Farmerville, Louisiana
| Town of Farmerville | |
| Town | |
 Welcome sign at Farmerville | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Union |
| Elevation | 171 ft (52.1 m) |
| Coordinates | 32°46′25″N 92°24′15″W / 32.77361°N 92.40417°WCoordinates: 32°46′25″N 92°24′15″W / 32.77361°N 92.40417°W |
| Area | 5.6 sq mi (14.5 km2) |
| - land | 5.5 sq mi (14 km2) |
| - water | 0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 1.79% |
| Population | 3,860 (2010) |
| Density | 691.7 / sq mi (267.1 / km2) |
| Mayor | M. Stein Baughman, Jr. (D) Town Marshal: E. "Bim" Coulberston (D) |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code | 318 |
  Location of Farmerville in Louisiana
| |
 Location of Louisiana in the United States
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| Website: http://www.farmerville.org | |
Farmerville (French: Fermierville) is a town in and the parish seat of Union Parish, Louisiana, United States.[1] The population was 3,860 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is spread about Lake D'Arbonne, a popular fishing and boating waterway.
The Pilgrim's Pride poultry processing and protein conversion plant in Farmerville was slated for closure early in 2009, along with other company operations in nearby Arcadia in Bienville Parish, Athens in Claiborne Parish, and Choudrant in Union Parish. The closures impacted some 1,300 jobs in North Louisiana.[2] Several weeks later, however, Pilgrim's Pride accepted an $80 million offer from Foster Farms of California to purchase the operations. In addition, to the 1,300 direct jobs, the purchase spares the small farms of some three hundred independent growers. Foster Farms put up $40 million and the State of Louisiana a matching $40 million. Foster Farms will further invest $10 million in capital improvements at the Farmerville plant, to be matched by the state, in an agreement announced by Governor Bobby Jindal.[3]
Geography
Farmerville is located at 32°46′25″N 92°24′15″W / 32.77361°N 92.40417°W (32.773736, -92.404257).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.6 square miles (15 km2), of which, 5.5 square miles (14 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.72%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 3,808 people, 1,366 households, and 932 families residing in the town. The population density was 691.7 people per square mile (266.8/km²). There were 1,554 housing units at an average density of 282.3 per square mile (108.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 34.03% White, 63.52% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.71% of the population.
There were 1,366 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 28.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $23,598, and the median income for a family was $26,756. Males had a median income of $26,798 versus $19,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,258. About 23.3% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.3% of those under age 18 and 27.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Residents are assigned to Union Parish School District.
- Union Parish Elementary School
- Union Parish Junior High School
- Union Parish High School
- Union Christian Academy
- Downsville Charter School
- D'Arbonne Woods Charter School
As of 2013, Farmerville High School was renamed Union Parish High School.
Notable people
- Thomas "Bud" Brady, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1976 to 1988 from La Salle Parish; a radio announcer in Farmerville in the early 1960s[6]
- Donovan Chapman, Country music artist
- Hollis Downs, former state representative from Lincoln and Union parishes, born in Farmerville in 1946
- James Walter Elder, was a member of the United States House of Representatives and a mayor of Farmerville
- William C. Feazel, interim U.S. Senator in 1948; member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Ouachita Parish from 1932–1936; father-in-law of former state Representative Shady R. Wall of West Monroe
- Harvey Fields, state senator from 1916 to 1920, member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission from 1927 to 1936, Farmerville resident and ally of Huey Pierce Long, Jr.[7]
- T. T. Fields (1912-1994), member of the Louisiana House from 1952 to 1964 and 1968 to 1972
- Alton Hardy Howard, co-founder of Howard Brothers Discount Stores; gospel songwriter; born in Rocky Branch community in 1925, based in West Monroe
- W. L. "Jack" Howard, five-term mayor of Monroe and partner of Howard Brothers Discount Stores, was born in the Rocky Branch community in 1921.[8]
- V. E. Howard, Church of Christ clergyman who founded the International Gospel Hour on radio, based in Texarkana, Texas; interred at Rocky Branch Cemetery[9]
- K.D. Kilpatrick, mortician and former member of the Louisiana State Senate
- W. Burch Lee (1883-1938), state representative for Webster Parish, 1914-1916; clerk of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in Shreveport; born in Farmerville[10]
- B. R. Patton (1920-1999), state senator from Lincoln and Union parishes from 1956 to 1964; worked to establish Lake D'Arbonne
- Fred Preaus (1912–1987), automobile dealer and timber businessman in Farmerville, state highway director (1952–1955), gubernatorial candidate in 1956
- Robert Roberts, Jr., Union Parish native, mayor of Farmerville c. 1900, mayor of Minden 1905-1906, state representative for Webster Parish 1908-1914, and state district judge 1920 to 1925[11]
- Don Shows, championship football coach, formerly at Farmerville High School
- James Peyton Smith (1925-2006), state representative from Union and Morehouse parishes from 1964 to 1972; namesake of bridge over Lake D'Arbonne in Farmerville[12]
- Lee Emmett Thomas (1866–1935), the mayor of Shreveport from 1922–1930 and Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1912–1916, practiced law in Farmerville from 1889-1896.[13]
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Farmerville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[14]
References
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ "Greg Hilburn and Robbie Evans, "Pilgrim's Pride decision a bombshell: Sites closing in Arcadia, Athens, Choudrant, Farmerville". Shreveport Times. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
- ↑ Greg Hilburn (March 21, 2009). "Saved: 1,300 jobs". Monroe News Star. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Obituaries: Thomas "Bud" Brady". meaningfulfunerals.net. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Harvey Goodwyn Fields, Sr.". findagrave.com. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ↑ "William Lorenza "Jack" Howard". findagrave.com. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Verna Elisha Howard (1911-2000)". therestorationmovement.com. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ↑ "W. Burch Lee Funeral Here in Afternoon: Former Clerk of Federal Court Expires After Week of Illness". The Shreveport Times through findagrave.com. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ↑ Henry E. Chambers, "Robert Roberts, Jr.", A History of Louisiana, Vol. 2 (Chicago and New York City, American Historical Society, Inc., 1925), pp. 21-22
- ↑ "Greg Hilburn, State honors the late Rep. Smith with bridge renaming, September 12, 2013". Monroe News-Star. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ↑ "LeeEmmett Thomas". files.usgwarchives.org. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- ↑ Climate Summary for Farmerville, Louisiana
External links
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