| Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana | |
Location in the state of Louisiana |
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Louisiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | March 31, 1807 |
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| Named for | Avoyel Native Americans |
| Seat | Marksville |
| Largest city | Marksville |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
866 sq mi (2,242 km²) 832 sq mi (2,156 km²) 33 sq mi (86 km²), 3.84% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
41,481 50/sq mi (19/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Avoyelles (French: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.
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Avoyelles Parish is known for its French-speaking history, with traditions in music and food. The area was first settled by Native Americans around 300 BC. Today on the banks of the old Mississippi River channel in Marksville, three large burial mounds, a museum and a National Park commemorate their civilization. Tunicas from the Natchez tribes east of the river conquered and assimilated with the Avoyels nearly two centuries ago and are currently the largest Native American group in Avoyelles.
Spanish and African traders were probably the first foreigners to arrive in the area by 1750. In late the 18th century European families from Normandy and other parts of France, Scotland, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Spain arrived and established the towns and villages that exist today. Their direct ties to Europe set them apart from the Acadians (Cajuns) of most of southern Louisiana. Later, blacks serving under Napoleon and those loyal to France in Haiti and the French West Indies settled in Avoyelles. Arriving as refugees, they were taken in by the Native American and European families of the area. The blending of these three cultures created a distinct Creole culture noted in the local language, food and family ties.
Today the Avoyelles Parish culture conveniently falls under the larger umbrella of "Cajun" because of the similarities in speech, food, and various folk traditions. "Coonass", a popular colloquialism, would be another appropriate description for the people of Avoyelles Parish.[1][2]
In 1906, V.L. Roy served as education superintendent in both Avoyelles and Lafayette parishes. In 1908, he helped with the founding of the Corn Club, later known as the Louisiana 4-H Club.[3]
The parish has a total area of 866 square miles (2,242.9 km2), of which 832 square miles (2,154.9 km2) is land and 33 square miles (85.5 km2) (3.84%) is water.
| La Salle Parish and Catahoula Parish | Concordia Parish | |||
| Rapides Parish | West Feliciana Parish | |||
| Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana | ||||
| Evangeline Parish | St. Landry Parish | Pointe Coupee Parish |
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 41,481 people, 14,736 households, and 10,580 families residing in the parish. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 16,576 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 68.47% White, 29.49% Black or African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.64% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 2.12% speak Spanish.
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 1,209 |
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| 1820 | 2,245 | 85.7% | |
| 1830 | 3,484 | 55.2% | |
| 1840 | 6,616 | 89.9% | |
| 1850 | 9,326 | 41.0% | |
| 1860 | 13,167 | 41.2% | |
| 1870 | 12,926 | −1.8% | |
| 1880 | 16,747 | 29.6% | |
| 1890 | 25,112 | 49.9% | |
| 1900 | 29,701 | 18.3% | |
| 1910 | 34,102 | 14.8% | |
| 1920 | 35,300 | 3.5% | |
| 1930 | 34,926 | −1.1% | |
| 1940 | 39,256 | 12.4% | |
| 1950 | 38,031 | −3.1% | |
| 1960 | 37,606 | −1.1% | |
| 1970 | 37,751 | 0.4% | |
| 1980 | 41,393 | 9.6% | |
| 1990 | 39,159 | −5.4% | |
| 2000 | 41,481 | 5.9% | |
| Est. 2008 | 42,360 | [5] | 2.1% |
| Avoyelles Parish Census Data[6] | |||
There were 14,736 households out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.70% were married couples living together, 15.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the parish the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $23,851, and the median income for a family was $29,389. Males had a median income of $27,122 versus $18,250 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $12,146. About 21.70% of families and 25.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.50% of those under age 18 and 25.00% of those age 65 or over.
All primary public schools are run by the Avoyelles Parish School Board. It operates 10 schools with an enrollment over 6,000 students. The school board website is http://www.avoyellespsb.com/.[7]
1020th Engineer Company (Vertical) of the 527th Engineer Battalion of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in Marksville.
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