Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
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| Parish of Natchitoches | |||
Natchitoches Parish Courthouse (completed 1939 as a WPA project)
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Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
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Louisiana's location within the U.S.
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Louisiana |
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| Region | Central Louisiana | ||
| Founded | April 10, 1805 | ||
| Named for | Natchitoches people | ||
| Parish seat | Natchitoches | ||
| Largest municipality | Ashland (area) Natchitoches (population) |
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 3,360 km2 (1,299 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 3,240 km2 (1,252 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 120 km2 (47 sq mi) | ||
| • percentage | 9 km2 (3.6 sq mi) | ||
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 39,566 | ||
| • Estimate
(2018)
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38,659 | ||
| • Rank | LA: 30th | ||
| • Density | 11.760/km2 (30.459/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) | ||
| Area code | 318 | ||
| Congressional district | 4th | ||
Natchitoches Parish (French: Paroisse des Natchitoches or Les Natchitoches) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,566. The parish seat is Natchitoches. The parish was formed in 1805.
The Natchitoches, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Natchitoches Parish. This is the heart of the Cane River Louisiana Creole community, free people of color of mixed-race descent who settled here in the antebellum period. Their descendants continue to be Catholic and many are still French-speaking. The Cane River National Heritage Area includes the parish. Among the numerous significant historic sites in the parish is the St. Augustine Parish (Isle Brevelle) Church, a destination on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail, founded in 2008.
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 is also on the Heritage Trail.
Contents
History
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. The parish boundaries were much larger than now defined, but were gradually reduced as new parishes were organized to keep up with population increases in the state. Caddo, Claiborne, Bossier, Webster, DeSoto, Bienville, Jackson, Sabine, Red River, Winn, and Grant parishes were eventually formed from Natchitoches' enormous territory. Natchitoches Parish has fifteen border revisions, making it second only to Ouachita parish in number of boundary revisions.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 1,299 square miles (3,360 km2), of which 1,252 square miles (3,240 km2) is land and 47 square miles (120 km2) (3.6%) is water. It is the fourth-largest parish by land area in Louisiana. The primary groundwater resources of Natchitoches Parish, from near surface to deepest, include the Red River alluvial, upland terrace, Sparta, and Carrizo-Wilcox aquifers.
Adjacent parishes
- Bienville Parish (north)
- Winn Parish (northeast)
- Grant Parish (east)
- Rapides Parish (southeast)
- Vernon Parish (south)
- Sabine Parish (west)
- De Soto Parish (northwest)
- Red River Parish (northwest)
Major highways
Interstate 49
U.S. Highway 71
U.S. Highway 84
Louisiana Highway 1
Louisiana Highway 6
Louisiana Highway 9
Louisiana Highway 117
Louisiana Highway 119
Louisiana Highway 126
Louisiana Highway 153
Louisiana Highway 155
Louisiana Highway 156
Louisiana Highway 174
Louisiana Highway 480
Louisiana Highway 485
Louisiana Highway 486
Louisiana Highway 494
Louisiana Highway 1226
Louisiana Highway 3163
National protected areas
| Name |
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| Cane River Creole National Historical Park |
| Kisatchie National Forest (part) |
| Red River National Wildlife Refuge (part) |
| Saline Bayou |
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1820 | 7,486 | — | |
| 1830 | 7,905 | 5.6% | |
| 1840 | 14,350 | 81.5% | |
| 1850 | 14,228 | −0.9% | |
| 1860 | 16,699 | 17.4% | |
| 1870 | 18,265 | 9.4% | |
| 1880 | 19,707 | 7.9% | |
| 1890 | 25,836 | 31.1% | |
| 1900 | 33,216 | 28.6% | |
| 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% | |
| 2010 | 39,566 | 1.2% | |
| 2018 (est.) | 38,659 | −2.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 18,898 | 50.37% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 14,857 | 39.6% |
| Native American | 284 | 0.76% |
| Asian | 166 | 0.44% |
| Pacific Islander | 19 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,801 | 4.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,490 | 3.97% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 37,515 people, 14,659 households, and 7,538 families residing in the parish.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 39,566 people living in the parish. 54.3% were White, 41.4% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.9% of some other race and 2.1% of two or more races. 1.9% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
National Guard
A Troop 2-108TH CAV is headquartered 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.
Communities
City
- Natchitoches (parish seat)
Town
Villages
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
District
- Natchitoches Parish District 1
- Natchitoches Parish District 2
- Natchitoches Parish District 3
- Natchitoches Parish District 4
- Natchitoches Parish District 7
- Natchitoches Parish District 8
- Natchitoches Parish District 9
- Natchitoches Parish District 10
- Natchitoches Parish District 11
Prison
County
| Name | Address | Zip | Aged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natchitoches Parish Detention Center | 299 Edwina Dr, Natchitoches, Louisiana | 71457 | 16+ |
Education
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.
It is in the service area of Bossier Parish Community College.
Notable people
- 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
- Curtis Boozman (1898-1979), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Natchitoches (two terms: 1952–1956 and 1960–1964).
- Leopold Caspari (1830-1915), merchant in Cloutierville from 1849 to 1858 and thereafter businessman and banker in Natchitoches. He served nonconsecutively in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature between 1884 and 1914.
- Monnie T. Cheves (1902-1988), Northwestern State University professor; member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1952 to 1960
- Charles Milton Cunningham (1877-1936), educator, lawyer, police juror, state senator, editor of The Natchitoches Times
- William Tharp Cunningham (1871-1952), planter, lawyer, judge of the 11th Judicial District in Natchitoches and Red River parishes, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1908 to 1912, born in Natchitoches Parish in 1871
- Numa T. Delouche (1888-1965), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Cloutierville from 1944 to 1948, served alongside Sylvan Friedman of Natchez, Louisiana.
- Caroline Dormon (1888–1971), naturalist, botanist, and preservationist; born and lived on her family estate of Briarwood in Natchitoches Parish.
- Abraham Dowden, Democratic political figure.
- Brothers J. Isaac Friedman (1877-1949) and Leon Friedman (1886-1948) served in the Louisiana House from 1908 to 1916 and 1932 to 1940, respectively. Isaac Friedman also completed two years of a term in the state senate (1922 to 1924), following the resignation of Charles Milton Cunningham. Their nephew, Sylvan Friedman was a member of both houses of the state legislature, serving in the House from 1944 to 1952, and the state senate from 1952 to 1972. The Friedmans came from a large Jewish landholding family in Natchez, Louisiana.
- Thomas Gilcrease (1890–1962), born in Robeline. He moved as a child with his parents in 1899 to the community of Wealaka in the Creek Nation in Indian Territory, now eastern Oklahoma. Later an oilman and an art collector, he founded the Gilcrease Museum, which he later donated to Tulsa.
- Lloyd Hendrick (1908-1951), member of the state senate for DeSoto and Caddo parishes, 1940 to 1948; born in Natchitoches Parish.
- 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.
- Bob Reese (1929-2004), co-chairman of the Natchitoches Parish Republican Executive Committee, 1968–2004.
- Roy Sanders (1904-1976), educator who served from Natchitoches Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948 to 1952
- Ray Tarver (1921-1972), dentist from Natchitoches who represented Natchitoches Parish in the Louisiana House from 1964 to 1968; reared in Hagewood community in Natchitoches Parish
Images for kids
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Natchitoches Regional Medical Center in Natchitoches
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Exchange Bank in Natchitoches is the tallest building in Downtown Natchitoches
See also
In Spanish: Parroquia de Natchitoches para niños
