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DeSoto Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

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DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
Parish of DeSoto
DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield
DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield
Flag of DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Louisiana
Region North Louisiana
Founded 1843
Named for settler, Marcel DeSoto
Parish seat Mansfield
Largest municipality Stonewall (area)
Mansfield (population)
Area
 • Total 2,320 km2 (895 sq mi)
 • Land 2,270 km2 (876 sq mi)
 • Water 50 km2 (19 sq mi)
 • percentage 5 km2 (2.1 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 26,812
 • Density 11.567/km2 (29.958/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code 318
Congressional district 4th

DeSoto Parish (Spanish: Parroquia de DeSoto; French: Paroisse DeSoto) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1843. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 26,812. Its parish seat is Mansfield. DeSoto Parish is part of the ShreveportBossier City metropolitan statistical area.

History

It is a typical misconception that the parish was named after Hernando de Soto, the Spaniard who explored the future southeastern United States and discovered and named the Mississippi River. The parish was in fact named after the unrelated Marcel DeSoto, who led the first group of European settlers there, to a settlement historically known as Bayou Pierre. The parish's name is also commonly misspelled following the explorer's name as "De Soto Parish," but it is properly spelled following the settler's name as "DeSoto Parish."

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 895 square miles (2,320 km2), of which 876 square miles (2,270 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (2.1%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent parishes

National protected area

  • Red River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities

Map of De Soto Parish Louisiana With Municipal Labels
Map of DeSoto Parish, with municipal labels

City

  • Mansfield (parish seat and largest municipality)

Towns

Villages

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

  • Oxford

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 8,023
1860 13,298 65.7%
1870 14,962 12.5%
1880 15,603 4.3%
1890 19,860 27.3%
1900 25,063 26.2%
1910 27,689 10.5%
1920 29,376 6.1%
1930 31,016 5.6%
1940 31,803 2.5%
1950 24,398 −23.3%
1960 24,248 −0.6%
1970 22,764 −6.1%
1980 25,727 13.0%
1990 25,346 −1.5%
2000 25,494 0.6%
2010 26,656 4.6%
2020 26,812 0.6%
2021 (est.) 26,919 1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010
DeSoto Parish racial composition as of 2020
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 15,122 56.4%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 9,586 35.75%
Native American 242 0.9%
Asian 99 0.37%
Pacific Islander 12 0.05%
Other/Mixed 1,001 3.73%
Hispanic or Latino 762 2.84%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 26,812 people, 10,821 households, and 7,254 families residing in the parish. At the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 10,821 households.

In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 58.8% non-Hispanic or Latino white, 35.3% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, <0.0% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.1% some other race, 1.9% two or more races, and 2.9% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.

There were 10,821 households at the 2019 census estimates, and the home-ownership rate was 71.3%. Of the 7,716 owner-occupied units, 3,917 were married couples living together, 365 male households with no female present, and 896 female households with no male present. There was a 17.1% vacancy rate in the parish. The average family size was 3.07, and the average household size was 2.50.

In the parish, 75.5% were aged 18 and older, and 17.2% were aged 65 and older; the median age was 39.3, and 6.5% were aged 5 and under. Approximately 0.8% of the population were foreign-born, and 2.1% spoke a language other than English at home.

The median income for a household in the parish was $46,006; families had a median income of $56,323, married couples had a median income of $78,090, and non-family households had a median income of $25,314. An estimated 22% of the parish lived at or below the poverty line, and 30.6% of people aged under 18 were at or below the poverty line.

Education

Public schools in DeSoto Parish are operated by the DeSoto Parish School Board. It is in the service area of Bossier Parish Community College.

Notable people

  • Larry Bagley (born 1949), incoming Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Caddo, Desoto, and Sabine parishes
  • Terry Bradshaw (born 1948), Hall of Fame professional football player, sportscaster, singer, and actor
  • Richard Burford (born 1946), current Louisiana state representative
  • Vida Blue (born 1949–2023), professional baseball player
  • C.L. Bryant (born 1956), Baptist minister and radio talk show host
  • Riemer Calhoun (1909–1994), state senator from 1944 to 1952 for DeSoto and Caddo parishes
  • Joe T. Cawthorn (1911–1967), state senator from 1940 to 1944 for DeSoto and Caddo parishes
  • Sherri Smith Cheek Buffington (born 1966), Louisiana State Senator
  • Joe Henry Cooper (1920–1980), Louisiana state representative
  • Kenny Ray Cox (born 1957), Louisiana state representative and former United States Army officer
  • Milton Joseph Cunningham (1842–1916), Natchitoches and New Orleans lawyer, state senator from Natchitoches and DeSoto parishes from 1880 to 1884; state attorney general for three nonconsecutive terms ending in 1900, born in what became DeSoto Parish
  • George Dement (1922–2014), mayor of Bossier City
  • Joseph Barton Elam (1821–1885), United States Representative from Louisiana's 4th congressional district
  • William Pike Hall, Sr. (1896–1945), state senator for Caddo and DeSoto parishes, 1924–1932, Shreveport attorney
  • John Spencer Hardy (1913–2012), United States Air Force lieutenant general
  • Albert Lewis (1960-), professional football player
  • Curtis W. McCoy, mayor of Mansfield
  • Garnie W. McGinty (1900–1984), historian at Louisiana Tech University and school principal
  • Mack Charles Reynolds (1935–1991), professional football player
  • B. H. "Johnny" Rogers (1905–1977), politician
  • C. O. Simpkins, Sr. (1925–2019 from Mansfield), African-American state representative, dentist, and civil rights activist in Shreveport
  • O.C. Smith (1932–2001), singer

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Parroquia de De Soto para niños

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