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Union Parish, Louisiana
Parish of Union
Union Parish Courthouse in Farmerville
Union Parish Courthouse in Farmerville
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 March 13, 1839
Named for Union of American states
Parish seat (and largest town) Farmerville
Area
 • Total 2,340 km2 (905 sq mi)
 • Land 2,270 km2 (877 sq mi)
 • Water 70 km2 (28 sq mi)
 • percentage 7.9 km2 (3.06 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 21,107
 • Density 9.005/km2 (23.323/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code 318
Congressional district 4th
Lake D'Arbonne west of Farmerville IMG 3865
Lake D'Arbonne west of Farmerville.
Union General Hospital in Farmerville IMG 3864
Union General Hospital in Farmerville.

Union Parish (French: Paroisse de l'Union) is a parish located in the north central section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,107. The parish seat is Farmerville. The parish was created on March 13, 1839, from a section of Ouachita Parish. Its boundaries have changed four times since then (in 1845, 1846, 1867, and 1873, respectively).

Union Parish is part of the Monroe, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 905 square miles (2,340 km2), of which 877 square miles (2,270 km2) is land and 28 square miles (73 km2) (3.1%) is water.

Geographically north central Louisiana, Union Parish more closely resembles Lincoln Parish, to which Union is deeply tied culturally, politically, and educationally. Union Parish, along with Lincoln Parish to the southwest and Union County, Arkansas to the north, form the eastern boundary of the Ark-La-Tex region.

Major highways

  • US 63.svg U.S. Highway 63
  • US 167.svg U.S. Highway 167
  • Louisiana 2 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 2
  • Louisiana 15 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 15
  • Louisiana 33 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 33

Adjacent parishes and counties

National protected areas

Communities

Towns

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 1,838
1850 8,203 346.3%
1860 10,389 26.6%
1870 11,685 12.5%
1880 13,526 15.8%
1890 17,304 27.9%
1900 18,520 7.0%
1910 20,451 10.4%
1920 19,621 −4.1%
1930 20,731 5.7%
1940 20,943 1.0%
1950 19,141 −8.6%
1960 17,624 −7.9%
1970 18,447 4.7%
1980 21,167 14.7%
1990 20,690 −2.3%
2000 22,803 10.2%
2010 22,721 −0.4%
2020 21,107 −7.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010
Union Parish racial composition as of 2020
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 14,289 67.7%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 4,980 23.59%
Native American 59 0.28%
Asian 38 0.18%
Pacific Islander 6 0.03%
Other/Mixed 600 2.84%
Hispanic or Latino 1,135 5.38%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,107 people, 7,582 households, and 4,899 families residing in the parish.

School

Residents are assigned to Union Parish Public Schools.

Law enforcement

Union Parish Sheriff's Office
New Union Parish Sheriff's Office Logo.png
Abbreviation UPSO
Motto Service Before Self
Agency overview
Formed 1839
Jurisdictional structure
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Farmerville, Louisiana
Agency executive
Website
http://www.unionsheriff.com/

The Union Parish Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency of Union Parish, Louisiana. It is headquartered in Farmerville. The current Sheriff of Union Parish is Dusty Gates, who was first sworn as the sheriff following long time Sheriff Bob Buckley's death in September 2013.

Border monument

In 1931, a monument was erected at the Union Parish border with Union County, Arkansas. In 1975, State Representative Louise B. Johnson passed a law to refurbish the monument. The completed restoration was unveiled in 2009.

Notable people

Two Louisiana governors came from the Shiloh Community in Union Parish:

  • William Wright Heard, 1900–1904
  • Ruffin Pleasant, 1916-1920

Two Arkansas governors were natives of Union Parish:

  • George Washington Donaghey, Governor of Arkansas from 1909 to 1913
  • Tom Jefferson Terral, Governor of Arkansas from 1925 to 1927

Other Union Parish residents have included:

  • Lonnie O. Aulds, state representative from 1968 to 1972
  • George Washington Bolton (1841-1931), state representative from 1888 to 1896 from Alexandria
  • Jay McCallum - Chief Judge of the Louisiana 3rd Judicial District Court
  • B. R. Patton, state senator
  • Robert Roberts Jr. state representative and state district judge
  • James Peyton Smith, state representative
  • Lee Emmett Thomas, Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representative

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Parroquia de Union para niños

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