Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana

Natchitoches Parish
	Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
	Natchitoches Parish Courthouse (completed 1939)
	Flag of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana; Flag
	Flag of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana; Flag
	; Location in the state of Louisiana
	; Louisiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1805
Named for	Natchitoches Native Americans
Seat	Natchitoches
Largest city	Natchitoches; Parish President Rick Nowlin
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 1,299 sq mi (3,365 km²); 1,255 sq mi (3,252 km²); 44 sq mi (114 km²), 3.37%
Population; - (2010); - Density	; 39,566; 30/sq mi (39,566/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.historicnatchitoches.com

The Natchitoches Parish Library.

Hidden by trees, the Magnolia Plantation is located in the Cane River Creole National Historical Park.

Creston Baptist Church is located at the intersections of the highways leading to Ashland, Goldonna, and Readhimer.

Natchitoches Parish (French: Paroisse des Natchitoches) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Natchitoches. As of 2010, the Natchitoches Parish population was 39,566, an increase of 486 over the 2000 tabulation of 39,080. The parish is nearly 42 percent African American.^[1] This is the heart of the Cane River Louisiana Creole community. The Natchitoches Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Natchitoches Parish.

Including extensive outbuildings at Magnolia and Oakland plantations, the Cane River Creole National Historical Park interprets the history and culture of the Louisiana Creoles. It was designated one of the original sites on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

History[edit]

Natchitoches Parish was created by the act of April 10, 1805 that divided the Territory of Orleans into twelve parishes, including Orleans, Iberville, Rapides and Natchitoches.

Geography[edit]

The parish is one of the largest in the state in terms of land area. It has a total area of 1,299 square miles (3,365 km²), of which, 1,255 square miles (3,252 km²) of it is land and 44 square miles (114 km²) of it (3.37%) is water.

Demographics[edit]


Census	Pop.		%±
1900	33,216		—
1910	36,455		9.8%
1920	38,602		5.9%
1930	38,477		−0.3%
1940	40,997		6.5%
1950	38,144		−7.0%
1960	35,653		−6.5%
1970	35,219		−1.2%
1980	39,863		13.2%
1990	36,689		−8.0%
2000	39,080		6.5%
Est. 2006	38,719	^[2]
Natchitoches Parish Census Data^[3]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 39,080 people, 14,263 households, and 9,499 families residing in the parish. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 16,890 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 57.85% White, 38.43% Black or African American (42 percent in 2010), 1.08% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. 1.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,263 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.30% were married couples living together, 17.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the parish the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 17.90% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 19.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.80 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $25,722, and the median income for a family was $32,816. Males had a median income of $29,388 versus $19,234 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,743. About 20.90% of families and 26.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.70% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of those age 65 or over.

National Guard[edit]

A Troop 2-108TH CAV is heaquarted in behind the local college and the airport. This unit has deployed twice to Iraq, first as part of the 1-156TH Armor Battalion in 2004-2005 and then as part of the 2-108TH CAV SQDN in 2010. Both times this company sized element deployed with the 256th Infantry Brigade.

National protected areas[edit]

Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Kisatchie National Forest (part)
Red River National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Saline Bayou

Notable natives and residents[edit]

H. Welborn Ayres (1900–1985), born in Ashland, judge of the Louisiana Third Judicial District Court in Jonesboro and the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport

Leopold Caspari (1830-1915), merchant in Cloutierville from 1849-1858 and thereafter businessman and banker in Natchitoches. He served nonconsecutively in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature between 1884 and 1914.^[5]

Caroline Dormon (1888–1971), naturalist, botanist, and preservationist (1888–1971) was born and lived on her family estate of Briarwood in Natchitoches Parish.

Boyd B. Durr (1926-2010), Ajax native, United States Army Air Corps service in World War II, law-enforcement officer from 1946-2000, Natchitoches chief of police and then town marshal, Democratic sheriff of Natchitoches Parish from 1992 to 2000; unseated in the 1999 nonpartisan blanket primary by Victor E. Jones, Jr., Baptist.^[6]

Norman Allen "Norm" Fletcher (1931-2012), Natchitoches native, broadcaster, public servant, and sheriff of Natchitoches Parish from 1980 to 1992. Fletcher was inducted in 2010 into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. The home broadcast booth at Northwestern State University's Turpin Stadium is named in his honor. Fletcher donated his body to medical science. United Methodist.^[7]

Andrew R. Johnson (1856–1933), Louisiana state senator and former mayor of Homer, Louisiana, in 1901 named and sold lots to establish the village of Ashland in Natchitoches Parish.^[8]

Bob Reese (1929-2004), Co-chairman of the Natchitoches Parish Republican Executive Committee, 1968-2004.^[9]

Communities[edit]

Map of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana With Municipal Labels

Cities[edit]

Natchitoches

Towns[edit]

Campti

Villages[edit]


Ashland Clarence Goldonna	Natchez Powhatan	Provencal Robeline

Unincorporated areas[edit]

Education[edit]

Natchitoches Parish School Board operates local public schools. Parish schools include: Cloutierville Elementary & Junior High School, East Natchitoches Elementary & Middle High School, Fairview Alpha Elementary & Junior High School, Frankie Ray Jackson, Sr. Technical Center, George L. Parks Elementary & Junior High School, Goldonna Elementary & Junior High School, L.P. Vaughn Elementary & Junior High School, Lakeview High School, M.R. Weaver Elementary, Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School, Natchitoches Central High School, Natchitoches Magnet School, NSU Elementary Laboratory School, NSU Middle Laboratory School, and Provencal Elementary & Junior High School.