Shreveport, Louisiana, is the third largest city and the third largest
metropolitan area in the
U.S. state of
Louisiana and the 99th largest city in the
United States.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-0>
[1]</SUP> It is the seat of
Caddo Parish.
Bossier City lies across the
Red River in
Bossier Parish and the Shreveport-Bossier City Metropolitan Area population exceeds 375,000. <SUP class=reference id=_ref-1>
[2]</SUP>
Shreveport is the commercial and cultural center of the
Ark-La-Tex, the area where
Arkansas,
Louisiana, and
Texas meet. Some call it the "Gateway to
East Texas;" others claim that Shreveport sits on the border between the
South and the
West. The city exercises a great pull over this region. A good example of this is that people in East Texas watch and donate money to the Louisiana
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) because no PBS station exists in northeast Texas. Many people in the community refer to the two cities of Shreveport and Bossier City, which are separated only by the Red River, as "Shreveport-Bossier".
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[edit] History
<DL><DD>
Main article: History of Shreveport
</DD></DL>
[edit] Early settlers
The town was founded in
1836 by the
Shreve Town Company, a development corporation established to start a town at the meeting point of the Red River and the
Texas Trail. The Red River was cleared and made newly navigable by Captain
Henry Miller Shreve, who commanded the
United States Army Corps of Engineers. A 180-
mile (289
km) long natural logjam, the
Great Raft, had previously obstructed passage to shipping. Shreve used his specially-modified
riverboat the
Heliopolis to remove the logjam. The company and the village of Shreve Town were named in Shreve's honor. <SUP class=reference id=_ref-2>
[3]</SUP>
Shreve Town was originally contained within the boundaries of a section of land sold to the company by the indigenous
Caddo Indians in the year of 1835. In 1838, Caddo Parish was created from the large
Natchitoches Parish (pronounced "NACK-a-dish") and Shreve Town became the parish seat. Shreveport remains the
parish seat of Caddo Parish today. On
March 20,
1839, the town was incorporated as "Shreveport". Originally, the town consisted of 64 city blocks, created by eight streets running west from the Red River and eight streets running south from Cross Bayou, one of its tributaries.
Shreveport soon became a center of steamboat commerce, mostly cotton and agricultural crops. Shreveport also had a slave market, though slave trading was not as widespread as in other parts of the state. Both slaves and freedmen worked on the river steamboats which plied the Red River, and as stevedores loading and unloading cargo. By 1860, Shreveport had a free population of 2,200 and 1,300 slaves within the city limits.
During the
American Civil War, Shreveport was a Confederate stronghold and the headquarters of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederate Army. Isolated from events in the east, the Civil War continued in the Trans-Mississippi theater for several months after Robert E. Lee's surrender in April 1865, and Shreveport briefly became the Confederate capital. Confederate President Jefferson Davis attempted to flee to Shreveport when he left Richmond.
The Red River, opened by Shreve in the 1830s, remained navigable until 1914 when disuse, owing to the rise of the
railroad as the preferred means of transporting goods and people, allowed it to begin silting up. Not until the 1990's was navigation of the river again possible to Shreveport. Today the port of Shreveport-Bossier City is being developed once again as a shipping center.
[edit] Twentieth century
Downtown Shreveport at night.
Downtown Shreveport at Daylight.
Shreveport was also home to the
Louisiana Hayride, a radio broadcast from the city's Municipal Auditorium that, during its heyday from 1948 to 1960, spawned the careers of the some of the greatest names in American music. The Hayride boasted names such as
Hank Williams, Sr., and
Elvis Presley (who got his start at this venue).
The coming of
riverboat gambling in the mid 1990s spurred a revitalization of the downtown and riverfront areas. Many downtown streets were given a facelift through the "Streetscape" project, where brick sidewalks and crosswalks were built and various artistic statues, sculptures, and mosaics were added. Also, the Texas Street Bridge was lit up with controversial neon lights, originally accompanied by a green laser beam which was eventually abandoned.
[edit] Geography
Shreveport is located at
32°28′5″N, 93°46′16″W (32.468003, -93.771115)<SUP id=fn_GR1_back>
GR1</SUP>. According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 305.1
km² (117.8
mi²). 267.1 km² (103.1 mi²) of it is land and 37.9 km² (14.6 mi²) of it (12.44%) is water.
[edit] Landscape
Shreveport's diverse landscape varies from the piney woods of the west to the lowlands and river beds to the east.
[edit] Climate
The climate of Shreveport is transitional between the subtropical/humid conditions prevalent in the deep south and the continental climates of the Great Plains and Middle West. Rainfall is abundant with the normal annual rain just over 51 inches, with monthly averages ranging less than 3 inches in August to more than 5 inches in May and June. The winter months are normally mild with an average of 39 days of freezing or below-freezing temperatures per year, though ice and sleet storms do occur. Summer months are very warm and humid, with maximum temperatures exceeding 95 degrees about 32 days per year, with high to very high relative average humidity sometimes exceeding the 90 percent level.
<CENTER><TABLE class=wikitable style="FONT-SIZE: 90%"><TBODY><TR><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080" height=17>Month</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Jan</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Feb</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Mar</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Apr</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">May</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Jun</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Jul</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Aug</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Sep</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Oct</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Nov</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Dec</TH><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Year</TH></TR><TR><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Average high °F (°C)</TH><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffff99; COLOR: black">56 (13)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc66; COLOR: black">61 (16)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc66; COLOR: black">69 (20)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc66; COLOR: black">77 (25)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ff9900; COLOR: black">83 (28)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ff3300; COLOR: black">90 (32)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ff3300; COLOR: black">93 (33)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ff3300; COLOR: black">93 (33)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ff9900; COLOR: black">88 (31)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ff9900; COLOR: black">79 (26)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc66; COLOR: black">67 (19)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffff99; COLOR: black">59 (15)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc66; COLOR: black">76 (24)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080" height=16>Average low °F (°C)</TH><TD style="BACKGROUND: #f8f0f0; COLOR: black">36 (2)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #f8f0f0; COLOR: black">39 (3)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffffcc; COLOR: black">46 (7)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffff99; COLOR: black">54 (12)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffff99; COLOR: black">62 (16)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc66; COLOR: black">70 (21)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc66; COLOR: black">73 (22)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc66; COLOR: black">72 (22)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffff99; COLOR: black">66 (18)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffff99; COLOR: black">55 (12)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffffcc; COLOR: black">45 (7)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #f8f0f0; COLOR: black">38 (3)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #ffffcc; COLOR: black">55 (12)</TD></TR><TR><TH style="BACKGROUND: #99cccc; COLOR: #000080">Average precipitation:
inches (cm)</TH><TD style="BACKGROUND: #66ccff">4.1 (10)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #66ccff">4.0 (10)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #66ccff">3.7 (9)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #0099ff">4.6 (11)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #0099ff">5.1 (12)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #66ccff">4.1 (10)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #66ccff">3.6 (9)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #44aadd">2.5 (6)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #44aadd">3.1 (7)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #66ccff">3.7 (9)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #66ccff">4.1 (10)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #66ccff">4.2 (10)</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #44aadd">46.9 (119)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER>
Source: Weatherbase <SUP class=reference id=_ref-3>
[4]</SUP>
[edit] Neighborhoods
Shreveport has many different neighborhoods and districts, below is a list of the various areas of Greater Shreveport.
Texas Street Bridge over the
Red River
[edit] Demographics
As of the
census<SUP id=fn_GR2_back>
GR2</SUP> of 2000, there were 200,145 people, 78,662 households, and 50,422 families residing in the city limits. The
population density was 749.2/km² (1,940.5/mi²). There were 86,802 housing units at an average density of 324.9/km² (841.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.80%
African American, 46.66%
White, 0.79%
Asian, 0.31%
Native American, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.45% from
other races, and 0.95% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.55% of the population. From 1990 to 2000, the city's white non-Hispanic population declined from 53.6% to 45.9%, a -7.7% decline. By 2004, among all groups, Shreveport lost 0.8% of its 2000 census population.
<TABLE class=wikitable style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN-LEFT: 3px; TEXT-ALIGN: right; text-size: 80%"><TBODY><TR><TH align=middle colSpan=2>Shreveport-Bossier City MSA
Population by decade</TH></TR><TR><TD>1970</TD><TD>336,000</TD></TR><TR><TD>1980</TD><TD>376,789</TD></TR><TR><TD>1990</TD><TD>376,330</TD></TR><TR><TD>2000</TD><TD>392,302</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>There were 78,662 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were
married couples living together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% 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 3.12. Population ages ranked as follows: 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. The city ranks third in the nation of cities over 100,000 population with significant gender disparity: for every 100 females there were only 87.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were just 82.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,526, 0.72% of the national median of $42,148, and the median income for a family was $37,126. Males had a median income of $31,278 versus $21,659 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $17,759. About 18.7% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government and politics
<DL><DD>
Main article: Politics of Shreveport
</DD></DL>Founded in
1836 and incorporated in
1871,
Shreveport is one of the fastest growing major cities in the
Louisiana. The city is the parish seat of
Caddo Parish. A portion of east
Shreveport extends in to
Bossier Parish due to the changing course of the
Red River.
The city of Shreveport has a
mayor-council government. The City's elected officials are: the
mayor, and members of the
city council.
Under the mayor-council government, the mayor serves as the executive officer of the city. As the city's chief administrator and official representative, the mayor is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing that all laws and
ordinances are enforced.
[edit] Economy
<DL><DD>
Main article: Economy of Shreveport
</DD></DL>
AmSouth Building, the tallest skyscraper in Downtown Shreveport.
Shreveport was once a major player in United States oil business and at one time could boast
Standard Oil of Louisiana as a locally based company. The Louisiana branch was later absorbed by Standard Oil of New Jersey. In the 1980s, the oil and gas industry suffered a large economic downturn, and many companies cut back jobs or went out of business. Shreveport suffered severely from this recession, and many residents left the area.
Today the city is a busy metropolitan city, hosting various riverboat
casinos, and it is second only to New Orleans in Louisiana tourism. Nearby
Bossier City is home to one of the three horse racetracks in the state,
Harrah's Louisiana Downs. Casinos in Shreveport-Bossier include
Sam's Town Casino,
Eldorado Casino,
Horseshoe Casino,
Boomtown Casino, and
Diamond Jacks Casino (formerly Isle of Capri). The Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau is the official tourism information agency for the region. The bureau maintains a comprehensive database of restaurants, accommodations, attractions and events at
www.shreveport-bossier.org
In May
2005, the
Louisiana Boardwalk, a 550,000 square foot (51,000 m²) shopping and entertainment complex, opened across the Red River in Bossier City, featuring outlet shopping, several restaurants, a 14 screen movie theater, a bowling complex, and a Bass Pro Shop.
A new 350,000 square-foot convention center was recently completed in downtown Shreveport with an 800 space parking garage. An adjoining 12-story Hilton Hotel is under construction and slated for completion in September 2006. The Shreveport Convention Center is managed by
SMG, the world leader in private management of public facilities.
[edit] Education
<DL><DD>
Main article: Caddo Public Schools (Louisiana)
</DD></DL>
Caddo Public Schools is a
school district based in
Shreveport, Louisiana,
United States. The district serves all of
Caddo Parish.
Its founding superintendent was
Clifton Ellis Byrd, a
Virginia native, who assumed the chief administrative position in
1907 and continued until his death in
1926.
C.E. Byrd High School, which was established in
1925 and is located on Line Avenue in Shreveport, bears his name.
[edit] Culture
<DL><DD>
Main article: Culture of Shreveport
</DD></DL>
[edit] Arts and entertainment
The
R.W. Norton Art Gallery houses incomparable collections of American and European paintings, sculptures and decorative arts spanning more than four centuries.
The
Red River Revel is a yearly event featuring local music, food and entertainers, drawing in hundreds of thousands of individuals from across the tri-state area. Other annual festivals include
Mudbug Madness, a celebration of the
crawfish;
Holiday in Dixie; and the
Louisiana State Fair. Shreveport hosts the NCAA football
Independence Bowl each December.
[edit] Tourism and recreation
The Clyde Fant Parkway, named for
Mayor Fant (
1946-
1954;
1958-
1970) along the Red River.
Shreveport has several points of interest, including:
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