Shreveport, Louisiana
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| Shreveport, Louisiana | |||||
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| Coordinates: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parish | Caddo | ||||
| Mayor | Cedric Glover | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - City | 117.8 mi² / 305.1 km² | ||||
| - Land | 103.1 mi² / 267.1 km² | ||||
| - Water | 14.6 mi² / 37.9 km² | ||||
| Elevation | 57 m | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - City (2004) | 198,675 | ||||
| - Density | 749.2/km² | ||||
| - Metro | 378,331 | ||||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||||
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||||
| Website: www.ci.shreveport.la.us/ | |||||
Shreveport, Louisiana, is the third largest city and the third largest metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the seat of Caddo Parish. As of 2004, the city's population given by the U.S. Census Bureau was 198,675, a decline from the 2000 census levels. Bossier City lies across the Red River in Bossier Parish and the Shreveport-Bossier City Metropolitan Area population exceeds 375,000.
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". In fact, they share an af2 arena football team, the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings, as well as a Central Hockey League team, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. The area is the intersection of three Interstate Highways: I-20, I-49, I-220 (loop). Shreveport is also the proposed hub for I-69 (NAFTA Highway) connecting the area to Houston, Texas, and Memphis, Tennessee.
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[edit] History
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.
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 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.
Shreveport and Bossier City have six historic districts and numerous NR listed landmarks. The original 64-block town is today the city's central business district and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Shreveport is second only to New Orleans among Louisiana cities in the number of historic landmarks. The McNeill Street Pumping Station is an 1887 waterworks that is still in use.
Barksdale Air Force Base, which opened in 1933 as Barksdale Army Air Field, is in Bossier City. It came into national attention when President George W. Bush was taken there during the September 11, 2001 attacks. It also came into national attention when B-52 bombers based there participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Their attacks on fixed hard targets and the famed Iraqi Republican Guard Medina Division using state of the art JDAM's and other munitions marked a new era in U.S. air power where precision guided munitions were used more than "dumb" bombs with devastating effect (see Shock and Awe).
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.
Shreveport's most famous musician, legendary blues guitarist and singer Huddie William Leadbetter, aka 'Leadbelly', who inspired the folk and blues revivals of the Fifties and Sixties, was born January 15, 1888, on the Jeter Plantation near Shreveport. Leadbelly frequently performed in Shreveport's red light district, and after his death in 1949 while on tour in Europe, was buried in the community of Mooringsport, just north of Shreveport.
One of the city's most prominent downtown businessmen was the Missouri-born banker Peter Youree (1843-1914), who financed the ten-story Commercial National Bank Building (1910) and the Washington Youree Hotel. Youree's bank structure was the city's original skyscraper. Youree Drive in Shreveport bears his name.
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 (32.468003, -93.771115)GR1. 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] Weather
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.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 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.
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] Economy
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.
Shreveport was largely unaffected by Hurricane Katrina; however, it did accommodate many evacuees from Southern Lousiana. Since Shreveport is approximately 200 miles (300 km) inland, there has been speculation that some New Orleans residents and businesses who want to move away from the coast in fear of further hurricanes may relocate to the northern part of the state, centered around Shreveport.
In 2005, Steelscape announced it would open one of the largest steel plants in North America on the Port of Shreveport-Bossier and be operational in March 2006.
Shreve Systems is here and visible from the Interstate.
General Motors has established a large plant in Shreveport. The Shreveport plant manufactures the Hummer H3 SUV, and the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks.
Softdisk, a software and Internet company, was founded in Shreveport in 1981 and published various disk magazines in the 1980s and 1990s, which occasionally included early games by the founders of Apogee Software. The founders of id Software also worked there and lived in Shreveport in the early 1990s.
[edit] Media
[edit] Print
Shreveport is served by a variety of print publications. The major daily newspaper serving the Shreveport-Bossier and Ark-La-Tex area is The Shreveport Times. Its headquarters are located in downtown Shreveport. Other smaller non-daily newspapers in the area include The Shreveport Sun, the Caddo Citizen, The Christian Times, and the Daily Legal News, a newspaper focusing on law. Bossier City is served by the bi-weekly Bossier Press-Tribune. The Bombardier is the weekly newspaper of record for the Barksdale Air Force Base. In addition, The Forum Newsweekly, American Classifieds, and SB Magazine are published for the Shreveport-Bossier area. Other specialty magazines include LA Health, LA Parenting, Real Estate Book, Make & Model, and Move On In.
[edit] Television
Shreveport and Bossier City are served by two major cable television systems: Shreveport is served by Comcast and Bossier City is served by Cox Communications.
Shreveport is served by several local television stations including:
| Call Letters | Channel | Network | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| KTBS | 3 | ABC | KTBS, Inc. |
| KTAL | 6 | NBC | Nexstar Broadcasting |
| KSLA | 12 | CBS | Raycom Media |
| KLTS | 24 | PBS | Louisiana Public Broadcasting |
| KPXJ | 21 | CW | KTBS, Inc. |
| KMSS | 33 | Fox | Alexander Joe III |
| KADO-LP | 40 | ACN | |
| KSHV | 45 | MNTV | Communications Corp of America |
In 2004, KPXJ became a UPN affiliate. It was originally an affiliate of PAX (now known as i). Shreveport is now one of a few markets which the i network does not have an affiliate station. i's national feed can be seen on Cox Communications in Bossier City and on Comcast in Shreveport.
Previously, UPN was broadcast on KSHV, sharing an affiliation with The WB network. UPN programming aired from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m.. Syndicated programming currently airs at that time on channel 45.
KTBS broadcasts a newscast for KPXJ on Monday through Friday nights at 9:00 p.m.. Before becoming a UPN affiliate in 2004, KPXJ aired rebroadcasts of KTBS 3 News daily at 5:30 p.m. (rebroadcast of the 5:00 p.m. newscast) and 11:00 p.m. (rebroadcast of the 10:00 newscast).
[edit] Radio
The following is a list of radio stations in Shreveport.
AM Stations
| Frequency | Callsign | Nickname | Format | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 710 | KEEL | News/Talk | ||
| 980 | KOKA | Black Gospel according to Jeff Gowen | ||
| 1070 | KBCL | Contemporary Christian | ||
| 1130 | KWKH | Classic Country | ||
| 1240 | KASO | Adult Standards | ||
| 1300 | KSYB | Black Gospel | ||
| 1340 | KRMD | News/Talk | ||
| 1480 | KIOU | Black Gospel | ||
| 1590 | KGAS | Southern Gospel |
FM Stations
| Frequency | Callsign | Nickname | Format | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89.9 | KDAQ | Classical | ||
| 91.3 | KSCL | College Rock/Various Genres | ||
| 92.1 | KSYR | Adult Contemporary | ||
| 92.9 | KTKC | Black Gospel | ||
| 93.7 | KXKS | Country | ||
| 94.5 | KRUF | Top 40 | ||
| 94.9 | KSBH | Country | ||
| 95.7 | KLKL | Oldies | ||
| 96.5 | KVKI | Adult Contemporary | ||
| 97.3 | [[]] | Mix 97.3 | ||
| 98.1 | KTAL | Classic Rock | ||
| 98.9 | KTUX | Active Rock | ||
| 99.7 | KMJJ | R&B/Hip-Hop | ||
| 101.1 | KRMD | Country | ||
| 102.1 | KDKS | Classic R&B | ||
| 102.9 | KVMA | Adult R&B | ||
| 103.7 | KBTT | R&B/Hip-Hop | ||
| 104.3 | KGAS | Country | ||
| 104.7 | KORI | Country | ||
| 105.3 | KNCB | Country | ||
| 106.7 | KLOVE | Contemporary Christian | ||
| 107.9 | KQHN | TBA |
[edit] Events and points of interest
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.
Shreveport has several points of interest, including:
- The Gardens of the American Rose Center
- The National Rose Garden — the world's largest rose garden.
- The Clyde Fant Parkway, named for Mayor Fant (1946-1954; 1958-1970) along the Red River
[edit] Famous Residents
It was the birthplace of country music singer Hank Williams, Jr..
The famous blues guitarist/singer Huddie William Ledbetter ('Leadbelly') was born in 1888 near Shreveport.
Shreveport was the home of concert pianist Van Cliburn, winner of the 1958 Tchiakovsky competition. Cliburn later left the area. It is also the home of football stars Terry Bradshaw and Joe Ferguson, as well as legendary guitarist James Burton.
The character actress and comedian Pat Carroll was born in Shreveport in 1927.
The noted computer scientist and pioneer in advanced nanotechnology Ken Choy was born in California but spent considerable time in Shreveport. He became a revolutionary force in Silicon Valley's growth and is often seen in the company of Larry Ellison (Oracle CEO), Bill Gates (Microsoft CEO) and Jim Barksdale (former head of Netscape).
The famous criminal defense attorney Johnnie L. Cochran was born in Shreveport in 1937. He died in Los Angeles in 2005.
Shreveport was the birthplace of two Louisiana United States senators, Democrats Russell B. Long and J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., who both represented Louisiana from November 1972-January 1987.
Other famous residents include
- K.D. Aubert, American actress and former fashion model.
- Kevyn Aucoin, make-up artist and photographer
- Arnaz Battle, NFL player
- Albert Belle, former Major League baseball Player
- John David Booty, Quarterback for the University of Southern California
- Dr. Betsy Vogel Boze, Chief Executive Officer and Dean, Kent State University Stark
- Kix Brooks, country musician. Brooks and Dunn
- Charlie Hennigan, football player for Houston Oilers
- Gilbert Hetherwick, President and CEO of Sony BMG Masterworks
- Bill Joyce, children's author
- Jim McCrery, United States congressman from the Fourth District (R)
- Brittney Rogers, Miss Louisiana 2003
- Kenny Wayne Shepherd, blues guitarist
- Tom Stagg, U.S. District Court judge
- Hal Sutton, professional golfer
- Stromile Swift, NBA player
- David Toms, professional golfer
- Todd Walker, Major League baseball player
- Vernon Wells, Major League baseball Player with the Toronto Blue Jays
- Anne-Marie Bruner, Rotarian Scholar
[edit] External links
- Official city site
- The Times newspaper
- Shreveport/Bossier Page
- National Weather Service Shreveport office
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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