New Llano is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Vernon Parish
Vernon Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Vernon'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,334. The parish seat is Leesville. Bordered on the west by the Sabine River, the parish was founde ...
,
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 2,504 at the
2010 census. It is part of the
Fort Polk South
Fort Polk South is a census-designated place (CDP) in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,000 at the 2000 census.
Fort Polk South is the larger principal city of the Fort Polk South-DeRidder CSA, a Combined Statistica ...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Originally known as Stables, the town was renamed when 200 members of the Socialist commune
Llano del Rio
Llano del Rio was a Commune (intentional community), commune (or "colony") located in what is now Llano, California, east of Palmdale, California, Palmdale in the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County. The colony was ...
Cooperative Colony in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
relocated to this site in 1917, giving the town its present name. It continued to function as a socialist commune with citizens pooling and sharing resources and wealth until 1937.
History
The ''New Llano Cooperative Colony'' was founded in 1917 when
Job Harriman
Job Harriman (January 15, 1861 – October 26, 1925) was an ordained minister who later became an agnostic and a socialist. In 1900, he ran for vice president of the United States along with Eugene Debs on the ticket of the Socialist Party of ...
relocated, with other commune members of the Llano del Rio colony, to 20,000 acres of cut-over land two miles south of
Leesville. The location chosen was the Gulf Lumber Company sawmill town named Stables. The mill had burned in 1913 and again in 1916. After the sawmill burned the second time it was not rebuilt because the
stumpage
Stumpage is the price a private firm pays for the right to harvest timber from a given land base. It is paid to the current owner of the land. Historically, the price was determined on a basis of the number of trees harvested, or "per stump". Curr ...
reserves were depleted. The land, was sold on contract to the Cooperative Colony.
The colony attempted to achieve self-sufficiency, through community ownership of a newspaper, broom factory, sawmill, ice plant, and sheet metal factory. There was also a school, infirmary, hospital, and recreational facilities. The colony closed in 1937.
New Llano has developed a reputation as a "speed trap." Local media has covered allegations of predatory ticket-writin
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Geography
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 ...
, the town has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.5 km), all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 2,213 people, 934 households, and 591 families residing in the town.
2000 census
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 2,415 people, 925 households, and 640 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,037 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 46.09%
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 ...
, 40.29%
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 ...
, 0.83%
Native American, 3.77%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.29%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 4.10% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 4.64% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 8.57% of the population.
There were 925 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% 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, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,417, and the median income for a family was $34,271. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $20,500 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 town was $15,902. About 13.5% of families and 15.6% 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 18.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
References
Further reading
* Ernest S. Wooster, ''Communities of the Past and Present.'' New Llano, LA: Llano Colonist, 1924.
External links
American Utopia: A Brief History of Llano del Rio Cooperative Colony Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB).
{{authority control
Towns in Louisiana
Towns in Vernon Parish, Louisiana
Utopian socialism
Utopian communities in the United States
Populated places established in 1917