DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
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DeSoto Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Parish of DeSoto | |
.jpg) DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
 Louisiana's location within the U.S. | |
| Region | North Louisiana |
| Founded | 1843 |
| Named for | settler, Marcel DeSoto |
| Parish seat | Mansfield |
| Largest municipality | Stonewall (area) Mansfield (population) |
| Area | |
| Population (2020) | |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 318 |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | DeSoto Parish Government |
DeSoto Parish (; 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
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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. | %± | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 8,023 | — | |
| 1860 | 13,298 | % | |
| 1870 | 14,962 | % | |
| 1880 | 15,603 | % | |
| 1890 | 19,860 | % | |
| 1900 | 25,063 | % | |
| 1910 | 27,689 | % | |
| 1920 | 29,376 | % | |
| 1930 | 31,016 | % | |
| 1940 | 31,803 | % | |
| 1950 | 24,398 | % | |
| 1960 | 24,248 | % | |
| 1970 | 22,764 | % | |
| 1980 | 25,727 | % | |
| 1990 | 25,346 | % | |
| 2000 | 25,494 | % | |
| 2010 | 26,656 | % | |
| 2020 | 26,812 | % | |
| 2021 (est.) | 26,919 | [2] | % |
| 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]
See also[edit]
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References[edit]
- ↑ "DeSoto Parish". www.sfasu.edu. Center for Regional Heritage Research. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "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.
- ↑
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "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.
- ↑
- ↑ "C. O. Simpkins, Sr.: Civil Rights Champion". cosimpkins.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
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.