified by warm to hot (and often humid) summers and mild winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bienville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 262 people, 115 households, and 70 families residing in the village. The population density was 23.8 inhabitants per square mile (9.2/km$2$). There were 158 housing units at an average density of 14.3 per square mile (5.5/km$2$). The racial makeup of the village was 56.49% White, 43.13% African American, and 0.38% from two or more races.

There were 115 households, out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $20,227, and the median income for a family was $20,909. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $17,143 for females. The per capita income for the village was $12,656. About 23.2% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 22.5% of those 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Rodney Alexander, Representative for Louisiana's 5th congressional district, was born in Bienville in 1946
 * Charlie Hennigan, retired AFL player, was born in Bienville in 1935
 * Garnie W. McGinty (1900–1984), historian at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston.
 * Louise Peete (1880–1947), serial husband killer

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Bienville, Louisiana


text:
Bryceland, Louisiana

Bryceland is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 108 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Bryceland is located at 32.44389°N, -92.98972°W (32.443908, -92.989807).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.3 sqmi, of which 2.3 sqmi is land and 0.28% is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 114 people, 48 households, and 30 families residing in the village. The population density was 48.8 PD/sqmi. There were 58 housing units at an average density of 24.9 per square mile (9.6/km$2$). The racial makeup of the village was 82.46% White and 17.54% African American.

There were 48 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $26,750, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $27,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,478. There were no families and 6.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 13.0% of those over 64.

title: Bryceland, Louisiana


text:
Castor, Louisiana

Castor is a village in Bienville Parish in north Louisiana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census but increased 23% to 258 in 2010. The median age was 32.2 years. The village was established in 1900. The name "Castor" refers to the genus Castoridae or beaver, a Latin term, contrary to an oral tradition of the word being Native American in origin.

Castor's ZIP code is 71016. A number of surrounding smaller villages, both incorporated and not, including Roy, utilize the ZIP code of Castor.

History
During the Civil War, Castor supplied salt for the Confederacy. A salt works was operated west of Castor by Alfred P. King. The area supplied hundreds of young men as soldiers during the Civil War, including the Castor Guards and the Bienville Rifles.

Dr. Dempsey Sullivan was a physician who saw patients from horseback. His daughter, Willie Sullivan, married Sam Smith, and the couple had 21 children. All but one of the children who died are interred at the New Ebenezer Cemetery. Mrs. Bonnie Daniel and Mrs. Merlene Young lived the furthest away in Weatherford and Kerrville, Texas, respectively, but they too are buried at Ebenezer.

The Sam and Willie Sullivan Smith family, one of the oldest in Castor, lost six members in a tornado in 1950. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Elaine Smith, Celia Sullivan (Mrs. Smith's sister), Dottie Jo Knotts, and Prentice Little were all killed. The homestead was wiped clean except for a bucket on the water well which remained undisturbed. The Smith family sold most of its land to Jerry "Cotton" Guin, an employee of Libbey Glass in Shreveport, who raised bees there until 2009.

The Louisiana rails to trails project, which extends from Sibley to Winnfield, deconstructed the once Kansas City Southern Railway track to make a recreational nature trail that, on completion, runs through the center of Castor.

The first school in Castor was located in the former Masonic lodge near the site of the present United Methodist Church. By 1912, Castor State Bank joined a small group of businesses on North Front Street. The bank and other buildings burned in 1929. A new bank building, a two-story brick structure, opened with the upper floor reserved for the Masonic lodge. This bank closed in 1933, but the top floor was still maintained by the lodge and the Order of the Eastern Star, which had been chartered in Castor on June 6, 1912. In the winter of 1983, fire destroyed this building, and the lodge records were lost. A new lodge hall was constructed in 1985 across from the Methodist Church.

In the late evening of April 23, 2000, Castor was struck by a tornado with a half-mile-wide path of destruction, which caused massive damage. There were no severe injuries, but the infrastructure damage caused the closure of most small businesses as well as the public school for a period of weeks. Most of the affected buildings were demolished or renovated because of the severe damage.

Discovered in 2007-2008, the Haynesville Shale, one of the largest natural gas deposits in the United States, sits underneath northwest Louisiana, including Castor. A large pocket of the Haynesville Shale was developed at the edge of the village, but an industrial/production accident involving the site damaged the pocket, making it unusable for the time being.

Geography
Castor is located at 32.25278°N, -93.165°W (32.252757, -93.164933).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.2 sqmi, all land.

Landscape
At ground level, Castor seems flat and surrounded by trees; however, in reality it sits in a valley which makes it a dead area for cell phone coverage. Verizon recently constructed a tower within a few miles of the village, allowing satisfactory reception of the Verizon Wireless network.

The active area or center of Castor is the four-way intersection of LA 4/LA 153 and LA 507, but the city limits extend from the light for about a quarter mile in all directions.

Castor Creek is a tributary of Black Lake Bayou, which flows approximately 4 mi southwest of Castor.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 209 people, 88 households, and 52 families residing in the village. The population density was 174.6 PD/sqmi. There were 101 housing units at an average density of 84.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 85.17% White, 11.96% African American, 2.87% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.83% of the population.

There were 88 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 14.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $23,125, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $35,833 for females. The per capita income for the village was $11,963. About 17.3% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 15.7% of those 65 or over.

Education
Castor has one school located on Front Street. The complex contains a Pre-K and Kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school buildings. The current principal is Mrs. Joy-Dee Wallace.

Castor has spawned notable academic achievements. In 2015, three competitors (Sydney Anderson, Kaitlyn Calhoun, and Brittony Cole) in the Future Business Leaders of America National Conference became the first competitors in the parish and Castor High School history to place top 15 in the nation. In 2016, one BETA club member (Mateo Chavez) placed first and third at the state conference and advanced to the national competition. There he placed top ten in both events; seventh in Spelling Division I and first in the nation in Creative Writing. One year later, another Castor High BETA member (Gabrielle Guin) placed second at the state conference in the Handmade Jewelry competition. She qualified and will compete at the national competition. In 2018, at the Future Business Leaders of America State Conference, Mateo Chavez and Brittney Lea made school history. Mateo became the first ever winner of the Richard D Clanton Memorial Scholarship Award from Castor. Brittney Lea won the 2018 Who’s Who in Louisiana FBLA Award. She will be recognized at the National Leadership Conference in Baltimore this summer.

Public transportation
The Council on Aging works in the area to give elderly and disabled means of transportation.

Roads
Running through Castor are three main highways: Hwy 153 (known in Castor as Front Street), Hwy 507 and Hwy 4 which intersect in the middle of Castor at a 4-way-stop caution light. Other roads include The Ridge Rd, Elm St, Pardee St, Oak St, Watson Rd and Lodge St.

Water systems
Castor and the area around has two sources of water: the Castor Water System and the Alberta Water System. The Alberta Water System was founded by local businessman Reginald A. Page.

Media
The primary source of news in Castor is the Shreveport Times. There are also the Ringgold Progress and the Bienville Democrat, which is published in Arcadia.

Cable television does not reach into Castor area. Viewers rely on antennas or satellites for coverage.

Economy
Castor has several businesses: the General Store, a gasoline station, flower shop, a cafe, a beauty shop, a laundromat, a branch of the Bank of Montgomery (formerly Bank of Ringgold), United States Post Office, retirement homes, and a mobile home park. The majority of working adults commute to one of the more urban areas nearby for employment.

Notable people

 * Lee Smith, pitcher, Major League Baseball, seven-time All-Star selection, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019
 * Jamie Fair, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1980–1984

title: Castor, Louisiana


text:
Gibsland, Louisiana

Gibsland is a town in Bienville Parish in northern Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 773. The town is best known for its connecting railroads, as the birthplace of the defunct historically black Coleman College, and for the nearby shootings in 1934 of the bandits Bonnie and Clyde.

Gibsland native John McConathy was a champion basketball player at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, who later was the superintendent for the Bossier Parish School Board, in which capacity he was the guiding force behind the establishment of the $57 million Bossier Parish Community College.

Coleman College
Coleman College (also known as Coleman Academy) was a segregated African American secondary school founded in Gibsland in 1887 by O. L. Coleman; it was the first secondary school for Black students in northern Louisiana. It was affiliated with the Baptist Church, and supported by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. The institution produced primarily teachers and ministers.

The school remained in the community until the Great Depression, in which it closed in 1937. It later re-opened in Shreveport in 1943, and remained there until the 1950s.

Railroad history
First incorporated in 1889, the Louisiana & North West Railroad Company operates 62 mi of shortline between Gibsland and McNeil, Arkansas. The LNW interchanges on both ends of the line: with the Union Pacific (former St. Louis Southwestern) in McNeil; and with Kansas City Southern (former MidSouth, ICG) at Gibsland.

For many years the road was well-known among railfans for its unusual stable of F7 "covered wagons"—unusual motive power of choice for a backwoods southern shortline. In the early 1990s, the F units were sold off to various places, gradually replaced by Geeps from various locations. The LNW shops are located at Gibsland, a few hundred yards from one of the busiest interchange diamonds in all of the state. For decades, three different railroads interchanged in Gibsland. The switching activity could get so hectic the daily routine was known among railfans as the "Gibsland Shuffle."

Death of Bonnie and Clyde
On May 23, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde, an infamous bank robbing duo, were killed by law enforcement officers off Louisiana Highway 154, south of Gibsland toward Sailes.

Geography
Gibsland is located in northern Bienville Parish at 32.54278°N, -93.05361°W (32.542675, -93.053511).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.9 km2, of which 0.06 km2, or 0.81%, is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 773 people, 261 households, and 161 families residing in the town.

Education
The Bienville Parish School Board operates the K-12 Gibsland–Coleman High School in Gibsland.

Festivals
The Jonquil Jubilee and Historic and Garden Tour and the Bonnie and Clyde Festival are celebrated annually. The Jonquil Jubilee offers advice to area gardeners from botanists.

Bonnie and Clyde Festival
The Bonnie and Clyde Festival is held in Gibsland in mid-May. It features a staged bank robbery by actors portraying the infamous duo. The festival has been featured on the television program Weird U.S. on the History Channel. Bonnie and Clyde were killed off Louisiana Highway 154, south of Gibsland toward Sailes.

Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum
Gibsland is home to the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum located in the former Ma Canfield’s Café where the outlaws ate their last meal, a breakfast. The museum is owned and operated by Perry Carver. Linton Jay "Boots" Hinton (born January 1, 1934, died December 5, 2016), formerly of Dallas and a son of posse member Ted Hinton managed the museum until his health failed. The museum exhibits also mention the local posse members brought in for jurisdictional reasons, Bienville Parish Sheriff Henderson Jordan (1896–1958) and his chief deputy and successor as sheriff, Prentiss Oakley (1905–1957).

Gibsland-Coleman Alumni
Gibsland-Coleman Alumni Association was organized in 1981. The first reunion was held in July 1981. The Gibsland-Coleman Alumni Association is a non-profit organization of alumni and other individuals who are interested in supporting the organization-mainly providing college scholarships annually to graduating seniors. Chapters are located in Houston, Los Angeles, and Gibsland. The reunion is held in Gibsland annually during the first weekend of July.

Government officials
The present Mayor of Gibsland is Jeannie Richardson. Ms. Richardson qualified to run for mayor in the 2022 elections against incumbent Mayor Ray Ivory. Ms. Richardson won with a 67% majority. Ms. Richardson assumed the position of Mayor in January 2023 and will serve a four-year term. There are five Aldermen who serve on the Council of the Town of Gibsland. Julius Pearson, Gary Durham, Angela Adams, Dianna Pearson and Debra Rushing all qualified to run in the 2022 election, and were unopposed; therefore, they assumed their positions in January 2022. All the councilmembers were on the previous council with the exception of Angela Adams. This will be her first term. All councilmembers will serve a four-year term.

Notable people

 * Charles M. Blow, journalist and columnist for The New York Times
 * Jesse N. Stone, first African American justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court
 * Victor King, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball player, drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers
 * Bernard King, son of Victor King, Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball player, played professionally overseas
 * Ralph Hamner, professional baseball player for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs
 * John McConathy, Northwestern State Demons basketball player and Syracuse Nationals draftee
 * W. C. Robinson, second president of Louisiana Tech University (1899–1900)
 * Sam Smith, first African American to serve as a Seattle city councilman
 * Jimmy Wilson, blues musician (though his place of birth is disputed)
 * William E. King, state legislator in the Illinois House of Representatives

title: Gibsland, Louisiana


text:
Jamestown, Louisiana

Jamestown is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 139 at the 2010 census and 130 in 2017.

Jamestown is 4 mi west of Kepler Lake.

Notable people

 * Harvey Locke Carey, Louisiana lawyer and politician, spent his later years in a camp on Kepler Lake.
 * Lee Smith, a retired professional baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, was born there in 1957.
 * Enoch T. Nix, a banker in Bossier City and a 30-year member of the Louisiana State Board of Education and its replacement body, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, was born in Jamestown in 1920.

Geography
Jamestown is located in western Bienville Parish at 32.34111°N, -93.20833°W (32.341201, -93.208366).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.6 km2, of which 0.05 sqkm, or 1.19%, is water.

Climate
This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and mild winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Jamestown has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 149 people, 60 households, and 36 families residing in the village. The population density was 86.4 PD/sqmi. There were 80 housing units at an average density of 46.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.97% White, 3.36% African American and 0.67% Native American.

There were 60 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $23,125, and the median income for a family was $33,125. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the village was $11,305. There were 6.9% of families and 9.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 33.3% of those over 64.

title: Jamestown, Louisiana


text:
Lucky, Louisiana

Lucky is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 272 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Lucky is located in southern Bienville Parish at 32.23361°N, -93.01556°W (32.233692, -93.015515).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 8.2 sqmi, of which 8.2 sqmi is land and 0.24% is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 355 people, 123 households, and 83 families residing in the village. The population density was 43.3 PD/sqmi. There were 151 housing units at an average density of 18.4 per square mile (7.1/km$2$). The racial makeup of the village was 30.14% White, 69.30% African American, 0.28% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.

There were 123 households, out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 26.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.63.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 36.1% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $15,625, and the median income for a family was $17,500. Males had a median income of $27,212 versus $13,594 for females. The per capita income for the village was $7,058. About 40.5% of families and 51.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 68.6% of those under age 18 and 34.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Joslyn Pennywell, model and contestant on America's Next Top Model. Former Ebony Fashion Fair Model and Miss US 2006–07.

title: Lucky, Louisiana


text:
Mount Lebanon, Louisiana

Mount Lebanon is a town in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 83 at the 2010 census.

History
Mount Lebanon was probably the first permanent settlement in what is now Bienville Parish. Its pioneers were Baptists from South Carolina who quickly established a church and school. The school became Mount Lebanon University in 1853, but closed during the Civil War to serve as a high school and a Confederate hospital. After the war the school reopened. After years of struggling, it was consolidated in 1906 through the Louisiana Baptist Convention into Louisiana College in Pineville in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana.

The Mount Lebanon Baptist Church was organized in 1837, and the Louisiana Baptist Convention was established there in 1848. One of the Baptist organizers in Mount Lebanon was pastor George Washington Baines, maternal great-grandfather of future U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. The church building is still in use. The sanctuary is separated down the middle; men would sit on one side of the divide, women on the other. There is a balcony where the slaves were seated.

There are eight houses in the town that are on the National Register of Historic Places, including a building once used as a stagecoach stop and hotel. That was established by Emily Antoinette Bryan Smith around 1848 and is still owned by her direct descendants.

After the railroad was built through Gibsland, 3 mi north, Mount Lebanon began to decline in population and economic opportunity. The post office was decommissioned in the 1950s.

Geography
Mount Lebanon is located in northern Bienville Parish at 32.51167°N, -93.04139°W (32.511680, -93.041382).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.4 km$2$), all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 73 people, 34 households, and 21 families residing in the town. The population density was 18.1 people per square mile (7.0/km$2$). There were 44 housing units at an average density of 10.9 per square mile (4.2/km$2$). The racial makeup of the town was 76.71% White and 23.29% African American.

There were 34 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.8% under the age of 18, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 35.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $46,250, and the median income for a family was $54,375. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $30,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,219. There were 10.5% of families and 13.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 25.0% of those over 64.

Notable people

 * Joseph Wilson Baines, Secretary of State of Texas and member of the Texas House of Representatives, grandfather of U.S. president Lyndon Baines Johnson, born in Mount Lebanon in 1846.
 * Claybrook Cottingham, president of Mount Lebanon University from 1905–1906; president of Louisiana College from 1910–1941, and president of Louisiana Tech University from 1941 until his death in 1949, lived in Mount Lebanon from 1902-1906.

title: Mount Lebanon, Louisiana


text:
Ringgold, Louisiana

Ringgold is a town in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the western half of Bienville Parish. The town of Ringgold is named for United States Army Major Samuel Ringgold. The population of Ringgold was 1,495 at the 2010 census, and 1,370 at the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, down from 1,601 in 2018. The 2020 U.S. census estimates program recorded a population of 1,336, though the census established a population of 1,379. It is the second largest incorporated municipality in Bienville Parish by population.

History
It is unlikely that René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in his 1687 journey into Louisiana ever set foot in Bienville Parish. In 1690, the Ringgold area was explored by the scout Domingo Terán de los Ríos, whom the government of Mexico sent to determine the extent of the holdings of the Caddo Indians. He was considered the first white leader to sight what became the man-made Lake Bistineau. A priest with the expedition, Father Masinettes, established "Mission Loretteto." De los Rios was thereafter from 1891 to 1892 the first governor of Spanish Texas.

In November 1933, C. E. Tomme, a telephone executive who was previously a county commissioner of Newton County in East Texas, was appointed mayor of Ringgold by Governor Oscar K. Allen. Tomme, who relocated to Ringgold in 1920, filled the position vacated by his fellow Democrat, Walter McDowell. Tomme previously served on the Bienville Parish School Board and the parish Democratic Executive Committee. In the spring of 1934, Tomme won election to the post, 86-66, over Dave Thomas.

In 1933, African American Nelson Nash was lynched and hung in the town. He died protecting his wife.

Ringgold became the home of a Southland Christian Ministries camp and retreat located on a 23-acre lake off U.S. Route 371 north of the community. Initially constructed during the early 1940s by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the facility was purchased in the middle 1940s by the Bible Memory Association, which then operated "Miracle Camp" until it was closed for financial reasons in the early 1990s. Southland subsequently obtained the property with help of the Tri-City Baptist Church of Independence, Missouri. Michael Dale "Mike" Herbster (born March 1974) became camp director in 2008.

On May 2, 1984, a tornado devastated part of Ringgold. Nine were injured, though there were no deaths. The storm reached as far as nearby Jamestown. On March 25, 2017, the Ringgold Assembly of God Church under pastor Martha B. Grigg (born February 1944) was destroyed in a tornado. There were no injuries.

In 2018, the town of Ringgold was highlighted in the media for drug activity, citing lack of economic growth. Since then, the Mayor Milton Vining Administration has collaborated with the local community in an effort to reduce poverty and drugs, and attract local businesses.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Ringgold's government enforced a curfew, and local African American student Antavion Moore became Louisiana's Student of the Year from 2019-2020.

Geography
Ringgold is located in western Bienville Parish at 32.32639°N, -93.28361°W (32.326475, -93.283588). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.3 sqmi, all land. Common among rural North Louisiana communities, the town of Ringgold is surrounded by forests and prairie. Ringgold lies approximately 24 miles west of Driskill Mountain.

Demographics
Since the downturn of the lumber and oil industry, Ringgold has struggled with a declining population. According to the 2020 United States census, there were 1,379 people, 605 households, and 414 families residing in the town. Per the 2018 American Community Survey, there were 764 total housing units and 605 occupied housing units. At the census of 2000, there were 1,660 people, 636 households, and 410 families residing in the town. The population density was 715.3 PD/sqmi. There were 749 housing units at an average density of 322.8 /sqmi.

In 2018, the median income in the town was $19,475 and the mean income was $31,650. Ringgold had a median rent of $415 from 2014-2018. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated approximately 46.5% of the population lived at or below the poverty line. Approximately 8.0% of the population had a bachelor's degree or higher, and the town had a 36.5% employment rate. The median income for a household in the town was $15,326 in 2000, and the median income for a family was $21,563. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,817. About 36.5% of families and 38.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.9% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.

Of the 636 households in 2000, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% were married couples living together, 26.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. A tabulated 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.13. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.0 males.

In 2018, the racial makeup of the town in 2018 was 35.0% White (34.2% non-Hispanic white), 63.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 1.7% from two or more races. Ringgold had an average of 72.7 males per 100 females aged 18 and older, and 49.1 males per 100 females aged 65 and older. At the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the town was 43.92% White, 55.30% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.06% Asian, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.54% of the population. Since 2020, there has been a predominant Black or African American population, followed by non-Hispanic whites.

According to Sperling's BestPlaces, roughly 75% of the local population are religious, with Christianity being the dominant religion. The largest Christian group in Ringgold are Baptists, spread among the Southern Baptist Convention, independent Baptist churches, and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Hebrew Missionary Baptist Church is the founding headquarters of the Louisiana Progressive Baptist State Convention, established by Henry F. Johnson, Jr. Methodists were the second largest, dominated by the United Methodist Church, followed by Catholics and other Christians.

Economy
Ringgold was once a bustling small town, but since the beginning of the 21st century it was known for illegal drug activity and poverty. Since Operation Meltdown, the election of Milton Vining and Freddie Peterson, and a new city council, the town worked to reduce poverty, drugs, crime, and attract local business. As of 2020, the town's economy is stimulated by convenience stores, banks and small businesses.

Media
The Ringgold area is primarily served by The Bienville Democrat newspaper, headquartered in the parish seat Arcadia. Ringgold lies within the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area's media market.

Education
Bienville Parish School Board operates the following public schools in Ringgold:
 * Ringgold Elementary School
 * Ringgold High School (grades 6-12)

Notable people

 * Barbara Colley, romance and mystery novelist from New Orleans, born in Ringgold and reared in Minden.
 * William M. "Bill" Conly, Sr. (1938-2017), regional folk, gospel, bluegrass, and Celtic musician and songwriter; Ringgold native and a forester with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
 * John Thurman Hunter Jr. (1931 - 2016; stage name Long John Hunter), blues guitarist, was born in Ringgold.
 * Billy McCormack, Baptist pastor from Shreveport, director and vice president of the Christian Coalition of America; born in Bienville Parish and interred at Providence Cemetery in Ringgold.
 * Garnie W. McGinty, Louisiana historian.
 * Duvall Cortez Wimberly, born in Ringgold, president of American Ex–Prisoners of War.

title: Ringgold, Louisiana


text:
Saline, Louisiana

Saline is a village in southeastern Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 277 at the 2010 census. Saline is pronounced "Suh-LEEN".

Jamie Fair, a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1980–1984, resides between Saline and Castor off Louisiana Highway 9.

Former Second Judicial District Court Judge David T. Caldwell, based in Jonesboro, was born in Saline and graduated from Saline High School in 1942.

A branch of Sabine State Bank operates in Saline.

Geography
Saline is located at 32.16417°N, -92.97722°W (32.164170, -92.977127).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km$2$), all land.

The biggest attraction to Saline is the Mill Creek Reservoir. Usually misnamed as Saline Lake, it is the biggest, easiest to access and safest body of water in Bienville Parish. The waters are fairly deep and were long ago cleared of trees and tree stumps, making it ideal for boating, skiing, knee-boarding and other water activities. The only danger in the area is the spillway which is a tower that rises about 50 ft off the water. It has a ladder that goes to the top and some people climb it to jump off, but it is very unsafe and has claimed lives.

Churches and cemeteries
Saline has several Baptist congregations, including Old Saline Baptist, whose original pastor was George Washington Baines, maternal great-grandfather of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. Within Saline is the Magnolia Baptist Church. Several miles east of Saline off Louisiana Highway 155 is Carolina Baptist Church. All three rural churches have accompanying cemeteries.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 296 people, 111 households, and 85 families residing in the village. The population density was 249.9 PD/sqmi. There were 133 housing units at an average density of 112.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 74.66% White, 25.00% African American, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.

There were 111 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $26,500, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $26,458 versus $16,719 for females. The per capita income for the village was $11,364. About 17.3% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.2% of those 65 or over.

Arts and culture
The Saline Watermelon Festival is Louisiana's oldest watermelon festival. With cotton prices declining in the 1920s, local farmers searched for more profitable crops. They created the Saline Dairy & Truck Growers Association and diversified their yields, growing fruits and vegetables – most notably, watermelons. This led to Louisiana’s first watermelon festival, held in 1931, to celebrate the harvest. Customers included President Franklin Roosevelt and King George V of the United Kingdom.

The festivals, originally held on Fridays, drew huge crowds from distant places who would come in via the train or car. People came to play games, eat watermelon, gather with old friends, and enjoy their day mingling around. In 1933, the festival attracted approximately 10,000 people but with the onset of the depression, this was to be the last annual watermelon festival to be held in the town for 50 years.

In 1983, after many months of work by Carolyn Dison, Gertie Baker, Gertrude Enloe, Elizabeth Dushane, and Betty Wiggins, the festival was held once again and became an annual event. Now, held on the second Saturday in July, you will find an event-filled week. From beauty pageants to live music, an antique car show to an old-fashioned parade, arts & crafts vendors to your favorite food vendors, there is something for everyone. Then on Saturday night, the festival comes to an end with an old-fashioned street dance where you can dance the night away.

Media
For several years, Mill Creek Reservoir was the camping spot for international cross-country motorcycle racers who, once a year, would race through the neighboring properties for a timed race. Starting at the crossroads in Saline, under the traffic light which is only a stop sign now, racers would race through the area forests for approximately 6-8 hours, if they didn’t get lost, then back to The Watergate where the finish line was located. The winners of “The Great Saline Enduro” were determined by who had the fastest time it took to complete the course. This one event brought in people from several different countries.

In 1988, Saline was transformed into a movie set for the filming of a movie named “Blaze”, starring Paul Newman. During his time in the town, Mr Newman was shown around the area by the local sheriff Reed Williams. Newman expressed admiration for a pair of new puppies the sheriff’s dog had recently birthed, so the sheriff gave him the male/female pair. For years, these two pups could be seen on the labels of Paul Newman’s Own Salad Dressing.

Education
Saline has one school, a modern structure that houses elementary, middle, and high school buildings.

title: Saline, Louisiana


text:
Benton, Louisiana

Benton is a town in, and the parish seat of, Bossier Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 2,048 in 2020. The town is named for 19th century U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, a Democrat from Missouri and an ally of U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

History
On April 3, 1999, a powerful F4 tornado roared through portions of the town killing six people and injuring 90. A mobile home park located south of town and homes near the Palmetto Country Club were devastated. Neighborhoods affected included Haymeadow Trailer Park, Palmetto Park/Palmetto Place (adjacent to the country club), Bay Hills, Woodlake South, Twin Lake Community, and many other newer lakefront homes located around Cypress Lake. The population of Benton lakefront area nearly doubled between 2004 and 2008.

Geography
Benton is located at 32.69472°N, -93.74056°W (32.694607, -93.740595).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,048 people, 850 households, and 516 families residing in the town.

Education
The community is in the Bossier Parish School District.

Benton Elementary School's attendance zone includes almost all of Benton. A small portion of Benton is within the boundary of Kingston Elementary School. All of Benton is in the attendance zones of: Benton Intermediate School, Benton Middle School, and Benton High School.

Bossier Parish is in the areas of Bossier Parish Community College and Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

Notable people

 * Robert E. "Bob" Barton, state representative from Bossier Parish, 1996-2000
 * Walter O. Bigby, state representative and judge, graduated from Benton High School.
 * Billy Bretherton, Entomologist and co-owner of Vexcon Inc, a pest control services company featured on the A&E series Billy the Exterminator.
 * Dewey E. Burchett, Jr., state court judge from 1988 to 2008, born in Shreveport but resided in Benton
 * Jesse C. Deen, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Benton, 1972 to 1988
 * Larry Deen, sheriff of Bossier Parish from 1988 to 2012
 * Mike Johnson, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023; Republican member of the United States Congress from the 4th Congressional District; constitutional attorney in Benton
 * J. A. W. Lowry, Bossier Parish politician in the late 19th century; died in Benton in 1899
 * George Nattin, Jr., businessman and LSU Tigers basketball player, 1959-1962
 * Henry Warren Ogden, Virginia-born planter in Benton; former member of the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 4th congressional district and Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives
 * Ford E. Stinson, former state representative, was a Benton native.
 * Jeff R. Thompson, former state representative for Bossier Parish, 2012-2014; judge of Division B of the 26th Judicial District Court in Benton

title: Benton, Louisiana


text:
Bossier City, Louisiana

Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a total population of 62,701, up from 61,315 in 2010.

Located on the eastern bank of the Red River, Bossier City is closely tied economically and socially to its larger sister city Shreveport on the western bank. The parish operates its own community college, Bossier Parish Community College.

19th century
In the 1830s, the area of Bossier City was the plantation Elysian Grove, which was purchased by James Cane and his second wife Mary Doal Cilley Bennett Cane.

Cane had come to the area with his first wife Rebecca Bennett, and her brother, William Bennett, and his wife Mary Doal (née Cille)y Bennett. They ran a trading post across the river on what was then Caddo Indian territory, a portion called "Bennett's Bluff". The trading post partners became a one-seventh partner in the new Shreve Town, which eventually developed as Shreveport.

Like most plantations, Elysian Grove had frontage on the Red River for access to transportation for shipping cotton and other commodities. The Texas Trail crossed the Red River at this point. The trading post on the west side operated a ferry between what would become Shreveport and Bossier City. The plantation loading and unloading dock was later recorded as "Cane's Landing" in the old ferry log books. For a very short time, Cane's Landing was known as Cane City.

The Canes and Bennetts were among the earliest European-American ettlers in the area. Mary D. C. Bennett gave birth to the first white baby of the area, William Smith Bennett Jr. He died at an early age.

In 1843, a section of land east of the Red River was divided from the Great Natchitoches District and Claiborne Parish areas and was called Bossier Parish. It was named in honor of Pierre Evariste John Baptiste Bossier, a former Creole general, who became a cotton planter in Bossier Parish. Of ethnic French descent, he was one of the first European settlers in the area after most of the Native Americans had been forcibly removed by the federal government.

In the 1840s, the Great Western Migration of Americans and immigrants from the East and Upper South began. The parish grew in population. Many early settlers passed through the region on their way to the Western U.S. By 1850, more than 200 wagons a week passed through Bossier City, with many travelers from the Upper South intending to settle in Texas. Some of these settlers stayed in Louisiana, attracted by the fertile soil and river valley. In 1850, the U.S. census listed the population of Bossier City (?) at 6,962.

American Civil War
During the American Civil War, companies of Confederate soldiers shipped out of Cane's Landing aboard steamboats for distant battlefields. Mrs. Cane hosted hundreds of Confederate officers and troops who were heading off to war. Mrs. Cane's plantation was fortified to protect Shreveport by three batteries, with Fort Kirby Smith in the center. The others were Batteries Price, and Walker and Ewell.

Fort Smith protected the area from an eastern invasion. The American Civil War reached Bossier Parish in 1861, and ended in Shreveport four years later, when the Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered. In the 20th century, Bossier High School was constructed near the former site of the fort.

Shed Road
Shed Road, the first all-weather turnpike in the American South, was constructed in the 1870s and operated from 1874 to 1886. It extended for 9 mi from Red Chute to the Red River. The elevated and covered roadway led to a plantation that was accessible by a ferry. The covered road made the transportation of goods easier before the arrival of the railroads.

Classification as a city
Anna B., granddaughter of James and Mary Cane, felt the area would prosper and began promoting the idea of a riverfront city. Anna B. and J. J. Stockwell sold lots in 1883. The area grew quickly, as did transportation through it. At the time, the unincorporated settlement was often called Cane City.

Around 1907, Cane City was incorporated by Louisiana Governor Newton C. Blanchard; the village was renamed as Bossier City. Blanchard appointed Ewald Max Hoyer, a Shreveport businessman, as the first Bossier City mayor. By that time, Bossier City had grown from an area around a square mile to a city containing more than 35 sqmi. Continued growth led to Bossier City's being reclassified from village to town by Governor John M. Parker. Later, Governor Earl Kemp Long issued a proclamation classifying Bossier City as a city.

The "golden spike" commemorated the completion of the east–west Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad. It was driven at Bossier City on July 12, 1884, by Julia "Pansy" Rule. It was the first such spike to be driven by a woman. The north–south Shreveport and Arkansas Railroad was completed on April 6, 1888. The Louisiana–Arkansas Railroad was completed on November 2, 1909. The Dixie Overland Highway from the East to the West Coast was built in 1918. These railroads and highways combined to make Bossier City a hub for future activity.

The discovery of crude oil, to the south, in 1908, thrust Bossier City into the nationwide oil boom. Bossier's central location to the rural oil fields made it a major player in the oil patch. Several international oil companies were located in the area. The advantages brought by black gold fueled many civic, social and economic improvements.

A fire on June 23, 1925, consumed one-half of downtown Bossier City. Local citizens were unable to battle the blaze. The loss spurred civic improvements, including a modern water system capable of fighting such fires, a new city hall, a modern fire alarm system, modern sidewalks, and the first city park.

In the 1930s, construction began on Barksdale Airfield (now Barksdale Air Force Base). In 1929 the land on which the base is built was unincorporated property south of Bossier City. The city of Shreveport annexed the land and donated it to the federal government. Through the years, Bossier City expanded, eventually encompassing the area surrounding the base. The first unit assigned to Barksdale was the 20th Pursuit Group. Before World War II, Barksdale was a training school for the Army Air Corps.

During World War II, Barksdale trained pilots, navigators, and bombardiers. Later, the base became one of the key bases of the Strategic Air Command in the new Air Force. Today Barksdale is the headquarters for the 8th Air Force.

In the 1890s, Cane City had a population of about 600. Bossier City in 2012 had an estimated population of over 64,000. First a cotton-exporting river landing, next a railroad town, then an airbase and oil-boom town, Bossier City has become known for its tourism and casino gambling.

Three casinos in the city have financed a number of municipal projects, many completed during the administration of the late Mayor George Dement. Recent improvements include the CenturyLink Center, Louisiana Boardwalk, Benton Road Overpass, and the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway, located along the eastern side of the Red River. Dement also procured Amtrak service between Bossier City and Dallas, Texas.

In 2005 Dement was succeeded as mayor by Lo Walker, his former administrative assistant and mayoral opponent from 1989, the first Republican politician to hold the city's top executive position.

Growth and redevelopment
On April 20, 2017, in their joint "State of Bossier" address, hosted by the Bossier Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Lo Walker, and Bossier Parish Police Jury President Bob Brotherton described the growth of the city and parish as "outstanding." With a population of 69,000 in a 2015 study by Louisiana State University, Bossier City had become the sixth-largest city in the state and the fastest-growing one.

Walker said that the city and the parish "work extremely close together, and our business and civic leaders and military make us an outstanding parish." The parish grew at 19%; the city grew at 10%. According to the Bossier Economic Development Foundation, the city could have reached 80,000 by 2019. Ongoing projects contributing to growth include the Walter O. Bigby Carriageway (the north parkway extension named for former state representative and judge Walter O. Bigby), Shed Road construction, and the South Bossier redevelopment districts.

Geography
Bossier City is located at 32.51778°N, -93.69139°W (32.517651, −93.691397) within the Ark-La-Tex and has an elevation of 174 ft above sea level. The city lies primarily on the banks of the Red River, and has a largely flat topography in contrast with Shreveport's terrain. The northern city limits are noticeably more hilly than the rest of the city. Many small waterways flow through the city, such as Flat River and Red Chute Bayou, which provide drainage for many areas of the city.

The city has a total area of 113.69 km2, of which 2.56 km2 are covered by water.

Climate
Bossier shares most aspects of its climate with its sister city of Shreveport. The city has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and mild winters.

During the warmer months, the city is prone to severe thunderstorms that feature heavy rain, high winds, hail, and occasional tornadoes. The city has a slightly above-average rate of tornadoes when compared to the U.S. average. Due to the flat topography of the city and the prominence of smaller waterways that are prone to backwater flooding from the Red River, the city occasionally experiences severe flooding events. A notable occurrence of severe flooding occurred in March 2016 after torrential rains caused a rapid rise of many local waterways, displacing upwards of 3,500 people from their homes across the area. Freezes and ice storms regularly occur during the winters.

Demographics
Per the 2020 United States census, 62,701 people, 26,677 households, and 17,524 families resided in the city. According to 2019 census estimates per the American Community Survey, 24.2% of the population were 18 and older, and 13.8% were 65 and older; the 26,927 households from 2015 to 2019 had an average of 2.44 people per household. In 1890, Bossier City initially had a population of 202, which has steadily increased since.

In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 58.5% non-Hispanic or Latino white, 27.9% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 2.5% two or more races, and 8.6% Hispanic and Latino American of any race. At the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 50.79% non-Hispanic white, 30.45% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 2.36% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 5.22% two or more races, and 10.68% Hispanic and Latino American of any race; the 2020 census reflected nationwide trends of greater diversification and the growth of traditional minority populations in areas once predominantly non-Hispanic white.

Of the 26,927 households estimated at 2019's American Community Survey, the owner-occupied housing rate was 52.8% and the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $163,500. The median cost with a mortgage was $1,182 versus $363 without a mortgage, and the median gross rent was $955. The median income for a household in the city was $50,340, and the per capita income was $26,755; an estimated 19.7% of the population lived at or below the poverty line. By 2020, its median household income was $48,385 with a mean income of $63,114.

Religion
The majority of Bossier City's population is Christian. Neighboring Shreveport is more religiously diverse than Bossier. Of its population, 37.9% identified as Baptists, primarily affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. Within the city, 6.7% were Methodists, primarily served by the United Methodist Church, 5.2% were Catholics in the Shreveport Diocese, 2.2% Pentecostals, 0.9% Latter Day Saints, 0.4% Presbyterian, 0.4% Lutheran, and 0.2% Episcopalian or Anglican. Within the Christian population of Bossier City, 7.7% claimed to be from another Christian group. Outside of Christendom, 0.3% of the city's residents were adherents to Islam. Less than 0.1% of Bossier's residents identified with Judaism, or eastern religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism.

Primary and secondary schools
Bossier City residents are zoned to Bossier Parish Schools, as are all residents of the parish.

Elementary schools in Bossier City:

 * Apollo Elementary School
 * Bellaire Elementary School
 * Bossier Elementary School
 * Central Park Elementary School
 * Curtis Elementary School
 * R.V. Kerr Elementary School
 * Meadowview Elementary School
 * Plantation Park Elementary School
 * Stockwell Place Elementary School
 * Sun City Elementary School
 * Waller Elementary School

W.T. Lewis Elementary School, outside the city limits, serves dsome portions of Bossier City. A portion of Bossier City is in the collective boundary of T. L. Rhodes Elementary School (Eastwood CDP, PreKindergarten-Grade 1), Platt Elementary School (Eastwood, grades 2-3), and Princeton Elementary School (grades 4-5). Additionally, a small area of the city limits is in the zone for Elm Grove Elementary School, also outside of the city limits.

Middle schools in Bossier City include:

 * Cope Middle School
 * Elm Grove Middle School
 * Greenacres Middle School
 * T.O. Rusheon Middle School

Additionally, Haughton Middle School in Haughton has a boundary including a portion of Bossier City.

High schools in Bossier City include:
 * Airline High School
 * Bossier High School

Parkway High School, just outside the city limits, has a boundary including parts of Bossier City. Additionally, Haughton High School in Haughton has a boundary including a portion of Bossier City.

Tertiary education
Bossier Parish is in the areas of Bossier Parish Community College and Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

Four year institutions:
 * Louisiana Tech University at Shreveport-Bossier City

Media
As a sister city to Shreveport, the city of Bossier City is served by the Bossier Press-Tribune and Shreveport Times. In addition, The Forum, City Lights, and SB Magazine are news magazines in the Shreveport–Bossier City area. The city shares the same television and radio markets with Shreveport and the Texarkana metropolitan area as part of the Ark-La-Tex.

In mainstream media, "Bossier City" is a song by David Allan Coe, in which he sings, "And it sure smells like snow in Bossier City..." Johnny Rodriguez recorded a song called "Achin' Bossier City Backyard Blues" in 1972. Turnpike Troubadours 2007 freshman album is entitled Bossier City, and includes the title track "Bossier City".

Radio
Bossier City is the secondary principal city of the Shreveport radio market.

Television
Bossier City is the second most populous city in the Shreveport media market for television.

Sports and entertainment

From the 1930s to the 1970s, Bossier was regionally and even nationally known for its entertainment district known as The Bossier Strip, which followed U.S. Highway 80 through the city. Nightclubs proliferated from the Texas Avenue Bridge to the Bossier-Webster parish line. Prior to the 1940s, The Strip was as well known for such entertainment as Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bossier City and Shreveport share an all-women's flat track roller derby team named the Twin City Knockers. The team is the newest competing sport in the area, founded in January 2010. Bouts are hosted at Hot Wheels skating rink in south Bossier.

The Brookshires Grocery Arena (formerly CenturyTel Center) in Bossier City was the home of the Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings of the AF2, as well as the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the Central Hockey League. The arena has hosted top performers, including Britney Spears and Aerosmith, as well as rodeos, ice shows, and children's entertainment.

The 2005 Red River Classic PRCA Rodeo to be hosted at the CenturyTel Center was cancelled due to the arena's use as a shelter for Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

The city hosts three riverboat casino gambling resorts along the east bank of the Red River: Margaritaville, Horseshoe, and Boomtown. Diamond Jacks previously operated in the area before closing, but Foundation Gaming has plans for reopening in 2024. Horse racing and gambling on slot machines is also available at Louisiana Downs, which opened in 1974.

Notable people

 * Jimmy Boyd, state representative for Bossier Parish from 1944 to 1952
 * Henry Newton Brown Jr., judge of the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeals (1992–2012) and district attorney of Bossier and Webster parishes (1976–1991), is a long-term resident of Bossier City.
 * Jeff Cox, judge of Division C of the 26th Judicial District in Bossier and Webster parishes since 2005
 * Raymond Crews, Republican state representative for District 8
 * Tim Dement, amateur boxer who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, former Bossier City police detective, and son of former Mayor George Dement
 * Ryan Gatti, state senator for District 36, 2016–2020; Bossier City lawyer
 * Eurlyne Howell, Miss Louisiana USA 1958, Miss USA 1958
 * Mike Johnson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative since 2017 for (R-Louisiana's 4th congressional district); former state representative
 * Keith Lehr, two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, born and resides in Bossier City
 * Jared Leto, actor and musician, was born in Bossier City on December 26, 1971.
 * Shannon Leto, drummer of 30 Seconds to Mars and older brother of Jared Leto, was born in Bossier City on March 9, 1970.

 * Judi Ann Mason, born and reared in Shreveport-Bossier, Hollywood screenwriter and producer, wrote Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
 * John McConathy (1930–2016), professional basketball player, former superintendent for the Bossier Parish School Board
 * Mike McConathy (born 1955), basketball coach since 1999 at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches; former basketball coach at Bossier Parish Community College; son of John McConathy
 * Alex Pourteau, professional wrestler who worked for both WWE and WCWR, was born in Bossier City in 1969.
 * Buddy Roemer, former United States Representative (R-Louisiana's 4th Congressional District (1980–87) and Governor of Louisiana (1988–92)
 * Charles E. Roemer II, farmer, businessman, and politician
 * B. J. Ryan was a closer in Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays of the American League. Previously, Ryan played for the Cincinnati Reds (1999) and Baltimore Orioles (1999–2005).
 * Jeffrey D. Sadow, political scientist, columnist, professor at Louisiana State University in Shreveport
 * Jeff R. Thompson, state representative; successor to Jane Smith
 * David Toms, a professional golfer, graduated from Airline High School.
 * Randy Walker, a professional American football player who played for the Green Bay Packers in 1974, graduated from Bossier High School and later Northwestern State University. Walker still holds many punting/kicking records at both schools.
 * Todd Walker, a professional baseball player, graduated from Airline High School.
 * Jesse Winchester, musician and songwriter, was born May 17, 1944, at Barksdale Air Force Base.

title: Bossier City, Louisiana


text:
Eastwood, Louisiana

Eastwood is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,093 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Eastwood is located at 32.55722°N, -93.56861°W (32.557317, -93.568480). It is bordered to the west by the Red Chute CDP, and the town of Haughton is nearby to the southeast. U.S. Routes 80 and 79 pass east–west through the center of Eastwood, and Interstate 20 forms the southern edge of the CDP but with no direct access to it. Via Highways 80/79, it is 11 mi west to downtown Shreveport.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Eastwood CDP has a total area of 16.6 km2, all land.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,390 people, 1,673 households, and 1,232 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,374 people, 1,225 households, and 957 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 535.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,376 housing units at an average density of 218.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.60% White, 6.14% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.96% of the population.

There were 1,225 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,370, and the median income for a family was $55,625. Males had a median income of $35,076 versus $23,682 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,952. About 5.5% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Education
The community is in the Bossier Parish School District.

Residents are within the boundaries of: the collective boundary of T. L. Rodes Elementary School (in the CDP, PreKindergarten-Grade 1), Platt Elementary School (in the CDP, grades 2-3), and Princeton Elementary School (grades 4-5); Haughton Middle School; and Haughton High School.

Bossier Parish is in the areas of Bossier Parish Community College and Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

title: Eastwood, Louisiana


text:
Haughton, Louisiana

Haughton is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,539 in 2020. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area.

Geography
Haughton is located 15 mi east of Bossier City and 17 mi east of Shreveport. Interstate 20 touches the northwestern corner of the town, with access from Exit 33 (Elm Street).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.6 km2, all land.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Haughton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,539 people, 1,139 households, and 891 families residing in the town.

Education
The community is in the Bossier Parish School District.

Most of Haughton is zoned to Haughton Elementary School. A portion of Haughton is in the collective boundary of T. L. Rodes Elementary School (PreKindergarten-Grade 1), Platt Elementary School (grades 2-3), and Princeton Elementary School (grades 4-5). All residents are assigned to Haughton Middle School and Haughton High School.

Bossier Parish is in the areas of Bossier Parish Community College and Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

Notable people

 * Dak Prescott, professional football player
 * Myron Baker, linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1993 to 1995.
 * Joe Delaney, NFL player for the Kansas City Chiefs who drowned while attempting to save three children
 * E. S. Dortch, planter and politician; last surviving (1943) Bossier Parish veteran of the Confederate States Army
 * John A. Franks, thoroughbred racehorse breeder who won an Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner
 * Paul Rasmussen, head minister Highland Park United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas

title: Haughton, Louisiana


text:
Plain Dealing, Louisiana

Plain Dealing is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 893 in 2020. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area.

History
Prior to 1839, the United States government forcibly removed the Caddo Nation of Native Americans—longtime local inhabitants who had first settled the area over 1,000 years before Europeans' 16th-century arrival in mainland North America—from the area of Northern Louisiana that included the parcel that would later become the town of Plain Dealing.

In 1839, George Oglethorpe Gilmer and his son, James Blair Gilmer, bought 5,000 acres of this land—now described as a "vast, unsettled wilderness"—from the United States government, calling a portion of this acreage "Plain Dealing" after the family's Virginia plantation. The "Plain Dealing" name became official when the town was formally chartered on April 24, 1890.

On March 26, 1893, during an evening school dance at Plain Dealing High School, a fight broke out. Two students were shot and killed immediately, two more were fatally wounded, and the high school's Professor Johnson was wounded in the arm.

Geography
Plain Dealing is 8 mi south of the Arkansas border and 31 mi north of Shreveport.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.1 sqkm, of which 0.01 sqkm, or 0.26%, is water.

Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Plain Dealing has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Plain Dealing was 114 F on August 10, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was -14 F on February 13, 1899. The record high temperature is also the highest temperature ever recorded in Louisiana.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 893 people, 424 households, and 192 families residing in the town.

Education
The community is in the Bossier Parish School District. There is one school in the community, Plain Dealing High School, which covers grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. Its attendance boundary includes all of Plain Dealing.

White and black students had separate K-12 schools, under educational segregation in the United States. White students went to Plain Dealing High School, then K-12, while black students went to Carrie Martin High School, a K-12 school established in 1952 by its namesake. In 1969 the white and black schools were consolidated into a single school with two campuses, later separated into Plain Dealing Elementary School and Plain Dealing High School. The elementary school was renamed Carrie Martin Elementary School in 2003. In 2017 the district announced that it will merge Martin Elementary into Plain Dealing High, and stop using the former elementary facility.

Bossier Parish is in the areas of Bossier Parish Community College and Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

Notable people

 * William Benton Boggs (1854–1922), first mayor of Plain Dealing in 1890; member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1892 to 1900, and the Louisiana State Senate from 1908 to 1916
 * Ryan Gatti (born 1974), state senator from Bossier City since 2016; owns a tree farm near Plain Dealing
 * Booker T (born 1965), American professional wrestler and promoter.
 * A. P. Tugwell (1889–1976), born in Plain Dealing; the longest-serving Louisiana state treasurer
 * Joseph David "Joe" Waggonner, Jr. (1918–2007), a former congressman; born in Plain Dealing and interred at Plain Dealing Cemetery.
 * W. E. "Willie" Waggonner (1905–1976), sheriff of Bossier Parish from 1948 until his death in office; brother of Joe Waggonner
 * Greg Stumon (born 1963), retired defensive end, 1987 Canadian Football League defensive player of the year

title: Plain Dealing, Louisiana


text:
Red Chute, Louisiana

Red Chute is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,261 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Red Chute is located at 32.56472°N, -93.60972°W (32.564841, -93.609777). It is bordered to the west by Bossier City and to the east by Eastwood. U.S. Routes 80/79 is the main highway through Red Chute, leading west 8 mi to downtown Shreveport. Interstate 20 forms the southern edge of the CDP but has no direct access to it. Interstate 220 branches off I-20 in Bossier City, just to the west of Red Chute, with the closest access to the CDP from Exit 17 (US 80/79).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Red Chute CDP has a total area of 23.8 sqkm, of which 0.06 sqkm, or 0.24%, is water.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,065 people, 2,841 households, and 1,865 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,984 people, 2,133 households, and 1,723 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 644.1 PD/sqmi. There were 2,308 housing units at an average density of 248.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.87% White, 7.22% African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population.

There were 2,133 households, out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $54,848, and the median income for a family was $60,432. Males had a median income of $37,312 versus $27,649 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,908. About 2.6% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The community is in the Bossier Parish School District.

Residents in a portion of Red Chute are within the boundaries of: the collective boundary of T. L. Rodes Elementary School (in the CDP, PreKindergarten-Grade 1), Platt Elementary School (in the CDP, grades 2-3), and Princeton Elementary School (grades 4-5); Haughton Middle School; and Haughton High School.

In a western portion of the CDP, the residents are in the boundaries of: Stockwell Place Elementary School, Cope Middle School, and Airline High School.

Bossier Parish is in the areas of Bossier Parish Community College and Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

title: Red Chute, Louisiana


text:
Belcher, Louisiana

Belcher is a village in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 263 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Shreveport- Bossier city metropolitan statistical area.

History
Previously named Horseshoe after the bayou that runs through the town, Belcher was renamed in 1899 after James Clinton Belcher, a former confederate soldier and overseer of Wild Lucia plantation.

Geography
Belcher is located in northeastern Caddo Parish at 32.75056°N, -93.83389°W (32.750518, -93.833772), less than 1 mi northwest of the Red River. U.S. Route 71 passes through the western side of the village, leading north 5 mi to Gilliam and south 17 mi to Shreveport. Interstate 49 at Exit 228 is 3 mi west of the center of town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Belcher has a total area of 4.04 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 272 people, 99 households, and 78 families residing in the village. The population density was 174.7 PD/sqmi. There were 107 housing units at an average density of 68.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 75.37% White, 23.90% African American and 0.74% Native American.

There were 99 households, out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $39,167, and the median income for a family was $40,469. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,954. About 6.3% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 4.3% of those 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Lloyd Hendrick, state senator from 1940 to 1948; graduated from Belcher High School
 * Ansel M. Stroud, Jr., adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard from 1980 to 1997, graduated from Belcher High School.
 * Clyde Connell, sculptor

title: Belcher, Louisiana


text:
Blanchard, Louisiana

Blanchard is the suburban town in, and the second-largest municipality by population of Caddo Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 3,538 at the 2020 U.S. census, it is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area.

History
Blanchard was likely named for Newton C. Blanchard, a United States Representative, Senator, and the 33rd Governor of Louisiana.

Geography
Blanchard is located at 32.58667°N, -93.8875°W (32.586762, -93.887590). Louisiana Highway 173 passes through the town as Main Street. Downtown Shreveport is 10 mi to the southeast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.3 km2, all land.

Demographics
According to the 2020 United States census, there were 3,538 people, 1,277 households, and 944 families residing in the town, overtaking Vivian as the second-largest incorporated municipality in Caddo Parish. Prior to the 2020 census, Blanchard was the fourth-most populous community in the parish, behind Greenwood with a 2010 population of 2,899. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,682 people, 787 households, and 602 families residing in the town.

In 2000, the racial makeup of the town was 95.32% White, 2.93% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population. Following nationwide trends of diversification in 2020, the racial makeup of Blanchard was 75.98% non-Hispanic white, 14.84% African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 4.49% mixed or other race, and 3.25% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The median income for a household in the town was $44,750, and the median income for a family was $58,047 per the 2000 census. Males had a median income of $41,161 versus $26,161 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,391. About 2.8% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over. At the publication of the 2020 American Community Survey, the median household income increased to $80,972. Its mean income was $87,881, making it one of the wealthiest communities in North Louisiana and Caddo Parish overall.

Notable people

 * Elle Evans, former Miss Teen Louisiana 2008; "Miss October 2009" Playmate for Playboy
 * Hal Sutton, professional golfer
 * Ollie Tyler, former Caddo Parish school superintendent and interim Louisiana State Education Superintendent; Shreveport mayor, born in Blanchard in 1945

title: Blanchard, Louisiana


text:
Gilliam, Louisiana

Gilliam is a village in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 164 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
On May 13, 1908, a tornado struck the community around dinnertime, killing 34 people and devastating the town, leaving only two homes standing. Fifteen others were killed in nearby communities.

Geography
Gilliam is located in northeastern Caddo Parish at 32.8275°N, -93.84444°W (32.827585, -93.844388). U.S. Route 71 passes through the west side of the village, leading south 4 mi to Belcher and 22 mi to Shreveport. To the north, US 71 leads 4 mi to Hosston and 14 mi to the Arkansas border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Gilliam has a total area of 5.2 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 178 people, 71 households, and 47 families residing in the village. The population density was 88.8 PD/sqmi. There were 79 housing units at an average density of 39.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 55.06% White, and 44.94% African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.

There were 71 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $29,375, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,264. About 20.5% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 14.3% of those 65 or over.

Notable People

 * John North, New Orleans Saints head coach 1973-75

title: Gilliam, Louisiana


text:
Greenwood, Louisiana

Greenwood is a suburban town in southern Caddo Parish, which is located in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 3,166 at the 2020 United States census, it is the third most populous incorporated municipality in Caddo Parish after Shreveport and Blanchard. Part of the Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan statistical area, it is located 15 miles west of downtown Shreveport.

History
Greenwood was established by European Americans in 1839 after the forced Indian Removal of the Caddo people to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) west of the Mississippi River.

As in the rest of Louisiana, most Black or African Americans were disenfranchised from the turn of the 20th century into the 1960s, and the state was dominated by white Democrats; Caddo Parish Sheriff J. Howell Flournoy, who served a record 26 years in office from 1940 to 1966, was born in Greenwood in 1891 and was part of the political Flournoy dynasty.

Earnest Lampkins (1928–2018), a native of Shreveport, earned a PhD and had a career as a music educator. He taught music at all levels, becoming supervisor of music for Caddo Parish. He founded the Louisiana School of Professions. In 2004, Lampkins was elected as the first black mayor of Greenwood, where he had long been active in the community. Against running for a second term, Lampkins ceased any intentions due to gunshots fired into his house, alongside continued threats and racism.

Geography
Greenwood is located in western Caddo Parish at 32.43611°N, -93.96389°W (32.436051, -93.963902). Greenwood Road (U.S. Routes 80 and 79) is the main route through the center of town. Interstate 20 passes through the northern part of the town, with access from exits 3 and 5. Downtown Shreveport is 15 mi to the east, and Waskom, Texas, is 6 mi to the west. Carthage, Texas, is 31 mi to the southwest down U.S. 79. Greenwood is approximately 165 miles east of Dallas, Texas, and about 290 miles northwest of New Orleans.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Greenwood has a total area of 23.3 km2, of which 0.04 sqkm, or 0.19%, is water.

Demographics
Since the establishment of Greenwood, its population was overshadowed by the larger and nearby Shreveport to its east, and Waskom, Texas to the west; at the 1970 United States census, the town of Greenwood had a population of 212. In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau tabulated a population of 3,166, down from the historic high of 3,219 at the 2010 United States census. At the publication of the 2020 census, Greenwood remained the third largest community in Caddo Parish, while Blanchard overtook Vivian as the second-largest.

There were 1,351 households at the 2020 American Community Survey's 5 year estimates program, among which 755 were married-couple households. The average family size was 2.80, and the average household size was 2.34; in 2000, the average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00. Among its population, 92.3% have attained a high school diploma or higher, and 27.2% of residents attained a bachelor's degree or higher.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $40,408, and the median income for a family was $52,955. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $26,622 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,374. About 9.3% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over. In 2018, the American Community Survey determined the median income was $60,809; the mean income was $91,984, making Greenwood one of the wealthiest communities within the Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area. During the American Community Survey's 2020 census estimates, its median household income was $55,034; the mean income also slightly declined to $86,979.

For a majority of Greenwood's history, the town has been predominantly non-Hispanic white, though diversification has broadened the racial and ethnic makeup of the suburban community alongside much of the United States.

According to the 2000 U.S. census, the racial and ethnic makeup of Greenwood was 77.01% White American, 20.63% Black or African American, 0.41% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.33% Asian, 0.16% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races and ethnicities, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino Americans of any race were 1.79% of the population. By the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 60.27% non-Hispanic white, 27.13% Black or African American, 0.69% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.76% Asian, 6.1% multiracial or of another race or ethnicity, and 5.05% Hispanic or Latino American of any race. The growing Hispanic or Latino American population reflected nationwide demographic trends following the 2014 to 2019 census estimates and 2020 census.

According to Sperling's BestPlaces in 2020, the population of Greenwood has remained primarily Christian. Dominated by Protestantism as most of North and Central Louisiana, Baptists were the largest Christian tradition by adherence. Baptists in Greenwood are mainly served by the Southern Baptist Convention, though the predominantly Black or African American National Baptist Convention of America and National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. have congregations throughout the area. Following, Methodists and Pentecostals dominated the religious landscape, with Catholic Christians served by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport.

title: Greenwood, Louisiana