St. Francisville, Louisiana

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The town of St. Francisville is the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,712.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] Geography

St. Francisville is located at 30°47′5″N, 91°22′50″W^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²), all land.

[edit] History

The town of St. Francisville was established in 1809, planned by Johnson. Said to be a town "two miles long and two yards wide", St. Francisville is set in a unique location on a bluff of the Mississippi river. Several of the buildings in the town today were moved up the hill from the town of Bayou Sara which had been built on the river sometime before and had grown into the largest shipping port on the Mississippi between Natchez and New Orleans.

St. Francisville was the capital of the short-lived Republic of West Florida in 1810.

Sarah Knox Taylor, daughter of Zachary Taylor, and wife of Jefferson Davis, lived in St. Francisville. She died here in 1835 and is buried here.

The town was and is the center of West Feliciana Parish.

St. Francisville is home to many houses and plantation homes that are on the national register of historic places. These include The Myrtles Plantation, Rosedown Plantation, Greenwood Plantation, Butler Greenwood Plantation, Oakley Plantation and many others. Many of the historic homes are open for tours and some operate as Bed and Breakfasts.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 1,712 people, 693 households, and 456 families residing in the town. The population density is 361.2/km² (936.9/mi²). There are 783 housing units at an average density of 165.2/km² (428.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 71.03% White, 27.22% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 693 households out of which 34.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% are married couples living together, 17.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% are non-families. 30.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.04.

In the town the population is spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $42,262, and the median income for a family is $54,333. Males have a median income of $41,563 versus $25,083 for females. The per capita income for the town is $21,639. 8.8% of the population and 5.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

The nearby Louisiana State Penitentiary or Angola is an important employer in St. Francisville.