Allen Parish () is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,750. The

parish seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equivalent term, shire town, is used in ...

is Oberlin and the largest city is Oakdale. Allen Parish is in southwestern Louisiana, southwest of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

. Allen Parish is named for former

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

general and

Governor of Louisiana The governor of Louisiana (; ) is the chief executive of the U.S. state government of Louisiana. The governor also serves as the commander in chief of the Louisiana National Guard. Republican Jeff Landry has held the office since January 8, ...

Henry Watkins Allen. It was separated in 1912 from the larger Calcasieu Parish to the southwest.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the parish has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. Allen Parish is bordered on the east by Evangeline Parish, on the south by Jefferson Davis Parish, and on the west by

Beauregard Parish Beauregard Parish () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,549. The parish seat and most populous municipality is DeRidder. The parish was formed on January 1, 1913. Beauregard Paris ...

. Rapides Parish and Vernon Parish both border Allen Parish on the north. Allen Parish may be considered to belong to either the Southwest Louisiana region or to Central Louisiana. It is bordered on the east by

Acadiana Acadiana (; French language, French and Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane'' or ''Acadiane''), also known as Cajun Country (Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''Pays des Cadiens''), is the official name given to the ...

(Evangeline Parish). Part of Allen Parish, west of the

Calcasieu River The Calcasieu River ( ; ) is a river on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southwestern Louisiana. Approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed J ...

, lies within the historical "No Man's Land" or Neutral Ground of disputed territory between the US and Spain. The geologic composition of Allen Parish, like most of Louisiana, is clay and mud. Ecoregionally, Allen Parish primarily lies within the South Central Plains (USGS ecoregion 35), particularly the Flatwoods (ecoregion 35f), but also a bit of the Southern Tertiary Uplands (35e) in the northwestern corner of the parish. The southeastern corner of the parish, is in the Western

Gulf Coastal Plain The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico. This coastal plain reaches from the Florida Panhandle, southwest Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the southern two-thirds of Alabama, over m ...

(ecoregion 34), specifically the Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies (34a). The Calcasieu river forms the primary boundary between the piney woods and prairie regions of the parish.

Waterways

* Bundick Creek *

* Ouiski Chitto Creek * Six Mile Creek * Ten Mile Creek

Protected area

* West Bay Wildlife Management Area

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,750 people, 7,925 households, and 5,566 families residing in the parish.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 25,440 people, 8,102 households, and 5,930 families residing in the parish. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 9,157 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the parish was 71.90%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 24.60%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.72% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.24% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 4.50% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 6.22% reported speaking French or

Cajun French Louisiana French (Louisiana French: ''français louisianais''; ) includes the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisiana French is primarily use ...

at home, while 4.68% speak

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. There were 8,102 households, out of which 36.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12. In the parish the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 33.40% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 126.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.50 males. The median income for a household in the parish was $27,777, and the median income for a family was $33,920. Males had a median income of $32,371 versus $17,154 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the parish was $13,101. About 17.90% of families and 19.90% 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 ...

, including 22.60% of those under age 18 and 21.50% of those age 65 or over. The most populated city as of the 2000 census was Oakdale, LA.

Economy

Allen Parish had 303 employer establishments in 2021, with a total employment of 3,513. Allen Parish's

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...

in 2022 was $898,617. Lumber production is a strong industry in the parish, particularly in the area of Oakdale. The Coushatta Casino Resort, owned and operated by the

Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana (Coushatta: ''Kowassaatiha'') is one of three federally recognized tribes of Koasati people. They are located in Allen and Jefferson Davis Parishes, Louisiana. The tribe hosts an annual pow wow during the sec ...

, is located in Kinder and employs about 2,600 people. According to the Kinder Chamber of Commerce, "the gaming and hospitality industries, along with a plywood manufacturing facility, three prison facilities and a natural gas relay facility are the major private sector employers in the parish." The primary crops are rice and soybeans.

Arts and culture

The

's territory is bounded within Allen and Jefferson Davis parishes, and the tribe maintains traditional creative expressions such as music, dance, and fiber arts. An annual

powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity fo ...

celebrating these arts takes place at the Coushatta Casino Resort near Kinder. Allen Parish is the origin of several notable musicians:

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

singer Roy Brown, and

zydeco Zydeco ( ; ) is a music genre that was created in rural Southwest Louisiana by French speaking, Afro-Americans of Creole heritage. It blends African and Caribbean rhythms, blues and rhythm and blues with music indigenous to the Louisiana ...

musicians Preston Frank and his son

Keith Frank Keith Frank (born October 9, 1972) is an American singer, accordion player, and producer. Dubbed the "Zydeco Boss," Frank is one of the most well-known figures in zydeco music, especially in the nouveau zydeco sound, which was influenced by other ...

. The Allen Parish Tourism Commission operates the Allen Parish Cultural Center near Kinder. On September 27, 2008, the Allen Parish Tourist Commission opened Leatherwood Museum in Oakdale in a two-story house which served during the early 20th century as a hospital where women waited on the second-floor balcony to deliver their babies. The museum focuses on the

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

Politics

Allen was a strongly Democratic parish in Presidential and

Congressional A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

elections; the last Republican to win a majority in the parish before 2000 was

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

. Starting in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, when

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

narrowly won the parish, Allen has become a Republican stronghold;

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

won nearly two-thirds of the parish's vote in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. Allen is part of Louisiana's 4th congressional district, held by Republican

Mike Johnson James Michael Johnson (born January 30, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023. A member ...

. In the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

Allen is part of the 32nd district, held by Republican R. DeWitt Carrier. In the

Louisiana Senate The Louisiana State Senate (; ) is the upper house of Louisiana’s legislature. Senators serve four-year terms and participate in various committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate has 39 members elected from single-member districts ...

Allen is part of the 28th district, held by Republican Heather Cloud.

Education

Residents are zoned to Allen Parish Schools There is a private school, Oberlin Covenant School, in Oberlin. it was the parish's sole private school. It is in the service area of Sowela Technical Community College.

Media

Allen Parish's newspapers are '' The Oakdale Journal'' and '' The Kinder Courier News'', owned by Louisiana State Newspapers, Inc. Allen Parish is home to one FM radio station, KKST-FM, an

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

station in Oakdale. Oakdale listeners receive signals from Alexandria and Lafayette stations, while those in Kinder tend to receive from Lafayette and Lake Charles. For television, Oakdale is served by

stations KATC ( ABC and CW), and KALB (

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, and CW). Kinder and Oberlin primarily receive Lake Charles station KPLC (NBC and CW).

Transportation

Transportation in Allen Parish relies on highways and parish roads. The nearest long-distance bus stations are in Alexandria, Opelousas, Lafayette, and Lake Charles. US 165 runs North⁠–South. The other major highways, which are US 190, LA 10, and LA 26, run East⁠–West.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 165 * U.S. Highway 190 * Louisiana Highway 10 * Louisiana Highway 26

National Guard

Detachment 1, B Company 3-156TH Infantry Battalion of the 256TH IBCT resided in Oakdale, Louisiana. This unit deployed twice to

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in 2004-5 and 2010. Armory was closed, elements moved to Camp Beauregard.

Communities

City

* Oakdale (largest municipality)

Towns

* Kinder * Oberlin (parish seat)

Village

* Elizabeth *

Reeves Reeves may refer to: People * Reeves (surname) * B. Reeves Eason (1886–1956), American director, actor and screenwriter * Reeves Nelson (born 1991), American basketball player Places ;Ireland * Reeves, County Kildare, townland in County Kild ...

Unincorporated communities

* Bond * Canton * Cherry Grove * Elder * Grant *

Lauderdale Lauderdale is the valley of the Leader Water (a tributary of the River Tweed, Tweed) in the Scottish Borders. It contains the town of Lauder, as well as Earlston. The valley is traversed from end to end by the A68 road, A68 trunk road, which run ...

* LeBlanc * Mittie * Soileau

Notable people

* Roy Brown (1925–1981), R&B singer, songwriter, and musician * William J. "Bill" Dodd (1909–1991),

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 1948 to 1952 and Louisiana state representative from 1940 to 1948 * Faye Emerson (1917–1983), film and stage actress and television interviewer * Beau Jocque (1953–1999), Louisiana French Creole

musician and songwriter * Herb Metoyer (1935-2015), singer, songwriter, novelist and former U.S. Army officer * J.B. Fuselier (1901-1976),

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

musician * John McNeese (1843-1914), first superintendent of schools of Imperial Calcasieu Parish and namesake of McNeese State University * Douglas B. Fournet (1943–1968),

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

* Joe N. Ballard (born 1942), former U.S. Army

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and first African-American to serve as

Chief of Engineers The Chief of Engineers is a principal United States Army staff officer at The Pentagon. The Chief advises the Army on engineering matters, and serves as the Army's topographer and proponent for real estate and other related engineering programs. ...

* Cloves Campbell Sr. (1931-2004), politician and newspaper operator; first African-American to serve as a member of the

Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figure ...

* Preston Frank (born 1947), zydeco accordionist and band leader *

(born 1972), zydeco accordionist and band leader * Hoyle Granger (born 1944), former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player in the NFL. Member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame * Gilbert Franklin Hennigan (1883–1960), Louisiana state senator from 1944 to 1956. * Ollie Shepard (1909-1960), blues pianist, vocalist, and songwriter * Dorothy Sue Hill (born 1939), rancher and retired educator. Former

state representative for the 32nd District. * Leroy Johnson (1919–1944), posthumous recipient of the

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* E. Holman Jones (1926–2014),

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

veteran of

and Louisiana state representative from 1968 to 1972 * Coleman Lindsey (1892–1968), Louisiana state senator from 1924 to 1928 and 1932–1939.

Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana The lieutenant governor of Louisiana (; ) is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current lieutenant governor is Billy Nungesser, a Republican. The lieutenant governor is also the commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Cultur ...

from 1939 to 1940 * Mary Evelyn Parker (1920–2015), first female Treasurer of Louisiana from 1968 to 1987 * R.C. Slocum (born 1944), former head football coach at

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

* Blake Trahan (born 1993), former professional baseball shortstop with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

References

External links

* *
Allen Parish Sheriff's Office
Geology * Heinrich, P. V., J. Snead, and R. P. McCulloh, 2002
''Lake Charles 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * Heinrich, P. V., J. Snead, and R. P. McCulloh, 2003
''Crowley 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * Snead, J., P. V. Heinrich, and R. P. McCulloh, 2002a
''Ville Platte 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * Snead, J., P. V. Heinrich, and R. P. McCulloh, 2002b
''De Ridder 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. {{authority control Louisiana parishes 1912 establishments in Louisiana Populated places established in 1912 Parishes in Central Louisiana