Bienville, Louisiana

Bienville is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 218 at the 2010 census.[3]

Bienville, Louisiana
Village
Water tower in Bienville
Location of Bienville in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 32°21′09″N 92°58′37″W
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Bienville
Area [1]
• Total	11.05 sq mi (28.62 km^2)
• Land	11.04 sq mi (28.59 km^2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.04 km^2)
Elevation	243 ft (74 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	218
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	198
• Density	17.94/sq mi (6.93/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	318
FIPS code	22-07205

History

Bienville was established in 1891 when the railroad was extended to that point. It took its name from Bienville Parish.[4]

Geography

Bienville is located near the center of Bienville Parish at 32°21′9″N 92°58′37″W (32.352635, -92.976816).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28.6 km²), of which 0.015 square miles (0.04 km²), or 0.13%, is water.[3]

Climate

This climatic region is typified by warm to hot (and often humid) summers and mild winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bienville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[6]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	263		—
1910	606		130.4%
1920	478		−21.1%
1930	381		−20.3%
1940	357		−6.3%
1950	445		24.6%
1960	305		−31.5%
1970	287		−5.9%
1980	249		−13.2%
1990	316		26.9%
2000	262		−17.1%
2010	218		−16.8%
Est. 2019	198	[2]	−9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 262 people, 115 households, and 70 families residing in the village. The population density was 23.8 inhabitants per square mile (9.2/km²). There were 158 housing units at an average density of 14.3 per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 56.49% White, 43.13% African American, and 0.38% from two or more races.

Bienville High School

First Baptist Church of Bienville

There were 115 households, out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $20,227, and the median income for a family was $20,909. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $17,143 for females. The per capita income for the village was $12,656. About 23.2% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 22.5% of those 65 or over.

Notable people

• Louisiana's 5th congressional district U.S. Representative Rodney Alexander of Jackson Parish was born in Bienville in 1946.
• Educator Stephen A. Caldwell, principally of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, was a Bienville native.
• Educator John Sherman Campbell (1897-1976) was the principal of Bienville High School from 1930 to 1935; the author of The Birds of Bienville Parish, a master's thesis through Louisiana State University, he later accepted a position with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries[9]
• Clayton Crawford Grigg (1936-2017), Bienville native, was a stocks and bonds broker in Shreveport, and a Republican member from 1976 to 1980 of the Caddo Parish Police Jury (since the Caddo Parish Commission).[10]
• The retired AFL player Charlie Hennigan was born in Bienville in 1935.
• Another Bienville native was the historian Garnie W. McGinty (1900–1984), of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston.
• E. R. Minchew, former Louisiana Tech speech professor, began his educational career as an assistant principal and coach at Bienville High School in the 1929-1930 academic year. From 1932-1964, he was the principal of Castor High School in Castor, another village in Bienville Parish.[11]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bienville village, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
4. Leeper, Clare D'Artois (19 October 2012). Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries. LSU Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-8071-4740-5.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
6. Climate Summary for Bienville, Louisiana
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
9. "Campbell, John Sherman". lahistory.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
10. "Clayton Grigg". The Shreveport Times. June 3, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
11. "Dr. Elmer Reid Minchew," Shreveport Times, July 2, 2001, accessdate=December 2, 2010