DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
{{short description|Parish in Louisiana, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
| official_name = Parish of DeSoto
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| image_skyline = DeSotoParishCourthouse (1 of 1).jpg
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| image_caption = DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield
| image_flag = DeSoto Parish la flag.jpeg
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| image_map = Map of Louisiana highlighting DeSoto Parish.svg
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| map_caption = Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
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| subdivision_type = Country
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| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Louisiana}}
| subdivision_type2 = Region
| subdivision_name2 = North Louisiana
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 1843
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| named_for = settler, Marcel DeSoto
| seat_type = Parish seat
| seat = Mansfield
| seat1_type = Largest municipality
| seat1 = Stonewall (area)
Mansfield (population)
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| area_total_sq_mi = 895
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| area_land_sq_mi = 876
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| area_water_sq_mi = 19
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| population_total = 26812
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| timezone1 = CST
| utc_offset1 = -6
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| area_code = 318
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| blank_name_sec1 = Congressional district
| blank_info_sec1 = 4th
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| website = {{URL|www.desotoppj.com|DeSoto Parish Government}}
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DeSoto Parish ({{langx|es|Parroquia de DeSoto|link=}}; French: Paroisse DeSoto) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1843.{{cite web|title=DeSoto Parish|url=http://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/3673.asp|website=www.sfasu.edu|publisher=Center for Regional Heritage Research|access-date=September 3, 2014}} At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 26,812.{{Cite web|title=QuickFacts: DeSoto Parish, Louisiana|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/desotoparishlouisiana/POP010220|access-date=August 19, 2021|website=U.S. Census Bureau}} Its parish seat and most populous municipality is Mansfield.{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }} 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.{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n104 105]}} 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.Means, Emilia Gay Griffith, and Liz Chrysler. DeSoto Parish. Arcadia Publishing, 2011, p. 8. 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."{{Cite web|url=http://www.desotoparishclerk.org/|title=DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court – Honorable Jeremy M. Evans|website=www.desotoparishclerk.org|language=en-US|access-date=March 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727170616/https://desotoparishclerk.org/|archive-date=July 27, 2019|url-status=dead}}
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of {{convert|895|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|876|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|19|sqmi}} (2.1%) is water.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_22.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928155956/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_22.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 28, 2013 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 27, 2014 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files }}
=Major highways=
=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
{{US Census population
|1850= 8023
|1860= 13298
|1870= 14962
|1880= 15603
|1890= 19860
|1900= 25063
|1910= 27689
|1920= 29376
|1930= 31016
|1940= 31803
|1950= 24398
|1960= 24248
|1970= 22764
|1980= 25727
|1990= 25346
|2000= 25494
|2010= 26656
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2014}}
1790-1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=August 27, 2014|archive-date=August 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=dead}} 1900-1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/la190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2014}}
1990-2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2014}} 2010{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22031.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 9, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606152639/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22031.html|archive-date=June 6, 2011}}
|2020=26812
|estyear= 2021
|estimate= 26919
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+DeSoto Parish racial composition as of 2020{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US22031&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 29, 2021|website=data.census.gov}} !scope="col"| Race !scope="col"| Number !scope="col"| Percentage |
| scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 15,122 | 56.4% |
|---|
| scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 9,586 | 35.75% |
| scope="row"| Native American
| 242 | 0.9% |
| scope="row"| Asian
| 99 | 0.37% |
| scope="row"| Pacific Islander
| 12 | 0.05% |
| scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 1,001 | 3.73% |
| scope="row"| 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,{{Cite web|title=Geography Profile: DeSoto Parish, Louisiana|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US22031|url-status=live|access-date=August 19, 2021|website=data.census.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819155728/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US22031 |archive-date=August 19, 2021 }} 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.{{Cite web|title=2019 Demographic and Housing Estimates|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US22031&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05&hidePreview=true|url-status=live|access-date=August 19, 2021|website=data.census.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819155727/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US22031&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05&hidePreview=true |archive-date=August 19, 2021 }}
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
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{{cite news|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/57373642|title=Funeral for Pike Hall at 11 A.M. Today – Prominent Attorney, Civic Leader Succumbs After Brief Illness|newspaper=The Shreveport Times|date=December 17, 1945|pages=1, 6|access-date=March 26, 2015}}
- 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{{cite web|url=http://www.cosimpkins.com/Biography/|title=C. O. Simpkins, Sr.: Civil Rights Champion|publisher=cosimpkins.com|access-date=September 1, 2015}}
- O.C. Smith (1932–2001), singer
Politics
{{PresHead|place=DeSoto Parish, Louisiana|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 7, 2018}}}}
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|9,359|4,426|128|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|9,112|5,457|167|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|8,068|5,165|267|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|7,353|5,553|145|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|6,883|5,242|132|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|6,211|5,026|99|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|5,260|5,036|300|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|3,526|6,221|773|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|3,643|5,671|1,707|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|5,022|5,366|128|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|5,989|4,642|108|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|4,349|5,861|117|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|3,601|4,630|117|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|4,017|2,596|540|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|974|3,400|4,190|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|3,954|1,254|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Dixiecrat|1,603|1,183|1,653|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|2,011|1,206|554|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|2,303|1,678|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Dixiecrat|270|617|1,891|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|538|1,858|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|211|2,872|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|93|2,337|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|87|2,416|2|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|517|1,445|2|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|118|1,146|11|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|56|1,219|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|17|1,104|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|11|815|93|Louisiana}}
See also
{{Portal|United States}}
{{clear}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
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.
- [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo71487 Water Resources of De Soto Parish, Louisiana] United States Geological Survey
External links
- {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=De Soto|display=De Soto, II. A N. W. parish of Louisiana |short=x}}
{{Geographic Location
|Centre = DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
|North = Caddo Parish
|Northeast =
|East = Red River Parish
|Southeast = Natchitoches Parish
|South = Sabine Parish
|Southwest = Shelby County, Texas
|West = Panola County, Texas
|Northwest =
}}
{{DeSoto Parish, Louisiana}}
{{Louisiana parishes}}
{{authority control}}
{{Coord|32.06|-93.74|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-LA_source:UScensus1990}}
Category:Parishes in Shreveport – Bossier City metropolitan area