Choudrant, Louisiana

Village of Choudrant
Village
250px Choudrant High School
Motto: Louisiana's Front Porch"
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Lincoln
Elevation	157 ft (47.9 m)
Coordinates
Area	1.8 sq mi (4.7 km2)
- land	1.8 sq mi (5 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	845 (2010)
Density	469.4 / sq mi (181.2 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	318
Location of Choudrant in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: Village of Choudrant, Louisiana

File:Choudrant, LA, Village Hall IMG 0105.JPG

Choudrant Village Hall

Choudrant is a village in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 845 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Choudrant is located at (32.530269, -92.512405).

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

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	393		—
1930	394		0.3%
1940	438		11.2%
1950	395		−9.8%
1960	465		17.7%
1970	555		19.4%
1980	809		45.8%
1990	557		−31.1%
2000	582		4.5%
2010	845		45.2%
Est. 2014	933		10.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 582 people, 234 households, and 167 families residing in the village. The population density was 318.9 per square mile (123.5/km²). There were 257 housing units at an average density of 140.8 per square mile (54.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.92% White, 6.53% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.03% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 234 households out of which 35.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% are married couples living together, 11.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% are non-families. 24.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.49 and the average family size is 2.98.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $37,321, and the median income for a family was $42,656. Males had a median income of $30,855 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,726. About 4.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those 65 and older.

Economy

As a village, Choudrant has limited business opportunity. There are several "home grown" businesses within the village limits. Some of the more notable are Parnell's Station, Ken's Mini Mart, Spiller's Service Station, Morrison's Building Supply, Choudrant Appliance, and Doody's Diner. The most prominent of local businesses is Community Trust Bank, originally founded as the Bank of Choudrant. It has since grown to become one of the largest banks in both Lincoln Parish and the neighboring Ouachita Parish. Despite its growth though, the FDIC still recognizes the original Choudrant branch as its home office. Community Trust also sponsored the Louisiana Peach Festival in Ruston until 2005, whence sponsorship was taken up by Squire Creek Country Club.

A Pilgrim's Pride poultry hatchery in Choudrant was marked for closure early in 2009, along with other company operations in nearby Arcadia in Bienville Parish, Athens in Claiborne Parish, and Farmerville in Union Parish. The closures cost this part of North Louisiana some 1,300 jobs. 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 in Farmerville, 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.

Government

Choudrant is served by four elected officials—a mayor and three village aldermen. Other public employees include a town clerk and a small police force. For many years, Choudrant was served by only one law enforcement officer, its police chief, but the force has grown in recent years adding additional officers and a canine unit. The Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Office also provides law enforcement services as needed.

Fire protection in the Village is provided by the Choudrant Volunteer Fire Department.

Education

File:First Baptist Church of Choudrant, LA IMG 0110.JPG

First Baptist Church of Choudrant

Choudrant is located within the fifth district of the Lincoln Parish School System. There are two schools within the Choudrant district—Choudrant Elementary and Choudrant High. The elementary school services between 400 and 450 students in grades K-6 while the high school contains approximately 350 students in grade levels 7-12. Both schools are well known as having high academic achievement under the state's school improvement plan and No Child Left Behind. One sore point for the community is the fact that both school facilities are falling into decline. The high school was rebuilt in 1937 after a fire and has had no substantive renovations or updates since that time. Choudrant Elementary was similarly rebuilt and expanded after a fire in the 1970s, but the student population has outgrown its walls. However, attempts to renovate the high school and rebuild the elementary school were halted in 2007 when citizens of the school district voted by a 2-1 majority against passage of a bond issue to fund such changes.

Notable people

• Bill Bagwell, baseball player
• Milburn E. Calhoun, physician, philanthropist, and owner of Pelican Publishing Company of Gretna, is interred at Sibley Cemetery in Choudrant.
• Jimmy Childress, Ruston High School state and national championship football coach, retired to Choudrant
• Jerry Huckaby, former U.S. Representative, has retired to Choudrant.
• John Rufo Younse (1878-1955), timber businessman

External links

• Village of Choudrant
• Choudrant Fire Department