DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
DeSoto Parish, Louisiana | |
---|---|
Parish of DeSoto | |
![]() DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield | |
![]() Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
![]() Louisiana's location within the U.S. | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
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 | 12/km2 (30/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Area code | 318 |
Congressional district | 4th |
Website | DeSoto Parish Government |
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.[1] At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 26,812.[2] Its parish seat is Mansfield.[3] DeSoto Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area.
History
[edit]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.[4] 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.[5] 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."[6]
Geography
[edit]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.[7]
Major highways
[edit]Interstate 49
Future Interstate 69
U.S. Highway 84
U.S. Highway 171
U.S. Highway 371
Louisiana Highway 5
Adjacent parishes
[edit]- Caddo Parish (north)
- Red River Parish (east)
- Natchitoches Parish (southeast)
- Sabine Parish (south)
- Shelby County, Texas (southwest)
- Panola County, Texas (west)
National protected area
[edit]Communities
[edit]City
[edit]- Mansfield (parish seat and largest municipality)
Towns
[edit]Villages
[edit]Unincorporated areas
[edit]Census-designated places
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]Former communities
[edit]Demographics
[edit]Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
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 | [2] | 0.4% |
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010[12] |
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,[14] 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.[15]
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,[14] and the average household size was 2.50.[2]
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
[edit]Public schools in DeSoto Parish are operated by the DeSoto Parish School Board. It is in the service area of Bossier Parish Community College.[16]
Notable people
[edit]- 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[17]
- 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[18]
- O.C. Smith (1932–2001), singer
Politics
[edit]Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 9,112 | 61.83% | 5,457 | 37.03% | 167 | 1.13% |
2016 | 8,068 | 59.76% | 5,165 | 38.26% | 267 | 1.98% |
2012 | 7,353 | 56.34% | 5,553 | 42.55% | 145 | 1.11% |
2008 | 6,883 | 56.16% | 5,242 | 42.77% | 132 | 1.08% |
2004 | 6,211 | 54.79% | 5,026 | 44.34% | 99 | 0.87% |
2000 | 5,260 | 49.64% | 5,036 | 47.53% | 300 | 2.83% |
1996 | 3,526 | 33.52% | 6,221 | 59.13% | 773 | 7.35% |
1992 | 3,643 | 33.06% | 5,671 | 51.46% | 1,707 | 15.49% |
1988 | 5,022 | 47.76% | 5,366 | 51.03% | 128 | 1.22% |
1984 | 5,989 | 55.77% | 4,642 | 43.23% | 108 | 1.01% |
1980 | 4,349 | 42.11% | 5,861 | 56.75% | 117 | 1.13% |
1976 | 3,601 | 43.14% | 4,630 | 55.46% | 117 | 1.40% |
1972 | 4,017 | 56.16% | 2,596 | 36.29% | 540 | 7.55% |
1968 | 974 | 11.37% | 3,400 | 39.70% | 4,190 | 48.93% |
1964 | 3,954 | 75.92% | 1,254 | 24.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 1,603 | 36.11% | 1,183 | 26.65% | 1,653 | 37.24% |
1956 | 2,011 | 53.33% | 1,206 | 31.98% | 554 | 14.69% |
1952 | 2,303 | 57.85% | 1,678 | 42.15% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 270 | 9.72% | 617 | 22.21% | 1,891 | 68.07% |
1944 | 538 | 22.45% | 1,858 | 77.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 211 | 6.84% | 2,872 | 93.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 93 | 3.83% | 2,337 | 96.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 87 | 3.47% | 2,416 | 96.45% | 2 | 0.08% |
1928 | 517 | 26.32% | 1,445 | 73.57% | 2 | 0.10% |
1924 | 118 | 9.25% | 1,146 | 89.88% | 11 | 0.86% |
1920 | 56 | 4.39% | 1,219 | 95.61% | 0 | 0.00% |
1916 | 17 | 1.52% | 1,104 | 98.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
1912 | 11 | 1.20% | 815 | 88.68% | 93 | 10.12% |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "DeSoto Parish". www.sfasu.edu. Center for Regional Heritage Research. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ^ a b c "QuickFacts: DeSoto Parish, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 105.
- ^ Means, Emilia Gay Griffith, and Liz Chrysler. DeSoto Parish. Arcadia Publishing, 2011, p. 8.
- ^ "DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court – Honorable Jeremy M. Evans". www.desotoparishclerk.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "Geography Profile: DeSoto Parish, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ "2019 Demographic and Housing Estimates". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Funeral for Pike Hall at 11 A.M. Today – Prominent Attorney, Civic Leader Succumbs After Brief Illness". The Shreveport Times. December 17, 1945. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
- ^ "C. O. Simpkins, Sr.: Civil Rights Champion". cosimpkins.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
Further reading
[edit]- De Vries, Mark Leon, “Between Equal Justice and Racial Terror: Freedpeople and the District Court of DeSoto Parish during Reconstruction,” Louisiana History, 56 (Summer 2015), 261–93.
- Water Resources of De Soto Parish, Louisiana United States Geological Survey
External links
[edit]- The American Cyclopædia. 1879. .