Grant Parish, Louisiana
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Grant Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Colfax. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 18,698. It was organized in 1869 and named for U.S. President Ulysses Simpson Grant. The parish seat is named for Grant's first vice president, Schuyler M. Colfax of Indiana. The vice president's name was pronounced COLE FAX, but the Louisiana town is pronounced COLL FAX.
[edit] Grant Parish politics
Grant Parish tends to vote Republican in competitive elections. In the 2004 presidential race, Grant Parish gave the George W. Bush - Richard B. Cheney electors 5,911 votes (74 percent) to 1,977 ballots (25 percent) for the Democratic John Kerry - John Edwards slate.
In a special election held on April 29, 2006, Billy Ray Chandler (born 1938), a Democrat from Dry Prong in Grant Parish, won election to the Louisiana House of Representatives. He defeated the Republican candidate, Tony Kevin Owens (born 1960).
From 1992-1996, Grant Parish was represented in the legislature by an Independent, Stephen Lee "Steve" Gunn, who has been the mayor of Montgomery since 2002.
Grant Parish had the highest growth rate in central Louisiana in the five-year period between 2001 and 2006, according to projections of the United States Census Bureau. The parish has had a 4.3 percent growth rate compared to 1.7 percent for its larger neighbor, Rapides Parish. Some neighboring parishes have experienced population decreases. http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/NEWS01/612200318
[edit] Geography
The parish has a total area of 1,721 km² (665 mi²). 1,671 km² (645 mi²) of it is land and 50 km² (19 mi²) of it (2.93%) is water.
[edit] Major Highways
[edit] Adjacent parishes
- Winn Parish (north)
- La Salle Parish (east)
- Rapides Parish (south)
- Natchitoches Parish (west)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 11/km² (29/mi²). There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (13/mi²). The racial makeup of the parish was 85.43% White, 11.88% Black or African American, 0.89% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,073 households out of which 36.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the parish the population was spread out with 28.30% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $29,622, and the median income for a family was $34,878. Males had a median income of $31,235 versus $20,470 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $14,410. About 16.90% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.30% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over.
