Farmerville, Louisiana

Farmerville is located at 32°46′25″N 92°24′15″W (32.773736, -92.404257).[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.6 square miles (15 km²), of which 5.5 square miles (14 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.72%) is water.

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 3,808 people, 1,366 households, and 932 families residing in the town. The population density was 691.7 people per square mile (266.8/km²). There were 1,554 housing units at an average density of 282.3 per square mile (108.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 34.03% White, 63.52% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.71% of the population.

There were 1,366 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 28.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town, the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,598, and the median income for a family was $26,756. Males had a median income of $26,798 versus $19,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,258. About 23.3% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.3% of those under age 18 and 27.5% of those age 65 or over.

Residents are assigned to Union Parish School District.

• Union Parish Elementary School
• Union Parish Junior High School
• Union Parish High School
• Union Christian Academy
• Downsville Charter School
• D'Arbonne Woods Charter School

As of 2013, Farmerville High School was renamed Union Parish High School.

The Pilgrim's Pride poultry processing and protein conversion plant in Farmerville was slated for closure early in 2009, along with other company operations in nearby Arcadia in Bienville Parish, Athens in Claiborne Parish, and Choudrant in Union Parish. The closures impacted some 1,300 jobs in North Louisiana.[7] Several weeks later, however, Pilgrim's Pride accepted an $80 million offer from Foster Farms of California to purchase the operations. In addition to the 1,300 direct jobs, the purchase spared the small farms of some three hundred independent growers. Foster Farms put up $40 million and the State of Louisiana a matching $40 million. Foster Farms will further invest $10 million in capital improvements at the Farmerville plant, to be matched by the state, in an agreement announced by Governor Bobby Jindal.[8]

• Thomas "Bud" Brady, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1976 to 1988 from La Salle Parish; a radio announcer in Farmerville in the early 1960s[9]
• Donovan Chapman, Country music artist
• Hollis Downs, former state representative from Lincoln and Union parishes, born in Farmerville in 1946
• James Walter Elder, was a member of the United States House of Representatives and a mayor of Farmerville
• William C. Feazel, interim U.S. Senator in 1948; member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Ouachita Parish from 1932–1936; father-in-law of former state Representative Shady R. Wall of West Monroe
• Harvey Fields, state senator from 1916 to 1920, member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission from 1927 to 1936, Farmerville resident and ally of Huey Pierce Long Jr.[10]
• T. T. Fields (1912-1994), member of the Louisiana House from 1952 to 1964 and 1968 to 1972
• Ray Germany, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball player and Farmerville High School basketball coach, 1961-1963; Minden High School basketball coach, 1963-1970; current resident of Haughton[11]
• Alton Hardy Howard, co-founder of Howard Brothers Discount Stores; gospel songwriter; born in Rocky Branch community in 1925, based in West Monroe
• W. L. "Jack" Howard, five-term mayor of Monroe and partner of Howard Brothers Discount Stores, was born in the Rocky Branch community in 1921.[12]
• V. E. Howard, Church of Christ clergyman who founded the International Gospel Hour on radio, based in Texarkana, Texas; interred at Rocky Branch Cemetery[13]
• K.D. Kilpatrick, mortician and former member of the Louisiana State Senate
• W. Burch Lee (1883-1938), state representative for Webster Parish, 1914-1916; clerk of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in Shreveport; born in Farmerville[14]
• Jay McCallum (born 1960), state court judge since 2003; state representative for Lincoln and Union parishes from 1992 to 2003.[15]
• B. R. Patton (1920-1999), state senator from Lincoln and Union parishes from 1956 to 1964; worked to establish Lake D'Arbonne
• Fred Preaus (1912–1987), automobile dealer and timber businessman in Farmerville, state highway director (1952–1955), gubernatorial candidate in 1956
• Robert Roberts Jr., Union Parish native, mayor of Farmerville c. 1900, mayor of Minden 1905-1906, state representative for Webster Parish 1908-1914, and state district judge 1920 to 1925[16]
• Don Shows, championship football coach, formerly at Farmerville High School
• James Peyton Smith (1925-2006), state representative from Union and Morehouse parishes from 1964 to 1972; namesake of bridge over Lake D'Arbonne in Farmerville[17]
• Lee Emmett Thomas (1866–1935), the mayor of Shreveport from 1922–1930 and Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1912–1916, practiced law in Farmerville from 1889-1896.[18]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Farmerville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[19]

• Town of Farmerville
• Farmerville Progress Community Progress Site for Farmerville