Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ouachita Parish, Louisiana | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Louisiana |
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 Louisiana's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | information needed |
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| Seat | Monroe |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,639 km² (633 mi²) 1,581 km² (611 mi²) 57 km² (22 mi²), 3.50% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
148,287 93/km² |
| Website: www.oppj.org | |
Ouachita Parish is a parish (population 148,287 as of the 2000 census) located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Monroe. Ouachita Parish is included in the Monroe, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The parish bears the same name as the Ouachita River, which flows through southern Arkansas and northeastern Louisiana. A documentary entitled The Gift of the Ouachita by filmmaker George C. Brian (1919-2007), head of the Division of Theater and Drama at the University of Louisiana at Monroe is a history of Monroe as the "gift of the Ouachita River."
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[edit] Geography
The parish has a total area of 1,639 km² (633 mi²). 1,581 km² (611 mi²) of it is land and 57 km² (22 mi²) of it (3.50%) is water.
[edit] Major Highways
Interstate 20
U.S. Highway 80
U.S. Highway 165
Louisiana Highway 2
Louisiana Highway 15
Louisiana Highway 34
[edit] Adjacent parishes
- Union Parish (north)
- Morehouse Parish (northeast)
- Richland Parish (east)
- Caldwell Parish (south)
- Jackson Parish (southwest)
- Lincoln Parish (west)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 147,250 people, 55,216 households, and 38,319 families residing in the parish. The population density was 93/km² (241/mi²). There were 60,154 housing units at an average density of 38/km² (98/mi²). The racial makeup of the parish was 64.48% White, 33.63% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 55,216 households out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% were married couples living together, 17.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.60% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the parish the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 89.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.50 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $32,047, and the median income for a family was $40,206. Males had a median income of $31,616 versus $23,139 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $17,084. About 15.80% of families and 20.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.70% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.
