Concordia Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Concordia Parish, Louisiana
Parish
Parish of Concordia
Old Concordia Parish Courthouse in Vidalia
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Region	Central
Founded	1807
Named for	Possibly a land grant, New Concordia
Parish seat (and largest city)	Vidalia
Area
• Total	1,930 km² (747 sq mi)
• Land	1,810 km² (697 sq mi)
• Water	100 km² (50 sq mi)
• percentage	17 km² (6.7 sq mi)
Population (2020)
• Total	18,687
• Density	9.659/km² (25.016/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	318
Congressional district	5th

Concordia Parish (Spanish: Parroquia de la Concordia; French: Paroisse de Concordia) is a special type of county called a parish in eastern central Louisiana. It is located right along the famous Mississippi River.

In 2020, about 18,687 people lived here. The main town and government center is Vidalia. Concordia Parish was officially created in 1807. It is part of the Natchez, MS–LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which means it's a smaller city area connected to Natchez.

Historically, this area was known for growing a lot of cotton on large farms called plantations. This was different from southern Louisiana, where sugar cane was the main crop. Other nearby parishes like East and West Carroll, Madison, and Tensas also grew cotton.

History of Concordia Parish

Concordia Parish has a long and interesting history, going back thousands of years.

Ancient Native American Cultures

For many thousands of years, different groups of Native American people lived in Concordia Parish. They built villages and large earth mounds. Some of these ancient cultures include the Marksville culture, Troyville culture, Coles Creek culture, and Plaquemine culture. You can still see some of their amazing mound sites today, like Cypress Grove Mound, DePrato Mounds, Frogmore Mound Site, and Lamarque Landing Mound.

When the first French explorers and settlers arrived, they met historic Native American tribes living in the area.

How Concordia Got Its Name

The name "Concordia" comes from a Latin word meaning "harmony." Anglo-American settlers, who came after the United States bought this land from France in 1803 (called the Louisiana Purchase), chose this name.

In 1789, a man named Don Jose Vidal, who lived in Natchez, Mississippi, asked for land grants. He wanted to move his family across the Mississippi River to the Louisiana side. In Natchez, there was a large house called Concord (Natchez, Mississippi), where Spanish governors used to live. Vidal moved his family to the Louisiana side after the U.S. took control of the area.

The name "Concord" from that mansion likely inspired the name "Concordia Parish." In 1804, a special ceremony was held. People from Natchez crossed the Mississippi River to celebrate the new land. The original Concord Mansion later burned down in 1901. The Natchez people, a Native American tribe, also lived on both sides of the river.

Early Development and Cotton Farming

Concordia County was officially created on December 2, 1804. It was much larger back then, including parts of what are now East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas parishes. The land between the Mississippi, Red, Black, and Tensaw rivers made up this early area.

The soil in Concordia Parish was very fertile, perfect for growing cotton. This led to the creation of many large cotton plantations. To make these plantations profitable, a very large number of enslaved African Americans were forced to work there. By 1860, about 91% of the people in Concordia Parish were enslaved. This was the highest percentage in any Louisiana parish. Only two counties in Mississippi had a higher percentage of enslaved people.

Geography of Concordia Parish

The Frogmore Mound Site is located near Ferriday.

The Concordia Parish Library in Vidalia.

The Vidalia Senior Center helps older adults in the community.

Concordia Parish covers about 747 square miles. Most of this (697 square miles) is land, and about 50 square miles (6.7%) is water.

The entire parish is made up of rich, flat bottomlands, which are great for farming. The Ouachita River forms the western border, the Red River is to the south, and the mighty Mississippi River is to the east. Large levee systems are built along these rivers to protect the land from floods.

Main Roads

U.S. Highway 65
U.S. Highway 84
U.S. Highway 425
Louisiana Highway 15
Louisiana Highway 566

Neighboring Areas

Concordia Parish shares borders with several other parishes and counties:

Protected Natural Areas

Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge
Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area

Population Facts

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	2,626	—
1830	4,662	77.5%
1840	9,414	101.9%
1850	7,758	−17.6%
1860	13,805	77.9%
1870	9,977	−27.7%
1880	14,914	49.5%
1890	14,871	−0.3%
1900	13,559	−8.8%
1910	14,278	5.3%
1920	12,466	−12.7%
1930	12,778	2.5%
1940	14,562	14.0%
1950	14,398	−1.1%
1960	20,467	42.2%
1970	22,578	10.3%
1980	22,981	1.8%
1990	20,828	−9.4%
2000	20,247	−2.8%
2010	20,822	2.8%
2020	18,687	−10.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010

The population of Concordia Parish has changed over the years. In 2020, there were 18,687 people living there. These people lived in 7,162 households, and 4,562 of those were families.

The population is made up of different groups:

White (non-Hispanic): 54.35%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic): 40.01%
Native American: 0.21%
Asian: 0.62%
Other/Mixed races: 2.35%
Hispanic or Latino: 2.46%

Education and Libraries

The Concordia Parish School Board manages the public schools in the parish.

Concordia Parish Library System

The Concordia Parish Library system has three branches and a special bookmobile service. This service brings books and other materials to people all over the parish.

Ferriday Branch - 1609 Third Street, Ferriday, LA
Vidalia Branch - 408 Texas Street, Vidalia, LA
Clayton Branch - 31451 HWY-15 Clayton, LA

Library History

The Concordia Parish Library is very old, being the second oldest parish library in Louisiana. It was also the first one to be supported by taxes. The idea for the library started with a community leader and the State Librarian, Essae Martha Culver, in 1928. Local clubs, the Police Jury (the parish's governing body), and the public worked together. The Concordia Parish Demonstration Library opened in October 1928. People in the parish saw how helpful the library was and voted to have a tax to keep it running. In 1952, the main library moved to its current building in Ferriday, Louisiana.

Getting a Library Card

If you live in Concordia Parish, you can get a library card for free!

Library Card: This card lets you borrow books and other physical items. You can also use online services. You need two forms of ID that show you live in the parish, plus a photo ID.
Online Registration: This card gives you access to Wi-Fi, public computers, and online resources like e-books and databases.

Military Presence

The 1086th Transportation Company is part of the National Guard. It is based in Vidalia, Louisiana, on the west side of the Mississippi River.

Communities in Concordia Parish

Concordia Parish has several towns and communities.

Cities and Towns

Vidalia (This is the main town and the largest one.)
Ferriday
Clayton
Ridgecrest

Map of Concordia Parish, showing its towns and communities.

Smaller Communities

These are areas where people live, but they are not officially organized as cities or towns:

Minorca
Monterey
Spokane
Acme
Ashland
Black Hawk
Dunbarton
Eva
Fairview
Frogmore
Mayna
New Era
West Ferriday

Famous People from Concordia Parish

Many notable people have come from Concordia Parish:

Arts and Entertainment

Jerry Lee Lewis, a famous musician
Jimmy Swaggart, a well-known televangelist
Mickey Gilley, another popular musician

Journalism

Campbell Brown, an Emmy-award-winning journalist and former CNN anchor.
Howard K. Smith, a respected commentator for ABC and CBS news.