Richland Parish, Louisiana

Richland Parish
Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°25′N 91°46′W
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	September 29, 1868
Named for	Rich fertile land
Seat	Rayville
Largest city	Rayville
Area
• Total	565 sq mi (1,462 km2)
• Land	558 sq mi (1,446 km2)
• Water	6 sq mi (16 km2)  1.07%
Population  (2000)
• Total	20,981
• Density	38/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)

Richland Parish (French: Paroisse de Richland) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Rayville. As of 2000, the population was 20,981.

History

Richland Parish is home to the first parish-wide public library in the State of Louisiana. The library was built in 1925. The Lambda Kappa Club of Rayville established the library. R.R. Rhymes donated the original building in memory of his wife, Nonnie Roark Rhymes. In 2008, Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Bibb Ingram, a granddaughter to Nonnie Rhymes, as a member of the Louisiana State Library Board.

Geography

The parish has a total area of 565 square miles (1,462 km²), of which, 558 square miles (1,446 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (16 km²) of it (1.07%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 20
• U.S. Highway 80
• Louisiana Highway 15
• Louisiana Highway 17

Adjacent parishes

• Morehouse Parish (north)
• West Carroll Parish & East Carroll Parish (northeast)
• Madison Parish (east)
• Franklin Parish (southeast)
• Caldwell Parish (southwest)
• Ouachita Parish (west)

Demographics

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	11,116		—
1910	15,769		41.9%
1920	20,860		32.3%
1930	26,374		26.4%
1940	28,829		9.3%
1950	26,672		−7.5%
1960	23,824		−10.7%
1970	21,774		−8.6%
1980	22,187		1.9%
1990	20,629		−7.0%
2000	20,981		1.7%
2006 (est.)	20,554
Richland Parish Census Data

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 20,981 people, 7,490 households, and 5,482 families residing in the parish. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 8,335 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 60.96% White, 38.01% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 1.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,490 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.20% were married couples living together, 18.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the parish the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.30 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $23,668, and the median income for a family was $29,075. Males had a median income of $28,471 versus $18,587 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $12,479. About 23.10% of families and 27.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.50% of those under age 18 and 20.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Map of Richland Parish, Louisiana With Municipal Labels

• Delhi
• Mangham
• Rayville
• Start

Education

Public schools in Richland Parish are operated by the Richland Parish School Board.

Notable natives and residents

• Elvin Hayes, a basketball player was born in Rayville.
• Ernie Ladd, football player/professional wrestler was born in Rayville.
• Francis C. Thompson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1975 until 2008.
• Keith Munyan, Jr., the son of Coach Munyan and the former Lucille Carter, is a commercial photographer in North Hollywood.
• Keith Owen "Moose" Munyan, Sr., was a particularly successful football coach at Mangham High School from 1963-1989.
• Tim McGraw, country music superstar, was born in Richland Parish.
• Robert Max Ross (1933-2009), Louisiana politician

Gene Stewart "The Country Rebel", www.thecoutnryrebel.com singer/songwriter i.e. It's Not Much But It's Home". Former Postmaster of Rayville, LA and Real Estate Broker.