Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Parish in Louisiana, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lincoln Parish (French: Paroisse de Lincoln) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,396.[1] The parish was created on February 24, 1873, from parts of Bienville, Claiborne, Union, and Jackson parishes, and its boundaries have changed only once (in 1877). This makes Lincoln Parish one of the Reconstruction parishes.[2]
Lincoln Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Parish of Lincoln Paroisse de Lincoln (French) | |
Lincoln Parish Courthouse in Ruston | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
 Louisiana's location within the U.S. | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Region | North Louisiana |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Named after | Abraham Lincoln |
| Parish seat (and largest city) | Ruston |
| Area | |
• Total | 472 sq mi (1,220 km2) |
| • Land | 472 sq mi (1,220 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) |
| • percentage | 0.2 sq mi (0.52 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 48,396 |
| • Rank | LA: 25th |
| • Density | 103/sq mi (39.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 318 |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | Parish of Lincoln |
The parish seat was Vienna from the parish's creation in 1873 until 1884, when a parish-wide vote moved it to the new railroad town of Ruston.[3][4][5][6][7]
Lincoln Parish comprises the Ruston micropolitan statistical area.
History
Since the late 20th century, archeologists have dated eleven sites in northern Louisiana where thousands of years ago, indigenous cultures built complexes with multiple, monumental earthwork mounds during the Middle Archaic period, long before the development of sedentary, agricultural societies. At sites such as Watson Brake, Frenchman's Bend, and Caney, generations of hunter-gatherers worked for hundreds of years to build and add to mound complexes. Hedgepeth Site, located in Lincoln Parish, is dated about 5200–4500 BP (about 3300–2600 BCE), from the latter part of this period. Such finds are changing the understanding of early human cultures.[8]
The parish was one of several new ones established by the state legislature during Reconstruction; in 1873 it was formed from land that had belonged to Bienville, Claiborne, Jackson and Union parishes to create one in which newly elected representatives might have more ties to the Republican Party. It was an attempt to break up the old order of political power, and to capitalize on the arrival of the railroad line. The parish is named for the late U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.[9]
Lincoln Parish is usually Republican in contested elections. In 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won the parish with 10,739 votes (56.5 percent) to U.S. President Barack H. Obama, the Democrat who polled 7,956 ballots (41.9 percent).[10]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 472 square miles (1,220 km2), of which 472 square miles (1,220 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.2%) is water.[11]
Major highways
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Adjacent parishes
- Union Parish (north)
- Ouachita Parish (east)
- Jackson Parish (south)
- Bienville Parish (southwest)
- Claiborne Parish (northwest)
Communities
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 11,075 | — | |
| 1890 | 14,753 | 33.2% | |
| 1900 | 15,898 | 7.8% | |
| 1910 | 18,485 | 16.3% | |
| 1920 | 16,962 | −8.2% | |
| 1930 | 22,822 | 34.5% | |
| 1940 | 24,790 | 8.6% | |
| 1950 | 25,782 | 4.0% | |
| 1960 | 28,535 | 10.7% | |
| 1970 | 33,800 | 18.5% | |
| 1980 | 39,763 | 17.6% | |
| 1990 | 41,745 | 5.0% | |
| 2000 | 42,509 | 1.8% | |
| 2010 | 46,735 | 9.9% | |
| 2020 | 48,396 | 3.6% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 47,962 | [12] | −0.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010[17] | |||
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 48,396. The median age was 29.9 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.7 males age 18 and over.[18][19]
The racial makeup of the parish was 53.8% White, 38.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.7% from some other race, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.6% of the population.[19]
59.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 40.4% lived in rural areas.[20]
There were 18,075 households in the parish, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.7% were married-couple households, 21.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]
There were 20,370 housing units, of which 11.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 55.4% were owner-occupied and 44.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.[18]
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[21] | Pop 1990[22] | Pop 2000[23] | Pop 2010[24] | Pop 2020[25] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 24,453 | 24,425 | 24,206 | 25,313 | 25,672 | 61.50% | 58.51% | 56.94% | 54.16% | 53.05% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 14,460 | 16,546 | 16,846 | 18,860 | 18,626 | 36.37% | 39.64% | 39.63% | 40.36% | 38.49% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 36 | 39 | 72 | 109 | 145 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.17% | 0.23% | 0.30% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 173 | 330 | 538 | 786 | 682 | 0.44% | 0.79% | 1.27% | 1.68% | 1.41% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [26] | x [27] | 6 | 17 | 5 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 197 | 24 | 52 | 33 | 106 | 0.50% | 0.06% | 0.12% | 0.07% | 0.22% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [28] | x [29] | 297 | 428 | 1,406 | x | x | 0.70% | 0.92% | 2.91% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 444 | 381 | 492 | 1,189 | 1,754 | 1.12% | 0.91% | 1.16% | 2.54% | 3.62% |
| Total | 39,763 | 41,745 | 42,509 | 46,735 | 48,396 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Education
Lincoln Parish residents are zoned to Lincoln Parish School Board schools.
The parish is home to Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, and Grambling State University in Grambling.
Bethel Christian School is located in Ruston.
Ruston High School is located in Ruston.
Lincoln Preparatory School is located in Grambling.
Choudrant Elementary School and Choudrant High School are located in Choudrant.
Cedar Creek (K - 12) is located in Ruston
National Guard
527th Engineer Battalion (Triple Alpha) ("Anything, Anytime, Anywhere") is headquartered in Ruston, Louisiana, the parish seat. This battalion is part of the 225th Engineer Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard.
Attractions
- Eddie G. Robinson Museum
- Lincoln Parish Park
- Louisiana Military Museum
- Lincoln Parish Museum
- Dixie Center for the Arts
- North Central Louisiana Arts Council
- Ruston Community Theatre
- Celebrity Theatre (movie theater)
- Annual Peach Festival held in Ruston
- Annual Chicken Festival held in Dubach
- Kingdom Collectives Film Festival held in Ruston
Politics
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 3 | 0.39% | 644 | 84.51% | 115 | 15.09% |
| 1916 | 42 | 4.29% | 932 | 95.30% | 4 | 0.41% |
| 1920 | 183 | 15.61% | 989 | 84.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 157 | 13.46% | 1,005 | 86.19% | 4 | 0.34% |
| 1928 | 670 | 39.16% | 1,041 | 60.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 163 | 7.87% | 1,908 | 92.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 201 | 8.53% | 2,154 | 91.43% | 1 | 0.04% |
| 1940 | 449 | 13.14% | 2,969 | 86.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 1,032 | 37.71% | 1,705 | 62.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 353 | 11.03% | 625 | 19.53% | 2,223 | 69.45% |
| 1952 | 3,074 | 60.48% | 2,009 | 39.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,676 | 59.20% | 1,014 | 22.43% | 830 | 18.36% |
| 1960 | 2,766 | 54.14% | 1,051 | 20.57% | 1,292 | 25.29% |
| 1964 | 5,766 | 77.09% | 1,714 | 22.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,643 | 29.77% | 2,009 | 22.63% | 4,225 | 47.59% |
| 1972 | 6,736 | 69.15% | 2,589 | 26.58% | 416 | 4.27% |
| 1976 | 6,828 | 57.05% | 4,971 | 41.53% | 170 | 1.42% |
| 1980 | 7,515 | 55.79% | 5,598 | 41.56% | 357 | 2.65% |
| 1984 | 9,087 | 61.81% | 5,432 | 36.95% | 182 | 1.24% |
| 1988 | 8,853 | 60.40% | 5,427 | 37.03% | 377 | 2.57% |
| 1992 | 7,220 | 43.60% | 7,205 | 43.51% | 2,136 | 12.90% |
| 1996 | 6,973 | 43.98% | 7,903 | 49.85% | 979 | 6.17% |
| 2000 | 9,246 | 55.86% | 6,851 | 41.39% | 454 | 2.74% |
| 2004 | 10,791 | 59.23% | 7,242 | 39.75% | 185 | 1.02% |
| 2008 | 10,680 | 55.69% | 8,292 | 43.23% | 207 | 1.08% |
| 2012 | 10,739 | 56.54% | 7,956 | 41.89% | 298 | 1.57% |
| 2016 | 10,761 | 57.64% | 7,107 | 38.07% | 801 | 4.29% |
| 2020 | 11,311 | 58.68% | 7,559 | 39.22% | 405 | 2.10% |
| 2024 | 11,248 | 61.95% | 6,627 | 36.50% | 282 | 1.55% |