Welsh, Louisiana
Welsh, Louisiana | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates: 30°14′15″N 92°49′44″W / 30.23750°N 92.82889°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Louisiana |
Parish | Jefferson Davis |
Founded | March 15, 1888 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Karl Arceneaux (elected 2020) |
Area | |
• Total | 6.44 sq mi (16.69 km2) |
• Land | 6.32 sq mi (16.38 km2) |
• Water | 0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2) |
Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,333 |
• Density | 527.21/sq mi (203.54/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP code | 70591[2] |
Area code | 337 |
FIPS code | 22-80430 |
Website | http://www.townofwelsh.com/ |
Welsh is a town in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. The population was 3,226 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Jennings Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
[edit]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. Initially part of the Old Imperial Calcasieu Parish, in 1913 Welsh became part of the newly established Jefferson Davis Parish.
Geography
[edit]Welsh is located at 30°14′15″N 92°49′14″W / 30.23750°N 92.82056°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.
Demographics
[edit]Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 200 | — | |
1900 | 320 | 60.0% | |
1910 | 1,250 | 290.6% | |
1920 | 1,456 | 16.5% | |
1930 | 1,514 | 4.0% | |
1940 | 1,822 | 20.3% | |
1950 | 2,416 | 32.6% | |
1960 | 3,332 | 37.9% | |
1970 | 3,203 | −3.9% | |
1980 | 3,515 | 9.7% | |
1990 | 3,299 | −6.1% | |
2000 | 3,380 | 2.5% | |
2010 | 3,226 | −4.6% | |
2020 | 3,333 | 3.3% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[6] |
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 2,429 | 72.88% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 661 | 19.83% |
Native American | 4 | 0.12% |
Asian | 8 | 0.24% |
Other/Mixed | 168 | 5.04% |
Hispanic or Latino | 63 | 1.89% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,333 people, 1,128 households, and 765 families residing in the town.
Notable people
[edit]- Canray Fontenot (1922–1995), Creole fiddler
- Lance Guidry (born 1971), American football coach, current defensive coordinator and the University of Miami
- Phillip Walker (1937–2010), electric blues guitarist and singer
- Charles Mann, swamp pop legend and member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
- Milton Vanicor (master fiddler/musician) Inducted in the Cajun French Music Hall of Fame in 2006
Education
[edit]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.
See also
[edit]- AeroLites: based in Welsh
References
[edit]- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ "Welsh LA ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c Bradshaw, Jim (June 2004). "Welsh was way station in stage coach days". USGenWeb.
- ^ "Welcome".
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.