Richland Parish, Louisiana

Richland Parish is a parish located in the North Louisiana Delta Country in the U.S. state of Louisiana, known for its fertile, flat farmland, cane brakes, and open spaces. The parish had a population of 20,043 at the 2020 United States census. The name Richland was chosen due to the rich production from farming. The parish seat and largest community is Rayville.

History The parish was officially created on September 29, 1868. Rayville, Louisiana, the parish seat, was named for John Ray, a politician from Monroe with large land holdings in present-day Rayville.

Richland Parish is home to the first public parish library in the State of Louisiana, the Rhymes Memorial Library. The library was built in 1925 by the Lambda Kappa Club of Rayville. R.R. Rhymes donated the original building in memory of his wife, Nonnie Roark Rhymes.

In 2024, Louisiana state political leaders cleared regulatory and tax disincentives to attract a data center for Meta called Hyperion to be built upon approximately six square miles in Richland Parish. The legislation was created and passed in secret, with state officials and legislators bound by controversial non-disclosure agreements. The data center is located on mostly abandoned former rice and soybean farms. As temporary workers arrived to build the project, some longtime residents saw rents increase six-fold and were forced to relocate to areas not affected by the influx.

Geography Bayou Macon flows through the eastern areas of Richland. Other tributaries in the parish include Crew Lake, and the Lafourche Diversion Canal are located in the western portion of the parish. Boeuf River flows from the northern end to the southern end in the center of the parish.

Adjacent parishes Morehouse Parish (north) West Carroll Parish (northeast) East Carroll Parish (east) Madison Parish (east) Franklin Parish (south) Caldwell Parish (southwest) Ouachita Parish (west)

Parks and wildlife management areas Poverty Point Reservoir State Park Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area

Communities Towns Delhi Rayville (parish seat and largest municipality)

Village Mangham

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated place Start

Unincorporated communities

Alto Archibald Bardel Bee Bayou Buckner Charlieville Crew Lake Dehlco Dunn Four Forks Gilleyville Girard Holly Ridge Jonesburg Mitchiner New Light Rhymes Sacksonia Warden

Transportation

Interstates and State Highways Interstate 20 U.S. Highway 80 U.S. Highway 425 Louisiana Highway 15 Louisiana Highway 17 Louisiana Highway 132 Louisiana Highway 133 Louisiana Highway 134 Louisiana Highway 135 Louisiana Highway 183 Louisiana Highway 561 Louisiana Highway 576 Louisiana Highway 583 Louisiana Highway 584 Louisiana Highway 585 Louisiana Highway 595 Louisiana Highway 609 Louisiana Highway 622 Louisiana Highway 852 Louisiana Highway 854 Louisiana Highway 855 Louisiana Highway 856 Louisiana Highway 877 Louisiana Highway 3048

Air, Rail, Levee Rayville Municipal Airport Delhi Municipal Airport Monroe Regional Airport Kansas City Southern Railroad Tensas Basin Levee District

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 20,043, a median age of 40.4 years, with 23.3% of residents under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 98.4 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 7,674 households in the parish, including 4,972 families; 32.4% had children under the age of 18, 42.4% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, 33.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present, 27.8% consisted of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The racial makeup of the parish was 58.8% White, 36.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 8,628 housing units, of which 11.1% were vacant; 68.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied and 31.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.

Racial and ethnic composition +Richland Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)14,15312,91012,66712,71411,66763.79%62.58%60.37%61.35%58.21%Black or African American alone (NH)7,7547,4927,9277,4067,30334.95%36.32%37.78%35.73%36.44%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)11142657530.05%0.07%0.12%0.28%0.26%Asian alone (NH)21133654500.09%0.06%0.17%0.26%0.25%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census020xx0.00%0.01%0.00%Other race alone (NH)2136660.01%0.00%0.01%0.03%0.33%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census95154504xx0.45%0.74%2.51%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2461992273324001.11%0.96%1.08%1.60%2.00%Total22,18720,62920,98120,72520,043 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Education Public schools Delhi Elementary Delhi Middle School Delhi High School Holly Ridge Elementary Mangham Elementary Mangham Junior High Mangham High School Rayville Elementary Rayville Junior High Rayville High School Start Elementary

Private schools Riverfield Academy, K–12

Charter schools Delhi Charter, K–12

Community and technical colleges Louisiana Delta Community College, (with campus locations in neighboring Tallulah, Winnsboro, Lake Providence, Bastrop, Monroe, and West Monroe.)

Regional universities University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana Tech University, (Ruston) Grambling State University, (Grambling)

Government Parish Administration Administrators Sheriff Gary Gilley, No Party Coroner Dr. Matt Prine, Republican Assessor Lee Brown, III, Democrat School Board Superintendent Sheldon JonesHomeland Security Dawn Williams

Parish Police Jury Police Jurors District 1, Delhi Steve Craig, Republican District 2, Delhi Patrick Stubblefield, Democrat District 3, Rayville Sharon Gee, Democrat District 4, Rayville Steve Lofton, Republican District 5, Rayville Paul Slayter, Republican District 6, Rayville Althan Smith, Democrat District 7, Alto Cecil Reddick, Republican District 8, Start Elliot Colvin, Republican District 9, Mangham Roy Wiggins Jr., Republican

5th Judicial District Parish Judicial Leaders Division "A" Clay Hamilton, Republican Division "B" Will Rhymes Barham, Republican Division "C" Steve Dean, Republican Clerk of Court Stacie Williamson, Republican

Parish School Board Board Members District 1, Delhi Billy Calvert, No Party District 2, Delhi Eugene Young Jr., Democrat District 3, Rayville Moses "DeJohn" Wilkins, Democrat District 4, Rayville James Hough, Republican District 5, Rayville Alece Copeland, No Party District 6, Rayville Marie Lewis, Democrat District 7, Archibald Joe Chapman, No Party District 8, Start Kevin Eppinette, No Party District 9, Mangham Chris Pruitt, Republican

Notable people Julia Letlow, from Start, elected Member of Congress in the United States House of Representatives. Luke Letlow, from Start, elected to the United States House of Representatives, but died of a heart attack caused by COVID-19 before he could be seated. Ralph Abraham, from Alto, elected Member of Congress in United States House of Representatives. Harry W. Addison was a Southern author and humorist who resided in Rayville from 1945 to 1957. Jamar Adcock, a politician and banker in Monroe, born in Richland Parish. Terry Doughty, is a federally appointed judge for the Western District of Louisiana. Elvin Hayes, Hall of Fame basketball player, born in Rayville. Arlene Howell, Miss Louisiana USA 1958, Miss USA 1958. Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Richland Parish in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960. William L. Kirk, of Rayville was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe/Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe. Ernie Ladd, a football player/professional wrestler, born in Rayville. Moses J. Liddell was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as a judge for the Supreme Court of the Montana Territory. Wiley Person Mangham, an American publisher and editor. He is the namesake of the town of Mangham, Louisiana. Tim McGraw, Country musician, born in Delhi, and raised in Start. Robert Max Ross, was a Republican politician and activist who qualified to run for governor, U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House, for the purpose of advancing the two-party system in Louisiana, at a time it did not exist. Francis C. Thompson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1975 until 2008, in the Louisiana State Senate from 2008 until 2020, and again in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2020 to present.

Gallery

Politics

Richland Parish, Louisiana

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