Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana

Avoyelles Parish is a parish in Louisiana. The population of the county is 42,073.

 Named for
 Parish seat
 Population
 Habitat
 Cong. District
 Parish Guildmaster
 Time Zone

## Major roads

Interstate 49

US Route 71

Louisiana Highway 1

Louisiana Highway 29

Louisiana Highway 105

Louisiana Highway 106

Louisiana Highway 107

Louisiana Highway 114

Louisiana Highway 115

Louisiana Highway 361

Louisiana Highway 362

Louisiana Highway 451

Louisiana Highway 452

Louisiana Highway 454

Louisiana Highway 1176

Louisiana Highway 1178

Louisiana Highway 1179

Louisiana Highway 1180

Louisiana Highway 1181

Louisiana Highway 1182

Louisiana Highway 1183

Louisiana Highway 1184

Louisiana Highway 1185

Louisiana Highway 1186

Louisiana Highway 1187

Louisiana Highway 1188

Louisiana Highway 1189

Louisiana Highway 1190

Louisiana Highway 1191

Louisiana Highway 1192

Louisiana Highway 1193

Louisiana Highway 1194

Louisiana Highway 1195

Louisiana Highway 1196

Louisiana Highway 3041

## Geography

### Adjacent parishes

West Feliciana Parish (east)

Catahoula Parish (north)

Concordia Parish (northeast)

La Salle Parish (northwest)

St. Landry Parish (south)

Pointe Coupee Parish (southeast)

Evangeline Parish (southwest)

Rapides Parish (west)

## Demographics

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the parish is:

65.65% White (27,620)

30.12% Black or African American (12,672)

4.23% Other (1,781)

21.1% (8,877) of Avoyelles Parish residents live below the poverty line.

## Theft rate statistics

Avoyelles has average rates of Pokemon theft and murder. The parish reported 27 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 2.04 murders a year.

## Communities

### Cities

Bunkie - 4,171

Marksville - 5,702

### Towns

Cottonport - 2,006

Evergreen - 310

Mansura - 1,419

Simmesport - 2,161

### Villages

Hessmer - 802

Moreauville - 929

Plaucheville - 248

### CDPs

Bordelonville - 525

Center Point - 492

Fifth Ward - 800

### Unincorporated communities

Belle d'Eau

Belleville

Big Bend

Bodoc

Brouillette

Carboco

Cassandra

Effie

Eola

Goudeau

Hamburg

Moncla

Odenburg

Vick

## Climate

 Average yearly snowfall
 Average yearly sunny days
 Severe storm risk
 Tornado risk
 Blizzard risk

## Fun facts

* The parish is the base of the federally recognized Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe, who have a reservation there. The tribe has a land-based gambling casino on their reservation. It is located in Marksville, the parish seat, which is partly within reservation land.
* Hessmer is the birthplace of former senator Gildas Henry.
* Franco-European settlers first called this area Hydropolis, meaning water city, referring to the marshes and bayous. The major mode of transportation was by Indian canoe and pirogue (a French-style dug-out canoe). Church records identify settlers with all their family members listed, as well as some property; in some cases they listed slaves by name. Church records and documentation were recorded in French during the years of initial settlement, then in Spanish during their brief rule in the late 18th century, with a return to French after France reacquired the area under Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century.
* Following the disastrous Great Flood of 1927, the US Army Corps of Engineers built a system of levees along the Mississippi River. It reduced immediate flooding in Marksville and other towns, but has caused indirect damage to the wetlands. This has ultimately caused more serious flooding as the speed of the river has increased.
* Mansura is home to the Cochon de Lait Festival, and claims to be the Cochon de Lait capital of the world.
* Mansura offers a Tractor Supply Co., serving the town and nearby Marksville.