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Livingston Parish, Louisiana

Coordinates: 30°26′N 90°44′W / 30.44°N 90.73°W / 30.44; -90.73
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Livingston Parish
Parish
Livingston Parish Courthouse in Livingston
Livingston Parish Courthouse in Livingston
Map of Louisiana highlighting Livingston Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Map of the United States highlighting Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°26′N 90°44′W / 30.44°N 90.73°W / 30.44; -90.73
Country United States
State Louisiana
FoundedFebruary 10, 1832
Named forEdward Livingston
SeatLivingston
Largest cityDenham Springs
Area
 • Total
703 sq mi (1,820 km2)
 • Land648 sq mi (1,680 km2)
 • Water55 sq mi (140 km2)  7.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
142,282
 • Density200/sq mi (78/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district6th
Websitewww.livingstonparishla.gov

Livingston Parish (French: Paroisse de Livingston, Spanish: Parroquia de Livingston) is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is the town of Livingston.[1] Livingston Parish is one of the Florida Parishes, a region which, unlike the rest of the state, was part of the Spanish Empire rather than the French Empire.

The name Livingston is an eponym honoring Edward Livingston, an American jurist and statesman who assisted in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825.[2]

Livingston Parish is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area. At the 2020 census, the population of the county was 142,282.[3] Livingston Parish is part of Louisiana's 6th congressional district.

History

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Livingston Parish was created by the state legislature in 1832 from part of St. Helena Parish. The historical parish seats were Van Buren (1832–1835), Springfield (1835–1872), Port Vincent (1872–1881), and Centerville (1881–1941). Livingston became the seat of government in 1941.[4]

During the 2016 Louisiana floods, Livingston Parish was one of the hardest hit areas. An official estimated that 75 percent of the homes in the parish were a total loss.[5]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 703 square miles (1,820 km2), of which 648 square miles (1,680 km2) is land and 55 square miles (140 km2) (7.8%) is water.[6]

Major highways

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State park

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Adjacent parishes

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Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Villages

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Census-designated place

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Unincorporated communities

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Historic Community

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18402,315—
18503,38546.2%
18604,43130.9%
18704,026−9.1%
18805,25830.6%
18905,7699.7%
19008,10040.4%
191010,62731.2%
192011,6439.6%
193018,20656.4%
194017,790−2.3%
195020,05412.7%
196026,97434.5%
197036,51135.4%
198058,80661.1%
199070,52619.9%
200091,81430.2%
2010128,02639.4%
2020142,28211.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
Livingston Parish racial composition as of 2020[8]
Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 114,876 80.74%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 11,178 7.86%
Native American 365 0.26%
Asian 1,116 0.78%
Pacific Islander 36 0.03%
Other/Mixed 5,920 4.16%
Hispanic or Latino 8,791 6.18%

At the 2000 United States census,[9] there were 91,814 people, 32,630 households, and 25,549 families residing in the parish. The population density was 142 inhabitants per square mile (55/km2). There were 36,212 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile (22/km2). The racial makeup of the parish was 94.35% White, 4.22% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races; 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latin American of any race.

There were 32,630 households, out of which 41.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.10% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.70% were non-families. 18.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the parish the population was spread out, with 29.50% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $38,887, and the median income for a family was $44,071. Males had a median income of $36,508 versus $22,325 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $16,282. As of August 2001, about 43,800 people were employed in the parish. The unemployment rate was 4.8%. About 9.10% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.70% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.

Hurricane Katrina had a dramatic effect on the population in Livingston Parish. Many displaced families of the affected parishes have moved into the area, and as a result the population of Livingston Parish has increased significantly. On June 6, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau published a report "Special Population Estimates for Impacted Counties in the Gulf Coast Area" which showed a population increase for Livingston Parish to 111,863 as of January 1, 2006.[10]

The 2019 American Community Survey estimated 138,928 people and 48,410 households lived in the parish, up from 128,026 at the 2010 United States census.[11] Its racial and ethnic makeup was 90.3% non-Hispanic white, 6.0% Black and African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian alone, 0.8% some other race, 1.8% two or more races, and 3.7% Hispanic or Latin American of any race. At the 2020 United States census, there were 142,282 people, 47,014 households, and 32,840 families residing in the parish.

Among the population in 2019, 74.1% were aged 18 and older, 6.6% aged 5 and under, and 12.9% aged 65 and older. The median age was 36.6, and 2.2% of the population were foreign born.

An estimated 10,280 businesses were established in the parish, and 1,105 were minority-owned firms. Of the population, 59.3% were employed in the parish and 81.8% owned housing units. The median house value was $167,100, and the median gross rent from 2015 to 2019 was $934. The median household income was $63,389 and 15.2% of the parish lived at or below the poverty line.

Livingston Parish, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, is dominated by the Southern Baptist Convention as its single largest religious group. Southern Baptists numbered 30,815 and the Catholic Church was the parish's second largest religious group with 14,007 followed by non-denominational Protestants with 11,230 members.[12]

Economy

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Livingston Parish is home of one of two installations for the gravitational wave observatory (LIGO) which is a facility dedicated to the detection of cosmic gravitational waves for scientific research.[13] As of January 2015, Livingston Parish was Louisiana's fastest-growing parish.[14]

Education

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The Livingston Parish Public Schools operates all public schools in the parish. The parish in the service area of Baton Rouge Community College.[15]

Law and government

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Livingston Parish is a Council-President parish governed by a Home Rule Charter and enforced by a Parish Council and Parish President. The Parish President is the head of the executive branch of government, and the Parish Council comprises the legislative branch.[16]

Livingston Parish is divided into nine council districts. The borders of each district are drawn to even out the population in each district.

At the end of 2014, the construction of a new Livingston Parish Courthouse was completed, with the ribbon-cutting scheduled for mid-February 2015. The new facility contains over 100,000 square feet of governmental office space; it replaces an antiquated complex dating back more than seventy years.[14]

Together with the parishes of St. Helena and Tangipahoa, Livingston Parish forms Louisiana's 21st judicial district.

Politics

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For much of its history, Livingston Parish voted Democratic, being characteristic of the "Solid South". It demonstrated Piney Woods voting behavior in 1928, where it was Herbert Hoover’s best parish in Louisiana, though he still lost it by about 3.5%. Like other parishes in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area, Livingston remained loyal to Harry S. Truman in 1948 and to Adlai Stevenson II in 1956, when Louisiana's electoral votes went to Strom Thurmond and Dwight D. Eisenhower respectively. Barry Goldwater became the first Republican to win the parish in 1964. Dixiecrat George Wallace carried the parish in 1968, and Richard Nixon in 1972 made it Republican for the second time. It then returned to the Democrats, going to Jimmy Carter in both 1976 and 1980.

In recent years, Livingston Parish has been one of the most Republican parishes in Louisiana, and one of the most Republican county-equivalents in the nation. It has gone Republican in every presidential election since 1984. In the 2004 election, George W. Bush received 33,976 votes, or 77% of the parish's total, more than three times the 9,895 votes (22%) his opponent, John Kerry, received.[17] The Republicans fared better still in the 2008 election, in which John McCain received 43,269 votes (85% of the total) to just 6,681 votes (13%) for Democrat Barack Obama. Livingston Parish has voted about 85% Republican in every election since then.

United States presidential election results for Livingston Parish, Louisiana[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 55,101 83.61% 9,965 15.12% 840 1.27%
2020 54,877 84.13% 9,249 14.18% 1,104 1.69%
2016 48,824 84.57% 6,950 12.04% 1,956 3.39%
2012 45,513 84.19% 7,451 13.78% 1,098 2.03%
2008 43,269 85.02% 6,681 13.13% 942 1.85%
2004 33,976 76.78% 9,895 22.36% 382 0.86%
2000 24,889 67.51% 11,008 29.86% 968 2.63%
1996 16,159 47.39% 13,276 38.94% 4,660 13.67%
1992 14,808 47.13% 11,499 36.60% 5,114 16.28%
1988 15,779 61.29% 9,659 37.52% 305 1.18%
1984 17,465 65.72% 8,913 33.54% 198 0.75%
1980 10,666 47.18% 11,319 50.06% 624 2.76%
1976 5,555 34.95% 9,875 62.13% 465 2.93%
1972 7,481 72.96% 1,898 18.51% 874 8.52%
1968 947 7.73% 1,400 11.42% 9,907 80.85%
1964 5,508 61.08% 3,509 38.92% 0 0.00%
1960 954 14.39% 2,881 43.47% 2,793 42.14%
1956 1,628 37.24% 2,571 58.81% 173 3.96%
1952 1,436 28.64% 3,578 71.36% 0 0.00%
1948 264 7.61% 1,841 53.04% 1,366 39.35%
1944 343 12.24% 2,460 87.76% 0 0.00%
1940 252 7.82% 2,971 92.18% 0 0.00%
1936 496 17.04% 2,414 82.96% 0 0.00%
1932 89 4.36% 1,953 95.64% 0 0.00%
1928 975 48.22% 1,047 51.78% 0 0.00%
1924 110 14.34% 657 85.66% 0 0.00%
1920 218 24.41% 674 75.48% 1 0.11%
1916 35 6.29% 503 90.47% 18 3.24%
1912 3 0.63% 379 80.13% 91 19.24%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  2. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 188.
  3. ^ "QuickFacts: Livingston Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  4. ^ StoppingPoints.com. "Livingston Parish Historical Marker".
  5. ^ Michael Kunzelman (August 16, 2016). "Louisiana governor: 40K homes damaged by historic flooding". Yahoo! News. AP. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  8. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. ^ United States Census Bureau. "Special Population Estimates for Impacted Counties in the Gulf Coast Area". Archived from the original on February 25, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  11. ^ "Geography Profile: Livingston Parish, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Maps and data files for 2020 | U.S. Religion Census | Religious Statistics & Demographics". www.usreligioncensus.org. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  13. ^ https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/LA/page/about
  14. ^ a b Livingston Business Journal, Jan. 2015, p. 26.
  15. ^ "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  16. ^ Louisiana Parish Government Structure Archived May 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Louisiana Police Jury
  17. ^ a b Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
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Geology

30°26′N 90°44′W / 30.44°N 90.73°W / 30.44; -90.73

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