Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Delta Music Museum in Ferriday's downtown historic district | |
 Location of Ferriday in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. | |
 Location of Louisiana in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 31°37′50″N 91°33′24″W / 31.63056°N 91.55667°W / 31.63056; -91.55667Coordinates: 31°37′50″N 91°33′24″W / 31.63056°N 91.55667°W / 31.63056; -91.55667 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Concordia |
| Government | |
| Area [1] | |
| • Total | 1.63 sq mi (4.22 km2) |
| • Land | 1.63 sq mi (4.22 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 52 ft (16 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,511 |
| • Estimate (2016)[2] | 3,330 |
| • Density | 2,044.20/sq mi (789.35/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 318 |
| FIPS code | 22-25440 |
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,511 at the 2010 census.[3]
Ferriday played a role in the promotion of blues music through the Haney's Big House lounge in the African-American community. Almost every Delta Blues musician played at Haney's. The Delta Music Museum in the downtown historic district is open daily to visitors, many of whom come from out of state. It is located next to the restored Arcade Theater. The museum contains exhibits on Ferriday natives, some of whom were blues, rock, pop, and country musicians.
The town claims to have produced more famous people per square mile than any other in America. This statement intrigued author Elaine Dundy, who explored both celebrities and townsfolk in her book, Ferriday, Louisiana, published by E. P. Dutton in 1991.[4]
Ferriday is represented by churches of several major denominations, including a large Pentecostal congregation south of town on Louisiana Highway 15, as well as Baptist, Assembly of God, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Catholic.
Contents
1 Geography
1.1 Climate
2 Demographics
3 Education
4 Notable people
5 Photo gallery
6 References
7 External links
Geography
Ferriday is situated on the west side of Lake Concordia and 8 miles (13 km) from Lake St. John, oxbow lakes noted for recreational and professional bass fishing.
U.S. Routes 84 and 425 pass through the center of Ferriday. US 84 leads west 16 miles (26 km) to Jonesville, and US 425 leads north 6 miles (10 km) to Clayton. The two highways jointly lead southeast 11 miles (18 km) to Natchez, Mississippi.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Ferriday has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km2), all being land.[3]
Climate
| Climate data for Ferriday, Louisiana | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) | 85 (29) | 91 (33) | 92 (33) | 99 (37) | 102 (39) | 102 (39) | 105 (41) | 103 (39) | 98 (37) | 87 (31) | 83 (28) | 105 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 57 (14) | 63 (17) | 70 (21) | 77 (25) | 83 (28) | 89 (32) | 92 (33) | 91 (33) | 88 (31) | 79 (26) | 68 (20) | 59 (15) | 76 (24) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 39 (4) | 41 (5) | 49 (9) | 55 (13) | 63 (17) | 69 (21) | 72 (22) | 71 (22) | 66 (19) | 55 (13) | 48 (9) | 41 (5) | 56 (13) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 4 (−16) | 8 (−13) | 18 (−8) | 28 (−2) | 30 (−1) | 49 (9) | 55 (13) | 50 (10) | 40 (4) | 27 (−3) | 18 (−8) | 5 (−15) | 4 (−16) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 6.44 (164) | 5.03 (128) | 6.74 (171) | 6.07 (154) | 5.49 (139) | 4.68 (119) | 4.03 (102) | 3.89 (99) | 3.73 (95) | 3.97 (101) | 5.58 (142) | 6.44 (164) | 62.09 (1,578) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.7 (1.8) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (2.56) |
| Source: [5] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 577 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,044 | 80.9% | |
| 1930 | 2,502 | 139.7% | |
| 1940 | 2,857 | 14.2% | |
| 1950 | 3,847 | 34.7% | |
| 1960 | 4,563 | 18.6% | |
| 1970 | 5,239 | 14.8% | |
| 1980 | 4,472 | −14.6% | |
| 1990 | 4,111 | −8.1% | |
| 2000 | 3,723 | −9.4% | |
| 2010 | 3,511 | −5.7% | |
| Est. 2016 | 3,330 | [2] | −5.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] | |||
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 3,723 people, 1,350 households, and 918 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,220.7 people per square mile (855.6/km²). There were 1,498 housing units at an average density of 893.5 per square mile (344.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 24.09% White, 74.89% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population.
There were 1,350 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.7% were married couples living together, 33.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the town, the population was spread out with 32.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $14,732, and the median income for a family was $18,636. Males had a median income of $23,654 versus $16,725 for females. The per capita income for the town was $8,767. About 40.7% of families and 47.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 70.2% of those under age 18 and 25.1% of those age 65 or over.
In 2010, Ferriday had the 15th-lowest median household income of all places in the United States with a population over 1,000.[8]
Education
The Concordia Parish School Board serves Ferriday. Ferriday High School is a light-colored brick structure off LA 15. Its sports teams are known as the Trojans. To the right rear of the high school is the Concordia Parish Library.
The private Huntington High School, first established for all grades in 1970, was located in a middle-class residential area of the town. It is one of the "segregation academies", private schools founded by white parents who withdrew from the public system when its schools were desegregated. Former State Representative Bryant Hammett graduated from Huntington in 1974. Former Louisiana Secretary of State Al Ater was a graduate of the founding class. Publisher Sam Hanna was among its first directors. Huntington closed down in 2010.
Founder and head of the board, Craig Jackson, established the Delta Charter School in 2013 in Huntington's buildings.
The Louisiana Community College is located in Ferriday.
Notable people
Andy Anders, current state representative for Concordia Parish; farm equipment salesman in Ferriday
Al Ater, former Louisiana Secretary of State
Campbell Brown, NBC and CNN news correspondent
James H. "Jim" Brown, Louisiana state senator, Louisiana secretary of state, and state insurance commissioner
Hyram Copeland, current mayor of Vidalia since 1992; born in Ferriday in 1940[9]
Noah W. Cross (1908-1976) served as Concordia Parish sheriff from 1944 until 1973, when he resigned after a perjury conviction
Brenham C. Crothers (1905-1984), state senator from 1948 to 1952 and 1956 to 1960
Mickey Gilley, country musician and owner of Gilley's Nightclub in Pasadena, Texas
Troyce Guice of Ferriday and later Natchez, Mississippi, ran for the United States Senate from Louisiana in 1966 and 1996
Bryant Hammett (born 1956), Ferriday engineer and former state representative
Sam Hanna, Sr. (1933–2006), publisher of Concordia Sentinel newspaper in Ferriday, Ouachita Citizen in West Monroe, and Franklin Sun in Winnsboro
Dale Houston (1940–2007), whose single "I'm Leaving It Up To You" reached No. 1 in 1963
Shelby M. Jackson, Louisiana state superintendent of education, 1948-1964; namesake of Louisiana Community College in Ferriday
Jerry Lee Lewis, rock and roll singer, pianist
Rickey L. Nowlin, born in Ferriday, president of Natchitoches Parish government and a Republican former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Daniel Wesley "Dan" Richey, former state senator
Fred L. Schiele (1933–2002), Concordia Parish sheriff from 1973–1980
Howard K. Smith, CBS and ABC commentator and anchorman; Howard K. Smith: News and Comment (1962–1963)
Jimmy Lee Swaggart, evangelist
Steve D. Thompson, state senator for District 32 from 1988 to 1996, has resided in both Winnsboro and Ferriday- Ann Boyar Warner, Hollywood hostess and wife of Jack L. Warner
Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker, trombonist born near Newellton in Tensas Parish
Photo gallery
Ferriday welcoming sign on LA 15
Downtown Ferriday in August 2008
Downtown green space in Ferriday across from Delta Music Museum
Tour guide Theresa D. Pullon at the Delta Music Museum in Ferriday, with replicas of Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Mickey Gilley in the background
Concordia Sentinel newspaper office in Ferriday. The Sentinel was founded by J.L. Rountree in 1882 and published by Sam Hanna, Jr., of West Monroe.
Concordia Bank in Ferriday
Delta Bank is across from the Delta Music Museum in downtown Ferriday.
Large Pentecostal Church in south Ferriday
First Baptist Church of Ferriday on LA 15
Ferriday's small First Presbyterian Church, (PC-USA) was founded on May 4, 1924.
The Concordia Parish Library in Ferriday
Ferriday High School adjacent to parish library
"FHS" carved in shrubbery at Ferriday High School
The private Huntington School opened in Ferriday in 1970.
Jerry Lee Lewis Drive in Ferriday en route to Huntington School
The Relax Inn on Highway 15 is Ferriday's only motel.
Long abandoned Brocato's Restaurant in Ferriday
Scorched corn fields between Jonesville and Ferriday (August 2008)
References
^ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 2, 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
^ ab "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Ferriday town, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ Dundy, Elaine. Ferriday, Louisiana.
^ [1]
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ "US Census". Retrieved 18 January 2014.
^ "Mayor Hyram Copeland". concordiaed.com. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ferriday, Louisiana. |
Ferriday Progress Community Progress Site for Ferriday, LA- Delta Music Museum opens (3/2/02)
- Elaine Dundy's "Ferriday Frappé"
- Video tour of Delta Music Museum
Municipalities and communities of Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States | ||
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Parish seat: Vidalia | ||
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| Other unincorporated communities |
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