Vivian, Louisiana

Vivian developed as a trading center and center of a retail area that included smaller towns in the area. During its heyday, people from the region used to visit Vivian for shopping and movies, especially on the weekends.

Local Democratic Party politician Earl Guyton Williamson had considerable power in the town and parish. A supporter of politician Huey Long, he served as mayor from 1938 to 1946, and again from 1962 to 1966. During all this period, until after 1965, African Americans were essentially disenfranchised in Vivian and the state.

Williamson had been a politician in northern Caddo Parish since the Great Depression, serving on the police jury for more than four decades, from 1933 to 1972. After restructuring of parish government, Williamson was elected to the Caddo Parish Commission in 1978, serving one term to 1980. State law at the time permitted Williamson to occupy both the parish and town posts while he also served as mayor, concentrating political power in the small town.

Williamson was succeeded as mayor in 1966 by Jimmy Wilson, a grocer and banker, who served until 1972. That year Wilson won his only term in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Wilson was the Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana's 4th congressional district in 1978 and 1980.

Williamson's son Don W. Williamson has followed him into politics, serving on the parish school board, beginning in 1968. He later was elected successively to both houses of the state legislature.

Vivian is located in northwestern Caddo Parish at 32°52′16″N 93°59′12″W (32.870974, -93.986731).[4] Louisiana Highway 1 passes through the center of the town, leading north 11 miles (18 km) to the Texas border at the northwest corner of Louisiana, and south 30 miles (48 km) to Shreveport. LA 2 leads east 7 miles (11 km) to U.S. Route 71 in Hosston.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Vivian has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²), all land.[3]

A look at downtown Vivian

Vivian Town Hall

The Vivian Railroad Station Museum is located downtown.

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 4,031 people, 1,569 households, and 1,019 families residing in the town. The population density was 782.1 people per square mile (302.2/km²). There were 1,812 housing units at an average density of 351.5 per square mile (135.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 63.90% White, 34.19% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 1,569 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town, the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,800, and the median income for a family was $29,867. Males had a median income of $26,844 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,267. About 21.4% of families and 26.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.0% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Vivian is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The current mayor is Mike VanSchoick, who also is the owner of General Wholesale in Vivian.

The town's single government-sponsored cultural organization is the North Caddo Branch of the Shreve Memorial Library. The library is housed in the once-abandoned, now-restored North Caddo Elementary Middle School building. This new library contains a wealth of primitive readings from early Louisiana history, two expansive floors of books and periodicals, and numerous computers. The library staff includes one widely published author, who works as the reference specialist.

Vivian has been the location of several recent films.

• Exterior shots of the supermarket in the film The Mist were shot in Vivian in 2007 at Tom's Market.
• Outdoor scenes for Straw Dogs (2011) were filmed in the downtown region in 2009.

• Dan Flores, historian of the American West, born in Vivian in 1948
• Phil Robertson, inventor of Duck Commander Duck Calls and television personality on Duck Dynasty, born in Vivian in 1946
• Silas Robertson (born 1948), television personality
• Jasper Smith (1905-1992), Vivian lawyer, city attorney, and member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1944 to 1948 and then 1952 to 1964[7]
• Don Williamson, businessman and politician, son of Early Williamson, state representative (1968-1972), State Senator (1972-1980), and member of the Caddo Parish School Board prior to 1968
• Nathan Woods, (b.1981), Musician and Songwriter, son of “Jimmy” Woods Sr., local businessman, was a member of the Shreveport Rock/Bluegrass group Dirtfoot (2010-2014). While in Dirtfoot, Woods played the double bass and electric bass guitar, touring in direct support of the Rockabilly act the Reverend Horton Heat (Dallas, TX), and the experimental Alternative Rock group Primus (Los Angeles, CA). In 2013, Woods, along with the other members of Dirtfoot, was given the title of “cultural representative” by the deputy governor of the state of Louisiana, in a ceremony at the historic Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, LA.[8]

• Town of Vivian, official website