Welsh, Louisiana

Welsh was originally a homestead owned by former plantation overseer and Confederate States Army soldier Henry Welsh in the late 1800s.[3] In 1881, Welsh donated right-of-way and a section house to the Southern Pacific Railroad on the condition that trains stop in the town.[3] The town of Welsh was platted in 1880[3] and incorporated on March 15, 1888,[4] when Henry Welsh was elected the first mayor.

Welsh is located at 30°14′15″N 92°49′14″W (30.237419, -92.820593).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.4 km²), of which 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km²) (1.89%) is water.

As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 3,226 people, 1,216 households, and 843 families residing in the town. The population density was 512.1 people per square mile (209.8/km²). There were 1,374 housing units at an average density of 220.3 per square mile (85.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.5% White, 20.3% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 1,216 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.11.[8]

In the town, the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,318, and the median income for a family was $43,853. The per capita income for the town was $18,630. About 20.4% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.4% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.[9]

• Canray Fontenot (1922-1995), Creole fiddler
• Phillip Walker (1937-2010), electric blues guitarist and singer
• Charles Mann, (ne Charles Louis Domingue 1944) swamp pop legend and member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame

Jefferson Davis Parish Public Schools operates public schools in Welsh. Schools serving Welsh include Welsh Elementary School (PK–5) in Welsh, Welsh - Roanoke Jr. High (6–8) in nearby Roanoke, and Welsh High School (9–12) in Welsh.

Jefferson Davis Parish Library operates the McBurney Memorial Branch at 301 South Sarah Street.