Caldwell Parish, Louisiana

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Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
Map
Location in the state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	1838
Seat	Columbia
Largest city	Clarks
Area - Total - Land - Water	541 sq mi (1,400 km²) 529 sq mi (1,371 km²) 11 sq mi (29 km²), 2.09%
Population - (2000) - Density	10,560 20/sq mi (8/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Named for: Local Caldwell family

Caldwell Parish (French: Paroisse de Caldwell) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Columbia and as of 2000, the population is 10,560.

Caldwell Parish was the home of Governor John Julian McKeithen (1918-1999), a Democrat, and his Republican son, Secretary of State W. Fox McKeithen (1946-2005).

Another prominent political figure from Caldwell Parish was Jack Keahey of Columbia, a former school board president and member of the Tensas Basin Levee Board, having served as president of the district from 2000 until his death in 2007. The Tensas District has been repeatedly cited for its excellent management and preparedness.^[1]

On November 17, 2007, Columbia businessman Hartwood Caldwell "Neil" Riser, Jr., became the first Republican since Reconstruction to have been elected to the Louisiana State Senate from the 32nd District, which includes Caldwell Parish.

Former State Senator J.D. DeBlieux, who represented East Baton Rouge Parish from 1956-1960 and again from 1964-1976, was born in Columbia and graduated in 1929 from Caldwell Parish High School. He was known for his early stand on civil rights.

Fox McKeithen once taught social studies at Caldwell Parish High School. Other public schools include Caldwell Parish Junior High School in Columbia, and four elementary schools -- Union Central Elementary, Kelly Elementary, Grayson Elementary, and Columbia Elementary.

1 Geography
- 1.1 Major highways
- 1.2 Adjacent parishes
2 Demographics
3 Cities and towns
4 Education
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Geography

The parish has a total area of 541 square miles (1,400 km²), of which, 529 square miles (1,371 km²) of it is land and 11 square miles (29 km²) of it (2.09%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent parishes

Ouachita Parish (north)
Richland Parish (northeast)
Franklin Parish (east)
Catahoula Parish (southeast)
La Salle Parish (south)
Winn Parish (southwest)
Jackson Parish (northwest)

[edit] Demographics


Census	Pop.		%±
1900	6,917		—
1910	8,593		24.2%
1920	9,514		10.7%
1930	10,430		9.6%
1940	12,046		15.5%
1950	10,293		−14.6%
1960	9,004		−12.5%
1970	9,354		3.9%
1980	10,761		15%
1990	9,810		−8.8%
2000	10,560		7.6%
Est. 2006	10,615	^[2]	0.5%
Caldwell Parish Census Data^[3]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 10,560 people, 3,941 households, and 2,817 families residing in the parish. The population density was 20 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 5,035 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 80.43% White, 17.90% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.47% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,941 households out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 12.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the parish the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 103.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.20 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $26,972, and the median income for a family was $33,653. Males had a median income of $29,677 versus $19,475 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,884. About 17.70% of families and 21.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.10% of those under age 18 and 19.50% of those age 65 or over.