The
city of 'Natchitoches' (
pronounced , or NAK-uh-tush) is the
parish seat of
Natchitoches Parish, in the
U.S. state of
Louisiana.
[1]
[2]
Established in
1714 by
Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of
French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February 5, 1819. It is the the oldest permanent settlement in the
Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches's sister city is
Nacogdoches, Texas.
The population was 17,865 at the 2000 census.
Natchitoches Meat Pie is one of the official state foods of Louisiana. It is known as a regional delicacy of
North Louisiana. See
List of U.S. state foods
.
Natchitoches has long been known for its popular Christmas lighting festival which is held the first Saturday in December. The lights continue to brighten the Cane River until after New Year's Day. In
2006, the festival celebrated its 80th year of existence.
Several motion pictures have been filmed in Natchitoches, including
Steel Magnolias,
The Man in the Moon,
The Horse Soldiers,
NBC's
The Year Without a Santa Claus,
The American Standard, as well as a
Lifetime Television's series
Scarlett.
History
Natchitoches was established in
1714 by
Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. It is the oldest permanent settlement within the borders of the
1803 Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was founded as a French outpost on the
Red River for trade with Spanish-controlled
Mexico, with the French presence beginning as early as
1699. The settlement's site was established near a village of
Natchitoches Indians which give the city it's name.
After the Louisiana Purchase, Natchitoches experienced a population boom, and several
plantations were built along the
Red River. However, the course of the river shifted, bypassing Natchitoches and cutting off its lucrative connection with the Mississippi River. A 33 mile lake was left in the river's previous location and became known as
Cane River Lake. The lake runs through the city’s downtown historic district and Plantation Country and serves as the spring break training location for numerous
crew teams such as
Kansas State University,
Wichita State University,
Murray State University and
Washington University.
Geography
Natchitoches is located at (31.754123, -93.095085) and has an elevation of .
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.1
km² (25.1
mi²). 55.8 km² (21.6 mi²) of it is land and 9.2 km² (3.6 mi²) of it (14.21%) is water.
A 35 mile long lake was formed from a portion of the
Red River when it changed course, which is now known as the
Cane River.
'Natchitoches is located about:'
★ Alexandria 50 Miles
★ Shreveport 70 Miles
★ New Orleans, LA 250 Miles
★ Houston, TX 230 Miles
★ Dallas, TX 255 Miles |
★ Little Rock, AR 260 Miles
★ Jackson, MS 230 Miles
★ Monroe, Louisiana 109 Miles
★ Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 435 Miles |
Geology
Soils in this area are a combination of leaf mold and red clays, sand and sediments. The area is part of the Chestnut Salt Dome.
Climate
Weather-wise, Natchitoches lies in a boundary region that separates the plains of
Texas from the consistently humid
Gulf Coast. This gives Natchitoches summers a heavy dose of both heat and humidity. Winters in Natchitoches are relatively mild, with measurable snowfall once every 5-10 years.
Average highs and lows for the city are:
January-57/36
April-77/53
July-94/74
October-79/54
The city's rainiest months are January, May, and December, which each receive an average of over 5.5 inches. Natchitoches averages 54.93 inches of rain per year.
Economy
In the 1970's Natchitoches experienced an economic downturn in which resulted in a sixty-five percent vacancy in the commercial district. However from the efforts to revitalize the city, vacancy is now around one percent.
The Port of Natchitoches which is a river port on the
Red River is located off of the east bound part of
U.S. Route 84 just outside Natchitoches. The port exports much lumber from stockyards onsite.
The
Natchitoches Regional Airport serves cities such as Baton Rouge, Dallas, Houston, Little Rock, New Orleans, Monroe, and Shreveport. It is also adjacent to
Northwestern State University which together they offer state of the art flight training. Currently the airport is being renovated so as to become one of the countries most advance non-towered airports.
The Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery is also based here, they handle over 6 species of fish and other wildlife.
The city has to do little to promote it's tourism industry, which brings a host of business during the holiday seasons of
Christmas and
New Year's. The
Natchitoches Christmas Festival is a well known celebration of the holidays for locals.
Forestry is a large industry in the area as well.
Since completion of
Interstate 49 many business have either moved or have been built outside the city's central cityscape area. Multiple gas stations and hotels have developed surrounding this area.
Pecans are a staple of the area with a 400 acre pecan orchard located on the old Little Eva Plantation.
Natchitoches is a economic hub for the surrounding communities of:
Natchitoches was named one of the top six places in the United States to retire by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine in 1998.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 17,865 people,
[ 6,113 households, and 3,631 families residing in the city. Estimated population in July 2006: 17,730. The population density was 319.9/km² (828.5/mi²). There were 6,731 housing units at an average density of 120.5/km² (312.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 43.72% White, 53.00% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 1.30% of the population.]
There were 6,113 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were married couples living together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 27.2% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.5 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,111, and the median income for a family was $30,396. Males had a median income of $28,601 versus $17,859 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,642. About 26.7% of families and 34.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.0% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.
Cityscape
Though Natchitoches does not boast many multi-story buildings, it has however retained much of it's european architecture. The city still has one of it's original brick streets (Front Street) which the historical society protects from alterations. The city is a mesh of wrought iron, stucco and red brick.
Tourism
River Walk in Downtown Natchitoches, Louisiana
Alleyway & Patio Restaurant in Natchitoches
Natchitoches River Walk Facing up to Front Street Natchitoches
The Cane River National Heritage Area is a 116,000 area area which includes many sites such as
Oakland Plantation, Melrose Plantation, Badin-Roque House, Magnolia Plantation, Kate Chopin House, Cane River Heritage Scenic Byway , Fort St. Jean baptiste State Historic Site, National Historic Landmark Districk (Old Courthouse Museum, Bishop Martin Museum, Landmarks in Time Exhibit), Los Adaes State Historics Site.
Natchitoches, a popular tourism area of the state, is equipped to serve visitors with 11 national chain hotels, and nearly 50 bed and breakfast inns.
Natchitoches attracts over one million visitors annually.
The city is known as a retiree-friendly city.
In 2006 Natchitoches was awarded the Great American Main Street Award for the effort the community has put into revitalizing and restoring much of the historical district.
The cities tourism center is the downtown river walk. This includes Front Street which becomes Jefferson on the Northwestern State University end. Front Street which still retains original bricking is the jewel of the city. It overlooks the river walk and is bordered by an assortment of shops and boutiques. The city incorporates this area as the Historical District. The Historical Society maintains the area through regulations on changes and restorations. While visiting the area you may notice many unusual structures, these are many of the Natchitoches Christmas Festival lights. The city recently built a small Convention center located on Second Street, which holds many city events. Natchitoches has a mini "Walk of Fame" located in the Historical District of the city.
The Bayou Pierre Alligator Park a large tourist attraction, where tourists may feed the alligators and dine and shop. The park also teaches many school children how to respect nature and the conservation of nature through it's many habitats.
Natchitoches is also home to a branch of the Kisatchie National Forest, with its many natural wonders.
Opened December 2005 the Natchitoches Events Center is in the Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District. Located at 750 Second St. The facility boasts a 40,000 square foot meeting facility, a 15,000 square foot exhibit hall with three meeting rooms, a board room and full-size catering kitchen.
Events
February
★ Mardi Gras Parade
★ Mardi Gras Magic Festival | March
★ Blooming on the Bricks Festival
★ Art Along the Bricks Festival
★ Ashland Spring Festival - Ashland
★ Sacred Places Tour
★ Brown Bag Concerts | April
★ Jazz/R&B Festival
★ Rebel State Spring Festival
★ American Cemetery Tour
★ State Historic Area
★ Brown Bag Concerts | May
★ Green Market Festival
★ Cane River Festival
★ Brown Bag Concerts | June
★ Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival
★ Cane River Green Market
★ Natchez Heritage Festival - Natchez |
July
★ Cane River Green Market
★ Celebration on the Cane
★ Natchitoches / NSU Folk Festival | September
★ Cane River Zydeco Festival
★ Marthaville Good Ole Days
★ Meat Pie Festival & Triathlon
★ Boogie on the Bricks - Follows every NSU home game. | October
★ Annual Natchitoches Pilgrimage
★ Smokin’ on the Red
★ Witch Way to Main Street
★ Boogie on the Bricks | November
★ Festival of Lights (Premiere of the Natchitoches Christmas Festival lights.) (Fest. Est. 1927)
★ Holiday Open House | December
★ Fireworks Every Saturday Night
★ Barge Parade
★ Christmas Festival
★ Holiday Tour of Homes
★ “Fete Hiver”
★ New Year's Eve
★ Christmas in the Park - Rebel State Historic Area |
Healthcare and Medicine
Natchitoches Regional Medical Center is a 78-bed facility that includes 45 medical/surgical beds and a 112-bed skilled nursing home.
Rehabilitation treatment is at the PRISM Center for physical, occupational and speech therapy, sports medicine, industrial medicine, wound care and more.
Education & Learning
Libraries
★ 'Natchitoches Parisih Library' (Matt DeFord art display on the second and third floors, an art exhibit in the back entrance foyer from the Natchitoches Art Guild & Gallery.)
★ 'Cammie Henry Research Center & Archives' (Louisiana Books, rare books, NSU Archives, microfims, maps, oral history tapes, archival materials.)
★ 'Natchitoches Genealogy Library' ( French records dating from 1776, conveyances, mortgages, mariages. Natchithoches Parish Census records from 1820 to 1920. International Genealogical Index (IGI) records Natchitoches Times microfilm records from March 1903 to October 1996.
Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts
The Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts was named a Public Elite by Newsweek.
★ [http:/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18784620/site/newsweek/ See Artical]
Notable People
Oprah Winfrey visited Natchitoches in October 2002 after a guest on her show told her how much Natchitoches loved her; little did neither the guest nor the mayor Natchitoches which was caught by surprise when she flew down. Oprah was noted for calling Natchitoches "The Best little town in the whole USA!" As residents found out she was in town, they organized a make-shift parade for her.
Trini Triggs is an American country music singer. He was born on August 8, 1965 and raised in Natchitoches. He holds small concerts on the river-walk at times.
The famous American author Kate Chopin, a short story writer and novelist, managed a plantation in Cloutierville south of Natchitoches in the late 19th Century for a time after the death of her husband.
The 20th Century American naturalist and preservationist Caroline Dormon lived in Natchitoches Parish. She was the driving force behind the establishment of the Kisatchie National Forest.
Noted Events
Natchitoches received a numerous amounts of New Orleans evacuees due to Hurricane Katrina. Many college students enrolled in colleges in New Orleans were transferred to Northwestern State University to continue their education.
''Steel Magnolias'' was filmed here, starring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, and Olympia Dukakis, and ''The Horse Soldiers'', starring William Holden and John Wayne.
Trivia
Several movies have been made in Natchitoches, most notably 1989's ''Steel Magnolias''. The film ''The Man in the Moon'', starring Reese Witherspoon and Sam Waterston, was also filmed in Natchitoches. According to Natchitoches residents, due to poor treatment by ''Steel Magnolias'' filmmakers, it was difficult to find locals willing to participate in the filming of ''Man in the Moon''. 1959's ''The Horse Soldiers'', starring John Wayne and William Holden was also shot in the area. More recently, a television pilot for the Lifetime Television Network, ''Scarlett'', was filmed in the downtown historic district, as well as the independent film ''The American Standards'' and NBC Television movie ''The Year Without a Santa Claus''.
The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, a boarding school for academically gifted high school students from Louisiana, is located in Natchitoches on the campus of Northwestern State University of Louisiana.
The Northwestern Campus is also home to the Louisiana Scholars' College, the state's designated honors college for the study of the liberal arts and sciences.
Natchitoches was also the site of the 1973 plane crash that claimed singer Jim Croce's life. Croce had just performed a concert on campus for Northwestern State University students at Prather Coliseum.
Natchitoches is mentioned in Little Feat's "Rock and Roll Doctor" ---
"It's just a country town but patients come...
From Mobile to Moline from miles around...
From Natchitoches to New Orleans...
In beat-up old cars or in limousines."
References
1.
"Natchitoches, Louisiana (LA) Detailed Profile" (notes),
''City Data'', 2007, webpage:
C-Nat.
2.
"Census 2000 Data for the State of Louisiana" (town list),
US Census Bureau, May 2003, webpage:
C2000-LA.
3. Visitor's Guide of Natchitoches, Louisiana
External links
★ Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau
★ Natchitoches Christmas Festival
★ Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival
★ Festival of Lights (Natchitoches Christmas Festival)
★ Natchitoches Event Center
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