DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
Parish
Parish of DeSoto
DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield
DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield
Flag of DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
Flag
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
Founded1843
Named forsettler, Marcel DeSoto
Parish seatMansfield
Largest municipalityStonewall (area)
Mansfield (population)
Area
 • Total2,320 km2 (895 sq mi)
 • Land2,270 km2 (876 sq mi)
 • Water50 km2 (19 sq mi)
 • percentage5 km2 (2.1 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total26,812
 • Density12/km2 (30/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code318
Congressional district4th
WebsiteDeSoto Parish Government

DeSoto Parish (Spanish: Parroquia de DeSoto; French: Paroisse DeSoto) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1843.[1] At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 26,812.[2] Its parish seat is Mansfield.[3] DeSoto Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area.

History

It is a typical misconception that the parish was named after Hernando de Soto, the Spaniard who explored the future southeastern United States and discovered and named the Mississippi River.[4] The parish was in fact named after the unrelated Marcel DeSoto, who led the first group of European settlers there, to a settlement historically known as Bayou Pierre.[5] The parish's name is also commonly misspelled following the explorer's name as "De Soto Parish," but it is properly spelled following the settler's name as "DeSoto Parish."[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 895 square miles (2,320 km2), of which 876 square miles (2,270 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (2.1%) is water.[7]

Major highways

Adjacent parishes

National protected area

Communities

Map of DeSoto Parish, with municipal labels

City

  • Mansfield (parish seat and largest municipality)

Towns

Villages

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

  • Oxford

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18508,023—
186013,29865.7%
187014,96212.5%
188015,6034.3%
189019,86027.3%
190025,06326.2%
191027,68910.5%
192029,3766.1%
193031,0165.6%
194031,8032.5%
195024,398−23.3%
196024,248−0.6%
197022,764−6.1%
198025,72713.0%
199025,346−1.5%
200025,4940.6%
201026,6564.6%
202026,8120.6%
2021 (est.)26,919[2]0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010[12]
DeSoto Parish racial composition as of 2020[13]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 15,122 56.4%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 9,586 35.75%
Native American 242 0.9%
Asian 99 0.37%
Pacific Islander 12 0.05%
Other/Mixed 1,001 3.73%
Hispanic or Latino 762 2.84%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 26,812 people, 10,821 households, and 7,254 families residing in the parish. At the 2019 American Community Survey,[14] there were 10,821 households.

In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 58.8% non-Hispanic or Latino white, 35.3% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, <0.0% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.1% some other race, 1.9% two or more races, and 2.9% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.[15]

There were 10,821 households at the 2019 census estimates, and the home-ownership rate was 71.3%. Of the 7,716 owner-occupied units, 3,917 were married couples living together, 365 male households with no female present, and 896 female households with no male present. There was a 17.1% vacancy rate in the parish. The average family size was 3.07,[14] and the average household size was 2.50.[2]

In the parish, 75.5% were aged 18 and older, and 17.2% were aged 65 and older; the median age was 39.3, and 6.5% were aged 5 and under. Approximately 0.8% of the population were foreign-born, and 2.1% spoke a language other than English at home.

The median income for a household in the parish was $46,006; families had a median income of $56,323, married couples had a median income of $78,090, and non-family households had a median income of $25,314. An estimated 22% of the parish lived at or below the poverty line, and 30.6% of people aged under 18 were at or below the poverty line.

Education

Public schools in DeSoto Parish are operated by the DeSoto Parish School Board. It is in the service area of Bossier Parish Community College.[16]

Notable people

  • Larry Bagley (born 1949), incoming Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Caddo, Desoto, and Sabine parishes
  • Terry Bradshaw (born 1948), Hall of Fame professional football player, sportscaster, singer, and actor
  • Richard Burford (born 1946), current Louisiana state representative
  • Vida Blue (born 1949–2023), professional baseball player
  • C.L. Bryant (born 1956), Baptist minister and radio talk show host
  • Riemer Calhoun (1909–1994), state senator from 1944 to 1952 for DeSoto and Caddo parishes
  • Joe T. Cawthorn (1911–1967), state senator from 1940 to 1944 for DeSoto and Caddo parishes
  • Sherri Smith Cheek Buffington (born 1966), Louisiana State Senator
  • Joe Henry Cooper (1920–1980), Louisiana state representative
  • Kenny Ray Cox (born 1957), Louisiana state representative and former United States Army officer
  • Milton Joseph Cunningham (1842–1916), Natchitoches and New Orleans lawyer, state senator from Natchitoches and DeSoto parishes from 1880 to 1884; state attorney general for three nonconsecutive terms ending in 1900, born in what became DeSoto Parish
  • George Dement (1922–2014), mayor of Bossier City
  • John H. Eastman (1861–1938), mayor of Shreveport
  • Joseph Barton Elam (1821–1885), United States Representative from Louisiana's 4th congressional district
  • William J. Fleniken (1908–1979), U.S. attorney and state 1st Judicial District Court judge in Shreveport; born in DeSoto Parish[17]
  • William Pike Hall, Sr. (1896–1945), state senator for Caddo and DeSoto parishes, 1924–1932, Shreveport attorney[18]
  • John Spencer Hardy (1913–2012), United States Air Force lieutenant general
  • Albert Lewis (1960-), professional football player
  • Walter M. Lowrey (1921–1980), historian at Centenary College of Louisiana
  • Curtis W. McCoy, mayor of Mansfield
  • Garnie W. McGinty (1900–1984), historian at Louisiana Tech University and school principal
  • Mack Charles Reynolds (1935–1991), professional football player
  • Jayson Richardson, elected Sheriff of DeSoto Parish as a No Party candidate in 2018
  • B. H. "Johnny" Rogers (1905–1977), politician
  • C. O. Simpkins, Sr. (1925–2019 from Mansfield), African-American state representative, dentist, and civil rights activist in Shreveport[19]
  • O.C. Smith (1932–2001), singer

Politics

United States presidential election results for DeSoto Parish, Louisiana[20]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 9,112 61.83% 5,457 37.03% 167 1.13%
2016 8,068 59.76% 5,165 38.26% 267 1.98%
2012 7,353 56.34% 5,553 42.55% 145 1.11%
2008 6,883 56.16% 5,242 42.77% 132 1.08%
2004 6,211 54.79% 5,026 44.34% 99 0.87%
2000 5,260 49.64% 5,036 47.53% 300 2.83%
1996 3,526 33.52% 6,221 59.13% 773 7.35%
1992 3,643 33.06% 5,671 51.46% 1,707 15.49%
1988 5,022 47.76% 5,366 51.03% 128 1.22%
1984 5,989 55.77% 4,642 43.23% 108 1.01%
1980 4,349 42.11% 5,861 56.75% 117 1.13%
1976 3,601 43.14% 4,630 55.46% 117 1.40%
1972 4,017 56.16% 2,596 36.29% 540 7.55%
1968 974 11.37% 3,400 39.70% 4,190 48.93%
1964 3,954 75.92% 1,254 24.08% 0 0.00%
1960 1,603 36.11% 1,183 26.65% 1,653 37.24%
1956 2,011 53.33% 1,206 31.98% 554 14.69%
1952 2,303 57.85% 1,678 42.15% 0 0.00%
1948 270 9.72% 617 22.21% 1,891 68.07%
1944 538 22.45% 1,858 77.55% 0 0.00%
1940 211 6.84% 2,872 93.16% 0 0.00%
1936 93 3.83% 2,337 96.17% 0 0.00%
1932 87 3.47% 2,416 96.45% 2 0.08%
1928 517 26.32% 1,445 73.57% 2 0.10%
1924 118 9.25% 1,146 89.88% 11 0.86%
1920 56 4.39% 1,219 95.61% 0 0.00%
1916 17 1.52% 1,104 98.48% 0 0.00%
1912 11 1.20% 815 88.68% 93 10.12%

See also

References

  1. ↑ "DeSoto Parish". www.sfasu.edu. Center for Regional Heritage Research. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "QuickFacts: DeSoto Parish, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 105.
  5. ↑ Means, Emilia Gay Griffith, and Liz Chrysler. DeSoto Parish. Arcadia Publishing, 2011, p. 8.
  6. ↑ "DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court – Honorable Jeremy M. Evans". www.desotoparishclerk.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  12. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Geography Profile: DeSoto Parish, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  15. ↑ "2019 Demographic and Housing Estimates". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Retired Caddo district judge dies at 70, The Shreveport Times, May 6, 1979, p. 16-A
  18. ↑ "Funeral for Pike Hall at 11 A.M. Today – Prominent Attorney, Civic Leader Succumbs After Brief Illness". The Shreveport Times. December 17, 1945. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  19. ↑ "C. O. Simpkins, Sr.: Civil Rights Champion". cosimpkins.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  20. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.

Further reading

32°04′N 93°44′W / 32.06°N 93.74°W / 32.06; -93.74

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