Plain Dealing, Louisiana

	Town of Plain Dealing
	Town
	Leon Sanders, Jr., Municipal Complex in Plain Dealing
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Bossier
Elevation	266 ft (81.1 m)
Coordinates	32°54′21″N 93°42′0″W / 32.90583°N 93.70000°W
Area	1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2)
- land	1.6 sq mi (4 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	1,071 (2000)
Density	673.0 / sq mi (259.8 / km2)
Mayor	Wiley Robinson (elected 2012)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	318
	Location of Plain Dealing in Louisiana
	Location of Louisiana in the United States

Coordinates: 32°54′21″N 93°42′0″W / 32.90583°N 93.70000°W

Plain Dealing is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States best known as the birthplace of former U.S. Representative Joe D. Waggonner, Jr. The population was 1,071 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History [edit]

Plain Dealing recorded the state's hottest temperature ever, 114 degrees, on August 10, 1936.

The Plain Dealing Post newspaper was established in the 1980s by publisher Danny D. Scott of nearby Springhill.

Geography [edit]

Plain Dealing is located at 32°54′21″N 93°42′0″W / 32.90583°N 93.70000°W / 32.90583; -93.70000 (32.905898, -93.699896)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), all of it land.

Demographics [edit]

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 1,071 people, 418 households, and 280 families residing in the town. The population density was 673.0 people per square mile (260.1/km²). There were 481 housing units at an average density of 302.2 per square mile (116.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 55.28% White, 42.67% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.09% Asian, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population.

There were 418 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 81.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,706, and the median income for a family was $32,361. Males had a median income of $32,132 versus $25,455 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,906. About 23.6% of families and 26.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.9% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people [edit]

John J. Doles (1895–1970), member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1952–1956 and president of the Louisiana Bankers Association from 1956-1957.

John J. Doles, Jr. (1923–2004), Plain Dealing banker and civic leader

Forrest Dunn, former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Shreveport and director of the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum at the state fairgrounds

Rupert Peyton (1899–1982), former state representative from Caddo Parish; Bossier Parish native who attended Plain Dealing High School

Leon Sanders, Jr. (1913–2004), mayor of Plain Dealing from September 16, 1958—December 31, 1998. He worked for the completion of dams and lakes and the new city hall, constructed without additional taxation. Sanders owned and operated Sanders Department Store, which burned in 1999, causing the loss of valuable papers and irreplaceable items. Sanders' sister, Eloise S. Watkins (1910–1985), was a home economics teacher at Minden High School in neighboring Webster Parish.^[3]

Wilburn Snyder (1923–2008), a Baptist minister in the Houston area and a survivor of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines, was born in Plain Dealing.^[4]

A.P. Tugwell (1889–1976), born in Plain Dealing, was the longest-serving Louisiana state treasurer.

Joseph David "Joe" Waggonner, Jr. (1918–2007), a former U.S. Representative, was born in Plain Dealing and interred at Plain Dealing Cemetery.

Willie E. Waggonner (1905–1976), former Bossier Parish sheriff

Bill Wilson (1922–2006), United States Air Force flight instructor during World War II. Farmer and used car dealer.

Gallery [edit]

Plain Dealing corporate limits sign.
Downtown Plain Dealing.
Gazebo in downtown Plain Dealing.
First Baptist Church of Plain Dealing.
First United Methodist Church of Plain Dealing.
The Plain Dealing Cemetery contains the graves of former U.S. Representative Joe D. Waggonner and Waggonner's older brother, former Bossier Parish Sheriff Willie E. Waggonner.