Lake Providence, Louisiana

Geobox Town
name = Town of Lake Providence
native_name =
other_name =
other_name1 =
category = Town


image_size =
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flag_size =
symbol =
symbol_size =
symbol_type =
nickname =
motto =
country = United States
state = Louisiana
region = East Carroll
region_type = Parish
area_imperial = 3.6
area_land_imperial = 3.6
area_water_imperial = 0.0
area_water_percentage = auto
area_percentage_round = 2
area_round = 1
location =
lat_d = 32
lat_m = 48
lat_s = 19
lat_NS = N
long_d = 91
long_m = 10
long_s = 46
long_EW = W
elevation_imperial = 105
elevation_round = 1
population_as_of = 2000
population = 5104
population_density_imperial = 1418.8
population_density_round = 1
government =
established_type =
established =
leader =
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code =
postal_code_type =
area_code = 318
area_code_type =
code2_type =
code2 =
free_type =
free =
free1_type =
free1 =


map_size =
map_caption = Location of Lake Providence in Louisiana
map_locator = Louisiana
map1 = Map of USA LA.svg
map1_caption = Location of Louisiana in the United States
website =

Lake Providence is a town in and the parish seat of East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, United States.GR|6 The population was 5,104 at the 2000 census.

History

Until 1962, no African Americans had been allowed to register to vote in Lake Providence. Then U.S. District Judge Edwin Ford Hunter, Jr., based in Lake Charles, the seat of Calcasieu Parish, personally registered some two dozen African American citizens under a provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1960.

Geography

Lake Providence is located at coor dms|32|48|19|N|91|10|46|W|city (32.805200, -91.179459)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.4 km²), of which, 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.55%) is water. The existing boundaries of the town are the 3rd location of the community. Lake Providence is located adjacent to the Mississippi River and prior to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers building the current levee system, the meandering river would overflow its bank and take valuable lands. It was during these movements that the lake of Lake Providence was created and the town succumbed to the river. Each time the town was taken by the river, the citizens would move.

In the late 1700's as goods like animal pelts, indigo and cotton were transported up and down the Mississippi River by people commonly known as longboat men names after the type of craft that carried the goods. These were eventually replaced by steam boats. Thieves and pirates would raid the boats carrying these products, kill the longboat men and then sell the goods. There is a bend in the river called Bunch's Bend where a famous pirate named Bunch would raid the boats. If the longboat men made it past Bunch's Bend without being robbed, they would say they, "made it to Providence." This is where the trading town of Providence was located. It later became Lake Providence when the town was moved to its current location surrounding a natural oxbow lake.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 5,104 people, 1,707 households, and 1,191 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,418.8 people per square mile (547.4/km²). There were 1,878 housing units at an average density of 522.1/sq mi (201.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 19.61% White, 79.51% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 1,707 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.2% were married couples living together, 34.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.49.

In the town the population was spread out with 35.3% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $16,896, and the median income for a family was $20,139. Males had a median income of $19,900 versus $17,135 for females. The per capita income for the town was $8,447. About 42.2% of families and 49.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 67.3% of those under age 18 and 33.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable People

* William J. Jefferson, born in Lake Providence and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Louisiana's 2nd congressional district since 1991.
* [http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Jones Charles D. "C.D." Jones] -- member of Louisiana Legislature since 1980.

References

Witness to the Truth by John H. Scott with Cleo Scott Brown. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2003

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/bourbonstreet/3754/timearticle.html "The Poorest Place in America" article] on Lake Providence, Louisiana