DeRidder, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area
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DeRidder is a city in, and the parish seat of,
Beauregard Parish Beauregard Parish (french: Paroisse de Beauregard) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,654. The parish seat is DeRidder. The parish was formed on January 1, 1913. Beauregard Parish ...
, Louisiana, United States. A small portion of the city extends into Vernon Parish. As of the 2010 census DeRidder had a population of 10,578. It is the smaller principal city of the Fort Polk South-DeRidder CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes 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 ...
( Vernon Parish) and DeRidder (Beauregard Parish) micropolitan areas, which had a combined population of 87,988 at the 2010 census.


History

DeRidder was named for Ella de Ridder, the sister-in-law of a Dutch railroad financier, Jan de Goeijen (cf. De Queen, Arkansas). Her family originally came from the small town of
Geldermalsen Geldermalsen () is a town and former municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Town of Geldermalsen The town centre of Geldermalsen contains a two-aisled Gothic church dating from the 15th century, with a Romanesque tower ...
in the Netherlands, where she was one of 13 children. She ran away from home at an early age and was presumed dead by her family, who only later discovered that she had traveled to the United States. The town was named for her by her brother-in-law, who brought the first railroad to that area of Louisiana. Prior to that, the little town was known as Schovall. The first train line to serve DeRidder came in 1897. It was the Pittsburgh & Gulf Railroad, later called the Kansas City Southern. The July 26, 1924, the ''DeRidder Enterprise'' stated: "The first house in DeRidder was made of logs and covered with board shingles, split by hand from the logs of the forest. It was constructed in 1893 and was the old homestead house of Calvin Shirley, who was the original owner of the land upon which the first business house and residence of DeRidder were built. Mr. Shirley homesteaded the which was later platted and became the original townsite of DeRidder." According to Eva Stewart Frazar, whose family came to DeRidder near the turn of the century, "The largest pine in the world grew where DeRidder now stands - or so it is claimed by timber men who knew." About the origin of the town, she says, "the Kansas City railroad was built from
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
to Port Arthur - and came right through here about 1896. By 1898 the trains were running. The post-office was named Miersburg for the postmaster whose name was Miers. The railroad workers had used this spot for a camping place for the workmen - and people wanted to get near the railroad - so of land was bought for the town site." "Immediately following the purchase of the town site, a ramble of rough houses were hurriedly built out of rough lumber... By 1898 the town consisted of nearly 300 people and a number of shack homes and a sawmill. C. Landry and Mr. George Heard had a hotel. There were about 5 small stores, besides. West Brothers had a Rous Racket store on the east side of the track." By this time DeRidder had a sawmill, and timber was the prime industry of the area. The longleaf pine was the primary tree used in the industry. In 1903, DeRidder was finally incorporated as a town. In April 1904, a large portion of the business section of DeRidder was destroyed by fire. The cause was apparently
arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
. A
grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...
collected enough evidence for this to indict George Smith, a gambler, with setting the fire. The man reportedly left town. DeRidder's first bank opened in 1906. On October 15, 1912, DeRidder was voted the parish seat of Beauregard Parish. The Beauregard Parish Court House and the Beauregard Parish Jail (see below) were built in 1914.


Geography

DeRidder is located in northern Beauregard Parish at (30.851419, -93.290230) and has an elevation of .
U.S. Route 171 U.S. Highway 171 (US 171) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System and the only route within that system currently located entirely within the state of Louisiana. It spans in a north–south direction from the junction of U.S. ...
leads south to Lake Charles and north to the entrance to Fort Polk and to Leesville.
U.S. Route 190 U.S. Route 190 (US 190) is an east–west United States Highway in Louisiana and Texas. Segments of US 190 will be upgraded to Interstate 14 (I-14); the first segment was opened on January 26, 2017. Route description , - , TX , , - , ...
leads south and east to Kinder and west to Jasper, Texas. According to the United States Census Bureau, DeRidder has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.96%, is water.


Split Parish

The northern section of the Green Acres subdivision, west of highway 171 on the extreme northwest side of DeRidder, extends into Vernon Parish. Another section of the city, running north along the east side highway 171, up to a parallel with Golden Lantern road, also extends into Vernon Parish. Water and sewage for Green Acres and Country Estates Subdivisions is provided by the independent Green Acres Water & Sewer District #1


Transportation

*
Beauregard Regional Airport Beauregard Regional Airport is a public use airport in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by Beauregard Parish and is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of DeRidder, Louisiana ...


Culture

The building known as the "Old
Beauregard Parish Jail Beauregard Parish Jail is a former jailhouse in DeRidder, Louisiana built in 1914 in the Gothic Revival architecture style. It is referred to as the Gothic jail or the Hanging jail. The jail is owned by the Beauregard Parish Police Jury. The Beaur ...
" is a structure built in 1914 that is considered one of the most distinctive of its type in the US. The structure has the characteristics of the collegiate Gothic Revival architectural style, with shallow arches, dormer windows, and a central tower. This style was popular with colleges, universities, and churches. The iron bars in most of the windows give the structure an eerie appearance. Inside, there is a spiral staircase that leads up to three floors of jail cells. Another history-making fact is that each cell had a toilet, shower, lavatory and window. When the jail was in use, prisoners could often be seen waving from the barred windows. It was built to house 50 or so prisoners, but held 13 in comfort. The walls are thick, made of
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...
with a blasted finish. The first floor has quarters for the jailer and his family. In the jail's basement, a long corridor leads to the courthouse next door. In 1928, there was a famous double execution by hanging in the jail for two murderers. These were the only recorded hangings in the jail. The prisoners were hanged by an apparatus at the top of the spiral staircase. After this the jail became known as "the hanging jail". The jail was used until 1982, when a court action forced it to close. On October 4, 1981, it was put on the National Register of Historic Places, along with several other buildings in DeRidder.


Historic District

In 1983 Washington, Second, Stewart, and Port streets were added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Beauregard Parish as the
DeRidder Commercial Historic District The DeRidder Commercial Historic District is a historic district in DeRidder, Louisiana. It covers an area roughly bounded by Washington Street, West 2nd Street, Stewart Street, and West Port Street and comprises three blocks of commercial an ...
.


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 9,852 people, 3,838 households, and 2,510 families residing in the city.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,808 people, 3,819 households, and 2,616 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,155.4 people per square mile (446.0/km2). There were 4,454 housing units at an average density of 524.7 per square mile (202.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 60.81% White, 34.73% African American, 0.57% Native American, 1.42%
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 ...
, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 2.40% of the population. There were 3,819 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% 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, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city of DeRidder, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,952, and the median income for a family was $39,384. Males had a median income of $36,388 versus $21,302 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,996. About 15.0% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Beauregard Parish School Board Beauregard Parish School Board is a school district headquartered in DeRidder in Beauregard Parish in southwestern Louisiana, United States. From 1933 to 1944, Gilbert Franklin Hennigan, then of DeRidder, was the school board president. In 1943 ...
operates local public schools. For the city of DeRidder these schools are: *Grades 9–12 DeRidder High Schoolbr>
(DeRidder) *Grades 6–
DeRidder Junior High School
(DeRidder) *Grades 4 &

(DeRidder) *Grades 2 &

(DeRidder) *PreK - 1st Grad

(DeRidder)


Media

The ''
Beauregard Daily News The ''Beauregard Daily News'' is an American daily newspaper published in DeRidder, Louisiana. It is owned by Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., ...
'', a daily newspaper, is based in DeRidder.


Notable people

* Bert A. Adams,
state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
from Vernon Parish from 1956 to 1968; born in DeRidder in 1916 *
Joe W. Aguillard Joe Wallace Aguillard (born July 15, 1956) served as the eighth president of the Southern Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville in Rapides Parish in Central Louisiana. Background Presidential record Failed Promises of Law, Medical, ...
, president of Louisiana College in Pineville 2005 - 2014; Beauregard Parish school superintendent, 1999-2000 *Allen Bradley, state representative from 1984 to 1992; lawyer and businessman and former DeRidder City Council member * Mel Branch, college/professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player – LSU/Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs/Miami Dolphins * Chris Cagle, collegiate and professional football player in
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
* Chris Cagle, country music singer * Jerry DeWitt, former Pentecostal minister and current author, public speaker and leader of the American atheism movement * Rusty Hamer, former child actor who committed suicide in DeRidder in 1990 *
Gilbert Franklin Hennigan Gilbert Franklin Hennigan (December 18, 1883 – November 4, 1960) was a three-term Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, who served from 1944 to 1956 under Governors Jimmie Davis, Earl Kemp Long, and Robert F. Kennon. Backgrou ...
, former Louisiana state senator * Johnny Jones, college basketball head coach at University of North Texas and LSU *
Michael Mayes Michael Hugh Gunton Mayes (born 31 August 1941) was Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh from 1993 to 2000 and then of Limerick and Killaloe until 2008. Mayes was educated at The Royal School, Armagh and Trinity College, Dublin. He was ord ...
, former
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
player * Michael Sanders, college/NBA basketball player – UCLA/ Kansas City Kings/
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
* Charles Emery Tooke, Jr., state senator for DeSoto and Caddo parishes, 1948 to 1956; Shreveport lawyer, born in DeRidder in 1912 * Jennifer Weiner, author * Deshazor Everett, college/professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player – Texas A&M/Washington Redskins


References


External links

*
Beauregard Parish History
* ''Historic DeRidder: Downtown Walking Tour'', a pamphlet published by the Beauregard Tourist Commission (June 2000). {{DEFAULTSORT:Deridder, Louisiana Cities in Louisiana Parish seats in Louisiana Cities in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana Cities in Vernon Parish, Louisiana Cities in the Central Louisiana