Richland Parish, Louisiana

History

The parish was officially created on September 29, 1868. Rayville, Louisiana, the parish seat, was named for John Ray, a politician from Monroe with large land holdings in present-day Rayville.

Richland Parish is home to the first public parish library in the State of Louisiana, the Rhymes Memorial Library. The library was built in 1925 by the Lambda Kappa Club of Rayville. R.R. Rhymes donated the original building in memory of his wife, Nonnie Roark Rhymes.

Geography

Bayou Macon flows through the eastern areas of Richland. Other tributaries in the parish include Crew Lake, and the Lafourche Diversion Canal are located in the western portion of the parish. Boeuf River flows from the northern end to the southern end in the center of the parish.

Adjacent parishes

• Morehouse Parish (north)
• West Carroll Parish (northeast)
• East Carroll Parish (east)
• Madison Parish (east)
• Franklin Parish (south)
• Caldwell Parish (southwest)
• Ouachita Parish (west)

Parks and wildlife management areas

• Poverty Point Reservoir State Park
• Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area

Communities

Towns

• Delhi
• Rayville (parish seat and largest municipality)

Village

• Mangham

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated place

• Start

Unincorporated communities

• Alto
• Archibald
• Bardel
• Bee Bayou
• Buckner
• Charlieville
• Crew Lake
• Dehlco
• Dunn
• Four Forks
• Gilleyville
• Girard
• Holly Ridge
• Jonesburg
• Mitchiner
• New Light
• Rhymes
• Sacksonia
• Warden

Transportation

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 20,043, a median age of 40.4 years, with 23.3% of residents under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 98.4 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 7,674 households in the parish, including 4,972 families; 32.4% had children under the age of 18, 42.4% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, 33.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present, 27.8% consisted of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The racial makeup of the parish was 58.8% White, 36.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian,

There were 8,628 housing units, of which 11.1% were vacant; 68.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied and 31.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Education

Public schools

• Delhi Elementary
• Delhi Junior High
• Delhi High School
• Holly Ridge Elementary
• Mangham Elementary
• Mangham Junior High
• Mangham High School
• Rayville Elementary
• Rayville Junior High
• Rayville, High School
• Start Elementary

Private schools

• Riverfield Academy, K–12

Charter schools

• Delhi Charter, K–12

Community and technical colleges

• Louisiana Delta Community College, (with campus locations in neighboring Tallulah, Winnsboro, Lake Providence, Bastrop, Monroe, and West Monroe.)

Regional universities

• University of Louisiana at Monroe
• Louisiana Tech University, (Ruston)
• Grambling State University, (Grambling)

Government

Notable people

• Julia Letlow, from Start, elected Member of Congress in the United States House of Representatives.
• Luke Letlow, from Start, elected to the United States House of Representatives, but died of a heart attack caused by COVID-19 before he could be seated.
• Ralph Abraham, from Alto, elected Member of Congress in United States House of Representatives.
• Harry W. Addison was a Southern author and humorist who resided in Rayville from 1945 to 1957.
• Jamar Adcock, a politician and banker in Monroe, born in Richland Parish
• Terry Doughty, is a federally appointed judge for the Western District of Louisiana.
• Elvin Hayes, Hall of Fame basketball player, born in Rayville
• Arlene Howell, Miss Louisiana USA 1958, Miss USA 1958
• Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Richland Parish in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960
• William L. Kirk, of Rayville was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe/Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe.
• Ernie Ladd, a football player/professional wrestler, born in Rayville
• Moses J. Liddell was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as a judge for the Supreme Court of the Montana Territory.
• Wiley Person Mangham, an American publisher and editor. He is the namesake for t
• Tim McGraw, Country musician, born in Delhi, and raised in Start
• Robert Max Ross, was a Republican politician and activist who qualified to run for governor, U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House, for the purpose of advancing the two-party system in Louisiana, at a time it did not exist.
• Francis C. Thompson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1975 until 2008; since in the Louisiana State Senate

File:Tim McGraw.jpg|Tim McGraw, a famous country musician. File:Ralph Abraham official congressional photo.jpg|Ralph Abraham, U.S. House of Representatives. File:Elvin Hayes 1975.jpeg|Elvin Hayes, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. File:Wiley Person Mangham2.jpg|Wiley Person Mangham, American Publisher and Editor.

Gallery

Image:Former Rayville High School, LA building IMG 0176.jpg|Former Rayville High School, operated by the Richland Parish School Board and originally designed by the Shreveport architect Edward F. Neild, was renovated into an apartment complex Image:Holly Ridge Elementary School, Holly Ridge, LA IMG 0178.jpg|Holly Ridge High School in Holly Ridge in rural Richland Parish Image:Veterans Memorial, Mangham, LA IMG 1290.JPG|Veteran's Memorial in Mangham Image:Rhymes Memorial Library, Rayville, LA IMG 0167.JPG|Rhymes Memorial Library in Rayville was the first parish wide public library in Louisiana. Image:Poverty Point Reservoir (2013) IMG 7439.JPG|Poverty Point Reservoir in Delhi. Image:Start, LA, Baptist Church IMG 0141.JPG|Start Baptist Church Image:Richland Parish Courthouse, Rayville, LA IMG 0153.JPG|Richland Parish Courthouse, in Rayville Image:Alto_Presbyterian_Church.jpg|Alto Presbyterian Church, built in 1873 Image:Richland Parish, LA, Detention Center IMG 0350.JPG|Richland Parish Detention Center near Alto, Louisiana Image:First Baptist Church, Delhi, LA IMG 0189.JPG|First Baptist Church in Delhi Image:Northeast Louisiana Veteran's Cemetery.jpg|Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery

Politics

References

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Richland Parish, Louisiana".
2. "Richland Parish". Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism.
3. (2012). "Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries". Louisiana State University Press.
4. (January 13, 1928). "Richland Library First To Form Under New Law". The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana).
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
9. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
10. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
12. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
13. "1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Louisiana - Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 15 - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 20/12-20/20)".
14. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Louisiana - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin".
15. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Richland Parish, Louisiana".
16. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Richland Parish, Louisiana".
17. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Richland Parish, Louisiana".
18. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
19. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
20. not an option in the 1980 Census
21. not an option in the 1990 Census
22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".