Bossier Parish, Louisiana

Bossier Parish (/ˈboʊʒər/ BOH-zhər; French: Paroisse de Bossier) is a parish located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 128,746.[1]

Bossier Parish
Parish
Parish of Bossier
Renovated Bossier Parish Courthouse in Benton
Renovated Bossier Parish Courthouse in Benton
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country United States
State Louisiana
RegionNorth Louisiana
FoundedFebruary 24, 1843
Named forPierre Bossier
Parish seatBenton
Largest cityBossier City
Area
 • Total2,250 km2 (867 sq mi)
 • Land2,200 km2 (840 sq mi)
 • Water70 km2 (27 sq mi)
 • percentage8 km2 (3.1 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total128,746
 • Density57/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code318
Congressional district4th
WebsiteOfficial website

The parish seat is Benton.[2] The principal city is Bossier City, which is located east of the Red River and across from the larger city of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The parish was formed in 1843 from the western portion of Claiborne Parish.[3][4] Bossier Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area, the largest metropolitan area in North Louisiana.

Lake Bistineau and Lake Bistineau State Park are included in parts of Bossier and neighboring Webster and Bienville parishes. Loggy Bayou flows south from Lake Bistineau in southern Bossier Parish, traverses western Bienville Parish, and in Red River Parish joins the Red River.

History
Arnold-Tidwell House near the Cypress Lake recreational area is one of three antebellum homes still standing in Bossier Parish.[5]
Willis Knighton Hospital in Bossier City serves much of northern Bossier Parish.
Swimmers at Cypress Lake on a cloudy summer day

Bossier Parish is named for Pierre Bossier, an ethnic French, 19th-century Louisiana state senator and U.S. representative from Natchitoches Parish.

Bossier Parish was spared fighting on its soil during the American Civil War. In July 1861, at the start of the war, the Bossier Parish Police Jury appropriated $35,000 for the benefit of Confederate volunteers and their family members left behind, an amount then considered generous.[6]

After the war, whites used violence and intimidation to maintain dominance over the newly emancipated freedmen. From the end of Reconstruction into the 20th century, violence increased as conservative white Democrats struggled to maintain power over the state. In this period, Bossier Parish had 26 lynchings of African Americans by whites, part of racial terrorism. This was the fifth-highest total of any parish in Louisiana, tied with the total in Iberia Parish in the South of the state.[7] Overall, parishes in northwest Louisiana had the highest rates of lynchings.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 867 square miles (2,250 km2), of which 840 square miles (2,200 km2) is land and 27 square miles (70 km2) (3.1%) is water.[8] Four miles east of Bossier City is Barksdale Air Force Base.

Major highways

Adjacent counties and parishes

National protected area

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18506,962—
186011,34863.0%
187012,67511.7%
188016,04226.6%
189020,33026.7%
190024,15318.8%
191021,738−10.0%
192022,2662.4%
193028,38827.5%
194033,16216.8%
195040,13921.0%
196057,62243.6%
197064,51912.0%
198080,72125.1%
199086,0886.6%
200098,31014.2%
2010116,97919.0%
2020128,74610.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010[14]

2020 census
Bossier Parish, Louisiana – Racial and Ethnic Composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000[15] Pop 2010[16] Pop 2020[17] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 71,101 80,991 78,982 72.93% 69.24% 61.35%
Black or African American alone (NH) 20,347 24,245 29,868 20.70% 20.73% 23.20%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 440 533 573 0.45% 0.46% 0.45%
Asian alone (NH) 1,216 1,873 2,341 1.24% 1.60% 1.82%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 79 154 113 0.08% 0.13% 0.09%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 94 128 480 0.10% 0.13% 0.37%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 1,370 2,029 6,152 1.39% 1.73% 4.78%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3,063 7,026 10,237 3.12% 6.01% 7.95%
Total 98,310 116,979 128,746 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

At the 2020 United States census, there were 128,746 people, 49,735 households, and 33,963 families residing in the parish. According to the 2010 U.S. census, there were 116,979 people, 62,000 households, and 37,500 families residing in the parish. The population density was 142 inhabitants per square mile (55/km2). There were 49,000 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile (19/km2).

The racial makeup of the parish in 2010 was 70.66% White, 18.52% Black or African American, 0.82% Native American, 2.18% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races; 8.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino American of any race. According to the 2019 American Community Survey, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 65.9% non-Hispanic white, 23.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.9% some other race, 1.7% two or more races, and 6.9% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.[18] In 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 61.35% non-Hispanic white, 23.2% African American, 0.45% Native American, 1.82% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 5.15% multiracial, and 7.95% Hispanic or Latino American of any race, reflecting nationwide demographic trends of mass diversification.[19][20]

Law, government and politics

Bossier Parish is governed by a 12-member elected body: the Bossier Parish Police Jury (which is equivalent to a county commission in other states). Members are elected from single-member districts. Eddy Shell, a prominent Bossier City educator, was repeatedly re-elected to the Jury from 1992 until his death in 2008.

The current members of the police jury are:

  • District 1 - Bob Brotherton
  • District 2 - Glenn Benton
  • District 3 - Philip Rogers
  • District 4 - John Ed Jordan
  • District 5 - Julianna Parks
  • District 6 - Chris Marsiglia
  • District 7 - Jimmy Cochran
  • District 8 - Douglas E. Rimmer
  • District 9 - Charles Gray
  • District 10 - Jerome Darby
  • District 11 - Tom Salzer
  • District 12 - Paul M. "Mac" Plummer[21]

Since the late 20th century, the non-Hispanic white population of the parish has shifted from the Democratic to the Republican Party (as have most conservative whites in Louisiana and other Southern U.S. states). The state was a one-party state dominated by the Democratic Party from the period after the turn of the century (when most Blacks were disenfranchised in Louisiana) to the mid-20th century.

Bossier Parish has since reliably voted for Republican candidates in most contested U.S. presidential elections. Since 1952, George Wallace, the former governor of Alabama who ran in 1968 on the American Independent Party ticket, has been the only non-Republican to carry Bossier Parish.[22][23]

In 2008, U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona won in Bossier Parish with 32,713 votes (71.4 percent) over Democrat Barack H. Obama of Illinois, who received 12,703 votes (27.8 percent).[24] In 2012, Mitt Romney polled 34,988 votes (72 percent) in Bossier Parish (2,275 more ballots than McCain drew in 2008). President Obama won 12,956 (26.6) of the votes in Bossier Parish.[25]

In 2011, Bossier Parish elected Republican Julian C. Whittington as sheriff to succeed Larry Deen. Deen was a Democrat who registered as a Republican after retiring.

United States presidential election results for Bossier Parish, Louisiana[26]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 38,074 69.66% 15,662 28.66% 919 1.68%
2016 35,474 71.16% 12,641 25.36% 1,733 3.48%
2012 34,988 72.05% 12,956 26.68% 618 1.27%
2008 32,713 71.37% 12,703 27.71% 419 0.91%
2004 30,040 70.34% 12,317 28.84% 348 0.81%
2000 23,224 64.66% 11,933 33.23% 758 2.11%
1996 16,852 47.63% 15,504 43.82% 3,026 8.55%
1992 15,628 47.64% 11,313 34.49% 5,860 17.87%
1988 20,807 69.16% 9,035 30.03% 243 0.81%
1984 22,638 76.01% 7,006 23.52% 138 0.46%
1980 16,515 62.70% 9,377 35.60% 447 1.70%
1976 12,132 59.22% 8,062 39.35% 293 1.43%
1972 12,856 78.63% 2,914 17.82% 580 3.55%
1968 3,745 23.74% 2,782 17.63% 9,249 58.63%
1964 9,822 83.53% 1,937 16.47% 0 0.00%
1960 3,429 39.32% 2,198 25.21% 3,093 35.47%
1956 3,107 48.97% 1,954 30.80% 1,284 20.24%
1952 3,677 57.81% 2,683 42.19% 0 0.00%
1948 338 8.72% 1,147 29.59% 2,391 61.69%
1944 622 20.37% 2,430 79.59% 1 0.03%
1940 275 8.23% 3,045 91.17% 20 0.60%
1936 193 8.89% 1,975 91.01% 2 0.09%
1932 56 2.49% 2,191 97.51% 0 0.00%
1928 225 15.93% 1,187 84.07% 0 0.00%
1924 48 5.84% 751 91.36% 23 2.80%
1920 44 5.68% 731 94.32% 0 0.00%
1916 9 1.32% 675 98.68% 0 0.00%
1912 6 1.23% 427 87.68% 54 11.09%

National Guard

The 165th CSS (Combat Service Support) Battalion is headquartered in Bossier City. This unit was deployed to Iraq in 2008. Also located in Bossier City is the 156TH Army Band which deployed as part of the 256th Infantry Brigade in 2010 to Iraq.

Education

Bossier Parish School Board operates public schools in the parish.[27]

It is in the service area of Bossier Parish Community College.[28]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "QuickFacts: Bossier Parish, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Stinson, Louise. "Bossier City History". www.bossiercity.org. City of Bossier City. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  4. Anonymous. "About Bossier Parish". www.bossierparishla.gov. Bossier Parish. Archived from the original on November 19, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  5. Arnold-Tidwell House, Historical marker, Bossier Parish, Louisiana
  6. John D. Winters, The Civil War in Louisiana, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, p. 38
  7. Lynching in America, Third Edition: Supplement by County Archived October 23, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, p. 6, Equal Justice Initiative, Mobile, AL, 2017
  8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  9. "Kay McMahan, "Bossier Parish, LA, Towns"". usgwarchives.net. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  14. "Bossier Parish, Louisiana". quickfacts.census.gov. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  15. "P004 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Bossier Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  16. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Bossier Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  17. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Bossier Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  18. "Geography Profile: Bossier Parish, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  19. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  20. Bureau, US Census. "The Chance That Two People Chosen at Random Are of Different Race or Ethnicity Groups Has Increased Since 2010". Census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  21. "Edwin T. Shell - Police Jurors - Bossier Parish Police Jury - Your Online Portal to Bossier Parish Government". Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  22. David Leip's Presidential election Atlas (Louisiana electoral maps
  23. Geographie Electorale
  24. "Bossier Parish presidential election returns, November 4, 2008". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  25. "Bossier Parish presidential election returns, November 6, 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  26. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  27. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bossier Parish, LA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 31, 2022. - Text list
  28. "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  29. "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2012" (PDF). legis.state.la.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  30. "My Hometown: Plain Dealing, Louisiana". oocities.org. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  31. "Dewey E. Burchett, Jr". The Shreveport Times. November 22, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  32. "Roy Burrell". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  33. "Notes for Harvey Locke Carey". familytreemaker.genealogy.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  34. "Curry, Robert H." The Political Graveyard. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  35. "Col. E. S. Dortch Dies at Atlanta: Bossier Veteran Who Fought Under Stonewall Jackson Succumbs". The Shreveport Times through findagrave.com. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  36. "Not Guilty" (PDF). cowboysforchrist.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  37. "List of Louisiana Wrongful Convictions Overturned since 1966, November 23, 2003". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  38. "About Ryan". rayangatti.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  39. "Slaughter, Germany to be honored: Tech duo will be enshrined into the Ark-La-Tex Museum of Champions". Ruston Daily Leader. July 2, 2016. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  40. Huffman, Booker T with Andrew William Wright (2012). Booker T: From Prison to Promise: Life Before the Squared Circle. Aurora, Ill: Medallion Press. ISBN 978-1605424682.
  41. "Mike Johnson State Representative". mikejohnsonlouisiana.com. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  42. ""John A. W. Lowry of Bossier Parish, Louisiana" in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana". Chicago and Nashville, Tennessee: Southern Publishing Company. 1890. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  43. "William Washington Vance". findagrave.com based on Baton Rouge newspaper clipping. February 17, 1900. Retrieved March 27, 2015.

32.68°N 93.60°W / 32.68; -93.60

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