Belcher is a village in

Caddo Parish Caddo Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de Caddo'') is a parish located in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 237,848. The parish seat is Shreveport, which developed a ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States. The population was 263 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Shreveport- Bossier city metropolitan statistical area.

History

Previously named Horseshoe after the bayou that runs through the town, Belcher was renamed in 1899 after James Clinton Belcher, a former confederate soldier and overseer of Wild Lucia plantation.

Geography

Belcher is located in northeastern Caddo Parish at (32.750518, -93.833772), less than northwest of the Red River.

U.S. Route 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstat ...

passes through the western side of the village, leading north to Gilliam and south to

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

Interstate 49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas s ...

at Exit 228 is west of the center of town. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Belcher has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 272 people, 99 households, and 78 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 107 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 75.37%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 23.90%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and 0.74% Native American. There were 99 households, out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.13. In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $39,167, and the median income for a family was $40,469. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $20,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $16,954. About 6.3% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 4.3% of those 65 or over.

Notable people

* Lloyd Hendrick, state senator from 1940 to 1948; graduated from Belcher High School * Ansel M. Stroud, Jr.,

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the

Louisiana National Guard The Louisiana National Guard is the armed force through which the Louisiana Military Department executes the U.S. state of Louisiana's security policy. Consisting of the Louisiana Army National Guard, a reserve component of the United States Army; ...

from 1980 to 1997, graduated from Belcher High School. *

Clyde Connell Clyde Connell (September 19, 1901 – May 2, 1998) was an American self-taught abstract expressionist sculptor. Her works are known for reflecting the nature of Louisiana and the culture of Jim Crow South. Life Born as Minnie Clyde Dixon on a ...

References

{{authority control Villages in Caddo Parish, Louisiana Villages in Louisiana Villages in Shreveport – Bossier City metropolitan area