# Richland Parish, Louisiana

Richland Parish is a parish located in the North Louisiana Delta Country in the U.S. state of Louisiana, known for its fertile, flat farmland, cane brakes, and open spaces. The parish had a population of 20,043 at the 2020 United States census. The name Richland was chosen due to the rich production from farming. The parish seat and largest community is Rayville.

## History

The parish was officially created on September 29, 1868. Rayville, Louisiana, the parish seat, was named for John Ray, a politician from Monroe with large land holdings in present-day Rayville.
Richland Parish is home to the first public parish library in the State of Louisiana, the Rhymes Memorial Library. The library was built in 1925 by the Lambda Kappa Club of Rayville. R.R. Rhymes donated the original building in memory of his wife, Nonnie Roark Rhymes.

## Geography

Bayou Macon flows through the eastern areas of Richland. Other tributaries in the parish include Crew Lake, and the Lafourche Diversion Canal are located in the western portion of the parish. Boeuf River flows from the northern end to the southern end in the center of the parish.

### Adjacent parishes

* Morehouse Parish (north)
* West Carroll Parish (northeast)
* East Carroll Parish (east)
* Madison Parish (east)
* Franklin Parish (south)
* Caldwell Parish (southwest)
* Ouachita Parish (west)

### Parks and wildlife management areas

* Poverty Point Reservoir State Park
* Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area

## Communities
### Towns

* Delhi
* Rayville (parish seat and largest municipality)

### Village

* Mangham

### Unincorporated areas
#### Census-designated place

* Start

#### Unincorporated communities

* Alto
* Archibald
* Bardel
* Bee Bayou
* Buckner
* Charlieville
* Crew Lake
* Dehlco
* Dunn
* Four Forks
* Gilleyville
* Girard
* Holly Ridge
* Jonesburg
* Mitchiner
* New Light
* Rhymes
* Sacksonia
* Warden

## Transportation

* Interstates and State Highways
* Interstate 20
* U.S. Highway 80
* U.S. Highway 425
* Louisiana Highway 15
* Louisiana Highway 17
* Louisiana Highway 132
* Louisiana Highway 133
* Louisiana Highway 135
* Louisiana Highway 585
* Air, Rail, Levee
* Rayville Municipal Airport
* Delhi Municipal Airport
* Monroe Regional Airport
* Kansas City Southern Railroad
* Tensas Basin Levee District

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Richland Parish racial composition :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 11,667 | 58.21% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 7,303 | 36.44% |
| Native American | 53 | 0.26% |
| Asian | 50 | 0.25% |
| Other/Mixed | 570 | 2.84% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 400 | 2.0% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 20,043 people, 7,459 households, and 4,972 families residing in the parish.

## Education
### Public schools

* Delhi Elementary
* Delhi Junior High
* Delhi High School
* Holly Ridge Elementary
* Mangham Elementary
* Mangham Junior High
* Mangham High School
* Rayville Elementary
* Rayville Junior High
* Rayville, High School
* Start Elementary

### Private schools

* Riverfield Academy, K–12

### Charter schools

* Delhi Charter, K–12

### Community and technical colleges

* Louisiana Delta Community College, (with campus locations in neighboring Tallulah, Winnsboro, Lake Providence, Bastrop, Monroe, and West Monroe.)

### Regional universities

* University of Louisiana at Monroe
* Louisiana Tech University, (Ruston)
* Grambling State University, (Grambling)

## Government

| Parish Administration | Administrators |
| Sheriff | Gary Gilley, No Party |
| Coroner | Dr. Matt Prine, Republican |
| Assessor | Lee Brown, III, Democrat |
| School Board Superintendent | Sheldon Jones |
| Homeland Security | Dawn Williams |
| Parish Police Jury | Police Jurors |
| District 1, Delhi | Steve Craig, Republican |
| District 2, Delhi | Patrick Stubblefield, Democrat |
| District 3, Rayville | Sharon Gee, Democrat |
| District 4, Rayville | Steve Lofton, Republican |
| District 5, Rayville | Paul Slayter, Republican |
| District 6, Rayville | Althan Smith, Democrat |
| District 7, Alto | Cecil Reddick, Republican |
| District 8, Start | Elliot Colvin, Republican |
| District 9, Mangham | Roy Wiggins, Jr., Republican |
| 5th Judicial District | Parish Judicial Leaders |
| Division "A" | Clay Hamilton, Republican |
| Division "B" | Will Rhymes Barham, Republican |
| Division "C" | Steve Dean, Republican |
| Clerk of Court | Stacie Williamson, Republican |
| Parish School Board | Board Members |
| District 1, Delhi | Billy Calvert, No Party |
| District 2, Delhi | Eugene Young, Jr., Democrat |
| District 3, Rayville | Moses "DeJohn" Wilkins, Democrat |
| District 4, Rayville | James Hough, Republican |
| District 5, Rayville | Alece Copeland, No Party |
| District 6, Rayville | Marie Lewis, Democrat |
| District 7, Archibald | Joe Chapman, No Party |
| District 8, Start | Kevin Eppinette, No Party |
| District 9, Mangham | Chris Pruitt, Republican |

## Notable people

* Julia Letlow, from Start, elected Member of Congress in the United States House of Representatives.
* Luke Letlow, from Start, elected to the United States House of Representatives, but died of a heart attack caused by COVID-19 before he could be seated.
* Ralph Abraham, from Alto, elected Member of Congress in United States House of Representatives.
* Harry W. Addison was a Southern author and humorist who resided in Rayville from 1945 to 1957.
* Jamar Adcock, a politician and banker in Monroe, born in Richland Parish
* Terry Doughty, is a federally appointed judge for the Western District of Louisiana.
* Elvin Hayes, Hall of Fame basketball player, born in Rayville
* Arlene Howell, Miss Louisiana USA 1958, Miss USA 1958
* Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Richland Parish in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960
* William L. Kirk, of Rayville was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe/Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe.
* Ernie Ladd, a football player/professional wrestler, born in Rayville
* Moses J. Liddell was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as a judge for the Supreme Court of the Montana Territory.
* Wiley Person Mangham, an American publisher and editor. He is the namesake for t
* Tim McGraw, Country musician, born in Delhi, and raised in Start
* Robert Max Ross, was a Republican politician and activist who qualified to run for governor, U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House, for the purpose of advancing the two-party system in Louisiana, at a time it did not exist.
* Francis C. Thompson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1975 until 2008; since in the Louisiana State Senate
* Tim McGraw, a famous country musician.
* Ralph Abraham, U.S. House of Representatives.
* Elvin Hayes, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
* Wiley Person Mangham, American Publisher and Editor.

## Gallery

* Former Rayville High School, operated by the Richland Parish School Board and originally designed by the Shreveport architect Edward F. Neild, was renovated into an apartment complex
* Holly Ridge High School in Holly Ridge in rural Richland Parish
* Veteran's Memorial in Mangham
* Rhymes Memorial Library in Rayville was the first parish wide public library in Louisiana.
* Poverty Point Reservoir in Delhi.
* Start Baptist Church
* Richland Parish Courthouse, in Rayville
* Alto Presbyterian Church, built in 1873
* Richland Parish Detention Center near Alto, Louisiana
* First Baptist Church in Delhi
* Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Richland Parish, Louisiana :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 6,354 | 69.12% | 2,732 | 29.72% | 107 | 1.16% |
| 2020 | 6,607 | 66.47% | 3,225 | 32.44% | 108 | 1.09% |
| 2016 | 6,287 | 65.51% | 3,157 | 32.90% | 153 | 1.59% |
| 2012 | 5,846 | 62.66% | 3,387 | 36.31% | 96 | 1.03% |
| 2008 | 5,751 | 62.64% | 3,311 | 36.06% | 119 | 1.30% |
| 2004 | 5,471 | 63.14% | 3,082 | 35.57% | 112 | 1.29% |
| 2000 | 4,895 | 57.69% | 3,282 | 38.68% | 308 | 3.63% |
| 1996 | 3,765 | 43.23% | 4,143 | 47.57% | 802 | 9.21% |
| 1992 | 3,808 | 42.77% | 3,706 | 41.63% | 1,389 | 15.60% |
| 1988 | 5,226 | 62.85% | 2,833 | 34.07% | 256 | 3.08% |
| 1984 | 5,980 | 65.84% | 2,918 | 32.13% | 185 | 2.04% |
| 1980 | 4,772 | 54.57% | 3,745 | 42.83% | 227 | 2.60% |
| 1976 | 3,630 | 49.93% | 3,495 | 48.07% | 145 | 1.99% |
| 1972 | 4,304 | 70.80% | 1,335 | 21.96% | 440 | 7.24% |
| 1968 | 1,031 | 15.95% | 1,017 | 15.74% | 4,415 | 68.31% |
| 1964 | 4,498 | 85.76% | 747 | 14.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,378 | 35.62% | 996 | 25.74% | 1,495 | 38.64% |
| 1956 | 1,063 | 29.88% | 1,094 | 30.76% | 1,400 | 39.36% |
| 1952 | 1,645 | 39.70% | 2,499 | 60.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 119 | 4.69% | 960 | 37.87% | 1,456 | 57.44% |
| 1944 | 488 | 18.95% | 2,087 | 81.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 310 | 11.37% | 2,417 | 88.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 165 | 6.36% | 2,425 | 93.48% | 4 | 0.15% |
| 1932 | 46 | 2.53% | 1,773 | 97.42% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1928 | 242 | 18.26% | 1,083 | 81.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 116 | 14.61% | 678 | 85.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 50 | 7.00% | 664 | 93.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 7 | 1.07% | 650 | 98.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | 2 | 0.46% | 393 | 89.93% | 42 | 9.61% |