| Arcadia, Louisiana | |
| Official Name: | Town of Arcadia |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Image Map1: | Louisiana in United States (US48).svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Louisiana in the United States |
| Coordinates: | 32.5519°N -92.9242°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Louisiana |
| Subdivision Type2: | Parish |
| Subdivision Name2: | Bienville Parish |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | O'Landis "Bubba" Millican (D) (winner of special runoff election on December 8, 2018, to succeed Eugene Smith (D), who died in office in 2018)[1] [2] |
| Leader Title1: | Chief of Police |
| Leader Name1: | Ciera Murphy |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 9.51 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.67 |
| Area Land Km2: | 9.44 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.65 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.07 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.03 |
| Elevation Ft: | 384 |
| Population Total: | 2746 |
| Population Rank: | BV 1st |
| Population Density Km2: | 290.84 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 753.36 |
| Utc Offset1: | −6 |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | −5 |
| Postal Code: | 71001 |
| Blank Info: | 22-02655 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
Arcadia is a town in and the parish seat of Bienville Parish in northern Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,919 at the 2010 census.[4] Arcadia has the highest elevation of any incorporated municipality in Louisiana. Arcadia's name commemorates the Ancient Greek region of Arcadia.[5]
In 1934, bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde were killed near Arcadia in a shootout. Their bodies were brought for embalming to a furniture store in Arcadia which also served as a funeral parlor. Enormous crowds of onlookers descended upon the city when news of the pair's deaths there became public.[6] [7]
Arcadia has been a center of the poultry industry, with up to 300 independent growers for years supplying the local feed mill operated by poultry company Pilgrim's Pride. In 2009 the company, facing bankruptcy, announced that it would close most of its Louisiana operations, including plants in Arcadia, Athens, Choudrant, and Farmerville; these operations were estimated to have provided a combined 1,300 jobs.[8] Several weeks later, Pilgrim's Pride accepted an million (equivalent to $ million in) offer from Foster Farms of California to purchase their operations and keep the plants running. Foster Farms put up $40 million of the purchase price, with the other $40 million covered by the State of Louisiana.[9]
Arcadia is located at (32.551931, −92.924233)[10] and has an elevation of 384feet above sea level.[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.9km2, all land. It is 50miles east of Shreveport.[12]
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 705 | 25.67% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,895 | 69.01% | |
| Native American | 12 | 0.44% | |
| Asian | 3 | 0.11% | |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.04% | |
| Other/Mixed | 69 | 2.51% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 61 | 2.22% |
In 2019, the racial makeup of Arcadia was 73.2% Black or African American, 22% non-Hispanic white, 4.1% some other race, and 0.7% two or more races. Previously, the racial makeup of the town was 37.98% White, 60.57% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.26% from various other races, and 0.82% from multiple or mixed races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.61% of the population.
In 2000, there were 1,071 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 27.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.16. In the town of Arcadia, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,661, and the median income for a family was $26,250. Males had a median income of $25,885 versus $17,279 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,962. About 27.1% of families and 31.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.7% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over. At the 2019 census estimates, the median household income increased to $23,494. About 41.9% of the population lived at or below the poverty line, and 17.5% of Arcadia's citizens held a bachelor's degree or higher.
Among the numerous churches in downtown Arcadia are First United Methodist Church and the First Baptist Church, both in large sanctuaries. The Louisiana Baptist Convention was founded in 1848 in nearby Mount Lebanon, south of Gibsland, Louisiana.
The Bienville Parish Courthouse was formerly located in a residential section of Arcadia but moved in 2013 to a newly constructed building off Interstate 20.[15]
The weekly newspaper, The Bienville Democrat, is printed on Wednesdays in Natchitoches, and then distributed across Bienville Parish.
Public schools within Arcadia are under the jurisdiction of the Bienville Parish School Board; the town has no private schools. Arcadia's two public schools are located in the Arcadia School Complex, which encompasses both Arcadia High School and Crawford Elementary School.
The Arcadia-Bienville Parish Airport is located 2nmi southwest of Arcadia's central business district.[16] The Bienville Parish Council on Aging provides public transit for the general population to locations within the town or close by, operating on an as-needed basis. [17] Appointments should be made ahead of time. Private transport is also available for the area, including charter bus services such as J&T Charters, based in El Dorado, Arkansas.[18]