Alexandria, Louisiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Alexandria is a city in Louisiana, U.S.A.; it is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 46,342. It is the largest municipality of Greater Alexandria (population 123,211) along with Pineville, Ball, Boyce, Woodworth, & Lecompte.
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Geography
Alexandria is located at 31° 17′ 34″ N, 92° 27′ 33″ W1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 69.9 km² (27.0 mi²). 68.4 km² (26.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.15% water.
Alexandria is on a level plain in the center of the Louisiana Longleaf Pine forests, in which pine is interspersed with various hardwoods. In the immediate vicinity of the city, cotton, sugar, alfalfa and garden vegetables are cultivated.
History
Originally home to a community supporting activities of the adjacent Spanish outpost of Post du Rapides, the area developed as a vibrant yet sometimes debaucherous assemblage of traders and merchants in the agricultural lands bordering the mostly unsettled areas to the north, and providing a link to from the south to the El Camino Real and then larger settlement of Natchitoches. Alexander Fulton, a Pennsylvania businessman, received a land grant from Spain in 1785 and the first organized settlement was made at that time. In 1805. Fulton and business partner Thomas Harris Maddox laid out the town plan and named the town after Fulton's infant daughter who died around that time. It was first incorporated as a town in 1818 and received a city charter in 1882.
The Civil War
Settled by northerners, home to General Sherman, and having little culturally in common with the majority of the American South, Alexandria found itself in a strange quandry during the American Civil War. Regardless of political inclinations or loyalties to North or South, it's location on the Red River made the city a major Strategic Target. In the spring of 1863 a Union fleet under Admiral David D. Porter, operating on the Red River, co-operated with land forces under General N. P. Banks in pushing the Confederates westward. Alexandria was occupied on May 7, 1863, but the troops were soon withdrawn for the Port Hudson attack. On March 19, 1864 it was again occupied by the Union forces, who made it the point of concentration for another land and naval expedition against E. Kirby Smith and Shreveport. After the check of this expedition and its abandonment, Alexandria was again vacated on the 12th-13th of May, when the city was almost entirely burned, leaving only a few homes owned by friends of Union General Sherman and the city's Cathedral which had been defended from fire squads by a shotgun wielding bishop at its front door. The Union gunboats, which had passed up the river toward Shreveport at high water, were caught in its decline above the falls at Alexandria, but they were saved by a splendid piece of engineering (a dam at the falls), constructed by Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bailey (1827-1867), who for this service received the thanks of Congress and the brevet of brigadier-general of volunteers.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 46,342 people, 17,816 households, and 11,722 families residing in the city. The population density is 677.5/km² (1,754.6/mi²). There are 19,806 housing units at an average density of 289.6/km² (749.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 42.60% White, 54.75% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 0.98% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 17,816 households out of which 31.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% are married couples living together, 23.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% are non-families. 30.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.50 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 77.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,097, and the median income for a family is $31,978. Males have a median income of $29,456 versus $20,154 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,242. 27.4% of the population and 23.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 37.7% of those under the age of 18 and 18.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Sports teams
Until 2003, Alexandria was the home of the Alexandria Aces minor league baseball team.
External links
- City of Alexandria : Government and community services.
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
