Allen Parish, Louisiana

Infobox U.S. County
county = Allen Parish
state = Louisiana




founded year = 1912
founded date =
seat wl = Oberlin
largest city wl = Oakdale
area_total_sq_mi = 766
area_total_km2 = 1983
area_land_sq_mi = 764
area_land_km2 = 1980
area_water_sq_mi = 1
area_water_km2 = 3
area percentage = 0.15%
census yr = 2000
pop = 25440
density_sq_mi = 33
density_km2 = 13
time zone = Central
UTC offset = -6
DST offset = -5
footnotes =
web =
named for = Confederate General and Governor of Louisiana Henry Watkins Allen

Allen Parish (French: "Paroisse d'Allen") is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Oberlin; a larger community is Oakdale. As of the 2000 census, the population was 25,440. Allen Parish is in southwestern Louisiana, southwest of Alexandria.

Allen Parish is named for former Confederate States Army general and Governor of Louisiana Henry Watkins Allen. It was separated in 1912 from the larger Calcasieu Parish to the southwest.

Leatherwood Museum

On September 27, 2008, the Allen Parish Tourist Commission opened Leatherwood Museum in Oakdale in a two-story house which served during the early 20th century as a hospital where women waited on the second-floor balcony to deliver their babies.Bill Sumrall, "A step into past: Museum showcases history of Allen Parish","Alexandria Daily Town Talk", September 27, 2008:http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080927/NEWS01/809270365&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL]

The museum focuses on the history of agriculture and timber. Upstairs exhibits include photographs and a machine for cutting rice stalks, displays of early dental and medical equipment, pictures of war maneuvers during World War II, and a letter from Confederate States of America soldier David Dunn to his wife. Dunn was the grandfather of William T. Dunn, founder of Dunnsville, which became Oakdale. An education room contains displays on Louisiana High School Hall of Fame sports figures Curtis Cook of Oakdale, Johnny Buck of Kinder, and Hoyle Granger of Oberlin. Granger, an inductee of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame who starred for the Houston Oilers, addressed the grand opening of the museum. Other exhibits focus on the Coushatta Indians and "Courir De Mardi Gras" or the country way of celebrating Mardi Gras in Allen Parish.

Adagria Haddock, director of the Allen Parish Tourist Commission, said that in addition to a hospital, the building formerly served as a boarding house and the home of the Leatherwood family. The house dates to July 3, 1888. The Leatherwoods turned the building into a museum in 1986, but it closed a decade later because of a lack of funding. In 2005, the house was donated to the Allen Parish Tourist Commission.

The downstairs contains the furnishings of a typical family house of the time, with displays of clothing and other period artifacts. "We just wanted you to feel like home when you walked in and then go explore the museum part [upstairs] ," Haddock told "Alexandria Daily Town Talk". The facility is is handicapped-accessible with an elevator. A state grant of $65,000 helped fund restoration. The museum can be contacted at [phone], [phone] or at www.AllenParish on-line.

Geography

The parish has a total area of 766 square miles (1,983 km²), of which, 764 square miles (1,980 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (3 km²) of it (0.15%) is water.

Major Highways

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Adjacent parishes

*Vernon Parish (northwest)
*Rapides Parish (northeast)
*Evangeline Parish (east)
*Jefferson Davis Parish (south)
*Beauregard Parish (west)

Waterways

*Ouiski Chitto Creek
*Calcasieu River
*Quiska Chitto Creek
*Six Mile Creek
*Ten Mile Creek
*Bundick Creek

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 25,440 people, 8,102 households, and 5,930 families residing in the parish. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 9,157 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 71.90% White, 24.60% Black or African American, 1.72% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 4.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.22% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 4.68% speak Spanish. [http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=22&county_id=3&mode=geographic&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r] USCensusPop
title=
1790=
1800=
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1830=
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1900=
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1920= 18382
1930= 15261
1940= 17540
1950= 18835
1960= 19867
1970= 20794
1980= 21390
1990= 21226
2000= 25440
estimate=25447
estyear=2006
estref= [cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22003.html|title=Allen Parish Quickfacts|author=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=2008-02-02]
footnote=Allen Parish Census Data [cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/la190090.txt|title=Louisiana Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|author=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=2008-02-02] There were 8,102 households out of which 36.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the parish the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 33.40% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 126.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.50 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $27,777, and the median income for a family was $33,920. Males had a median income of $32,371 versus $17,154 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,101. About 17.90% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.60% of those under age 18 and 21.50% of those age 65 or over.

The most populated city as of the 2000 census was Oakdale, LA.

Cities, towns, and villages

Education

Residents are zoned to Allen Parish Schools [http://www.allen.k12.la.us/] .

Notable natives and residents

*Former Superintendent of Education William J. "Bill" Dodd
*Former state Treasurer Mary Evelyn Parker

ee also

References

External links

* [http://www.allenparish.com/ Allen Parish]