Oak Grove, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Oak Grove is a town in, and the parish seat of, West Carroll Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. The population was 2,174 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.5 km²), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.15%) is water.
of 2000, there were 2,174 people, 792 households, and 517 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,268.6 people per square mile (490.9/km²). There were 894 housing units at an average density of 521.7 per square mile (201.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 69.23% White, 29.25% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.28% from other races
, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 792 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples
living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 79.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 67.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $16,063, and the median income for a family was $20,729. Males had a median income of $22,708 versus $14,531 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $10,183. About 33.2% of families and 39.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 58.6% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.
.
The town of Oak Grove is served by Oak Grove Elementary School for grades Pre-Kindergarten
to 6, and Oak Grove High School for grades 7 to 12. The schools' shared mascot is the tiger. Tiger football is one of the highlights of fall in Oak Grove, for the team has reached the playoffs every year except one since 1979.
Weekend is held in Oak Grove in the Thomas Jason Lingo Community Center.
The Lingo Center also hosts a Bluegrass
festival
each April and October.
Jessie James Trade Days take place each September in downtown Oak Grove.
In April 2011 The West Carroll Chamber began West Carroll's newest festival, The North Louisiana Sweet Potato Festival, to celebrate the parish's most popular crop.
.
On November 19, 2011 the Fiske ended the 35mm era with the debut of its Dolby Digital Projection system powered by a Barco DP3000 projector. The Fiske is now as technologically equipped as its nearest competitors in Monroe, La. which is 60 miles away.
The Fiske Theatre is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, with a Sunday-afternoon matinee, showing a different first-run feature each week. The Fiske Theatre is owned by the West Carroll Chamber of Commerce
and operated by Holland Entertainment LLC.
West Carroll Parish, Louisiana
West Carroll Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Oak Grove and as of 2000, the population was 12,314.-History:...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,174 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Oak Grove is located at 32°51′41"N 91°23′21"W (32.861361, -91.389043).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.5 km²), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.15%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,174 people, 792 households, and 517 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,268.6 people per square mile (490.9/km²). There were 894 housing units at an average density of 521.7 per square mile (201.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 69.23% White, 29.25% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.28% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 792 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 79.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 67.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $16,063, and the median income for a family was $20,729. Males had a median income of $22,708 versus $14,531 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $10,183. About 33.2% of families and 39.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 58.6% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schools in West Carroll Parish are operated by the West Carroll Parish School BoardWest Carroll Parish School Board
The West Carroll Parish School Board is an entity responsible for the operation of public schools in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, United States...
.
The town of Oak Grove is served by Oak Grove Elementary School for grades Pre-Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to 6, and Oak Grove High School for grades 7 to 12. The schools' shared mascot is the tiger. Tiger football is one of the highlights of fall in Oak Grove, for the team has reached the playoffs every year except one since 1979.
Festivals
Each March, The North Louisiana GospelGospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
Weekend is held in Oak Grove in the Thomas Jason Lingo Community Center.
The Lingo Center also hosts a Bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
each April and October.
Jessie James Trade Days take place each September in downtown Oak Grove.
In April 2011 The West Carroll Chamber began West Carroll's newest festival, The North Louisiana Sweet Potato Festival, to celebrate the parish's most popular crop.
Fiske Theatre
The Fiske Theatre, located in downtown Oak Grove, is the oldest operating movie theatre in northeast Louisiana. The first facility was built in 1928; when the current building was constructed in 1950, the theater had the largest screen in northeast Louisiana, at 18'x33'. According to a plaque in its lobby, the theater was named as the most modern and advanced theater in 1951 by the Theatre Equipment Catalog. On January 29, 2010 the Fiske debuted its DTS sound system with its showing of Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes (2009 film)
Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 action-mystery film based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. The screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon...
.
On November 19, 2011 the Fiske ended the 35mm era with the debut of its Dolby Digital Projection system powered by a Barco DP3000 projector. The Fiske is now as technologically equipped as its nearest competitors in Monroe, La. which is 60 miles away.
The Fiske Theatre is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, with a Sunday-afternoon matinee, showing a different first-run feature each week. The Fiske Theatre is owned by the West Carroll Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and operated by Holland Entertainment LLC.
Notable natives and residents
- Lee FletcherLee FletcherDewey Lee Fletcher, Jr. , was an American political consultant and a talk radio host and blogger in Monroe, who was defeated by 974 votes in a 2002 race for the United States House of Representatives from the Fifth Congressional District in northeast Louisiana...
, political consultant reared in Oak Grove and graduate of Oak Grove High. - Tommy HarperTommy HarperTommy Harper is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played with the Cincinnati Reds , Cleveland Indians , Seattle Pilots , Milwaukee Brewers , Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Oakland Athletics , and the Baltimore Orioles .-High School...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Ray MarshallRay MarshallFreddie Ray Marshall is the Professor Emeritus of the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair in Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin....
, United States Secretary of LaborUnited States Secretary of LaborThe United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the Department of Labor who exercises control over the department and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies....
under President Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office... - Bill MyrickBill MyrickBillie E. Myrick, known as Bill Myrick , is an American Country musician, originally from Simpson County in south central Mississippi but a long-time resident of Odessa in West Texas.-Family:...
, country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
figure in OdessaOdessa, TexasOdessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - Spencer MyrickSpencer MyrickWillie Spencer Myrick, known as W. Spencer Myrick was a Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from West Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana....
, former state legislator - Dave L. PearceDave L. PearceDavid L. "Dave" Pearce was a Democrat who served as the Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry from 1952–1956 and again from 1960-1976...
, Louisiana state commissionerCommissionerCommissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of agricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
from 1952–1956 and 1960-1976. He was born in Oak Grove in 1904. - Tony Joe WhiteTony Joe WhiteTony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
, singer and songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
who wrote Rainy Night in GeorgiaRainy Night in Georgia"Rainy Night in Georgia" is a song written by Tony Joe White in 1962 and popularized by R&B vocalist Brook Benton in 1970.In 1969, after several years without a major hit, Benton had signed to a new record label, Cotillion Records... - Kenny Hill, football player, Superbowl Champions, 1987 New York Giants..
- Roy A. Burrell, Louisiana State Representative, Shreveport, La.
External links
- Oak Grove Progress Community Progress Site for Oak Grove, LA