- De Soto Parish, Louisiana
Infobox U.S. County
county = De Soto Parish
state = Louisiana
founded year = 1843
founded date =
seat wl = Mansfield
largest city wl = Mansfield
area_total_sq_mi = 894
area_total_km2 = 2317
area_land_sq_mi = 877
area_land_km2 = 2272
area_water_sq_mi = 17
area_water_km2 = 45
area percentage = 1.93%
census yr = 2000
pop = 25494
density_sq_mi = 29
density_km2 = 11
time zone = Central
UTC offset = -6
DST offset = -5
footnotes =
web =
named for = Spanish explorer Hernando de SotoDe Soto Parish is a
parish located in theU.S. state ofLouisiana . Its seat is Mansfield. In the 2000census , the parish population was 25,494.De Soto Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Shreveport–Bossier City–Minden Combined Statistical Area.
History
The parish is named for Hernando de Soto, the
Spaniard who explored the future southeasternUnited States and discovered and named theMississippi River .Geography
The parish has a total area of 894
square mile s (2,317km² ), of which, 877 square miles (2,272 km²) of it is land and 17 square miles (45 km²) of it (1.93%) is water.Major highways
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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 *
Red River National Wildlife Refuge (part)Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 25,494 people, 9,691 households, and 6,967 families residing in the parish. Thepopulation density was 29 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 11,204 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 55.97% White, 42.16% Black or African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.USCensusPop
title=
1790=
1800=
1810=
1820=
1830=
1840=
1850=
1860=
1870=
1880=
1890=
1900= 25063
1910= 27689
1920= 29376
1930= 31016
1940= 31803
1950= 24398
1960= 24248
1970= 22764
1980= 25727
1990= 25346
2000= 25494
estimate= 26390
estyear= 2006
estref= [cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22031.html|title=De Soto Parish Quickfacts|author=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2008-02-02]
footnote=De Soto Parish Census Data [cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/la190090.txt|title=Louisiana Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|author=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2008-02-02] There were 9,691 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were married couples living together, 18.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.In the parish the population was spread out with 28.40% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.00 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $28,252, and the median income for a family was $33,196. Males had a median income of $30,780 versus $20,182 for females. The
per capita income for the parish was $13,606. About 21.00% of families and 25.10% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 33.80% of those under age 18 and 24.90% of those age 65 or over.Communities
Cities and towns
Unincorporated areas
Notable natives and residents
*Dennis Freeman (1940-2007), mayor of Logansport from 1984-2007.
*Richard Burford (born 1946), incoming Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 7 (De Soto and Caddo parishes
*Sammy Joe Odom (1941-2001), professionalAmerican football player and secretary-treasurer of the De Soto Parish Police Jury, the parish governing body
*Vida Blue (born 1949), professionalbaseball playeree also
References
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