Parish in Louisiana, United States
| DeSoto Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Parish | |
| Parish of DeSoto | |
.jpg) DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
 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 km (895 sq mi) |
| • Land | 2,270 km (876 sq mi) |
| • Water | 50 km (19 sq mi) |
| • percentage | 5 km (2.1 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 26,812 |
| • Density | 12/km (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. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 26,812. Its parish seat and most populous municipality is Mansfield. DeSoto Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier 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 km), of which 876 square miles (2,270 km) is land and 19 square miles (49 km) (2.1%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 49
Future Interstate 69
U.S. Highway 84
U.S. Highway 171
U.S. Highway 371
Louisiana Highway 5
Louisiana Highway 191
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Adjacent parishes
- Caddo Parish (north)
- Red River Parish (east)
- Natchitoches Parish (southeast)
- Sabine Parish (south)
- Shelby County, Texas (southwest)
- Panola County, Texas (west)
National protected area
Communities
City
- Mansfield (parish seat and largest municipality)
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated areas
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Former communities
Demographics
| 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 | 0.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010 | |||
| 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
Politics
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 9,359 | 67.27% | 4,426 | 31.81% | 128 | 0.92% |
| 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
References
- "DeSoto Parish". www.sfasu.edu. Center for Regional Heritage Research. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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
- 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
| Places adjacent to DeSoto Parish, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||
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DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
| Municipalities and communities of DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Parish seat: Mansfield | ||
| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
32°04′N 93°44′W / 32.06°N 93.74°W / 32.06; -93.74
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