Ringgold, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Ringgold is a town in Bienville Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. The population was 1,660 at the 2000 census. Ringgold is named for United States Army
Major Samuel Ringgold
, the hero of the battle of Palo Alto
near Brownsville
, Texas
, in the Mexican-American War. Ringgold, the son of a U.S. representative from Maryland
, was known for his particularly effective use of artillery
. He was also the first American casualty of the Mexican War.
Loggy Bayou
, which links Lake Bistineau
with the Red River
, flows through Bienville Parish west of Ringgold.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,660 people, 636 households, and 410 families residing in the town. The population density
was 715.3 people per square mile (276.3/km²). There were 749 housing units at an average density of 322.8 per square mile (124.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 43.92% White, 55.30% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.06% Asian, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.
There were 636 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% were married couples
living together, 26.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 32.1% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $15,326, and the median income for a family was $21,563. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $9,817. About 36.5% of families and 38.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.9% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.
Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Bienville Parish is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Arcadia and as of the 2000 census, the population is 15,752....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,660 at the 2000 census. Ringgold is named for United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Major Samuel Ringgold
Samuel Ringgold (soldier)
Samuel B. Ringgold was an artillery officer in the United States Army who was noted for several military innovations which caused him to be called the "Father of Modern Artillery." He was also, according to some records, the first U.S...
, the hero of the battle of Palo Alto
Battle of Palo Alto
The Battle of Palo Alto was the first major battle of the Mexican-American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas...
near Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, in the Mexican-American War. Ringgold, the son of a U.S. representative from Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, was known for his particularly effective use of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. He was also the first American casualty of the Mexican War.
Loggy Bayou
Loggy Bayou
Loggy Bayou is a stream in northwestern Louisiana which connects Lake Bistineau with the Red River. Bistineau is the reservoir of Dorcheat Bayou, which flows southward from Nevada County, Arkansas, into Webster Parish...
, which links Lake Bistineau
Lake Bistineau
250px|right|thumb|Lake Bistineau south of [[Doyline, Louisiana|Doyline]], [[Louisiana]]Lake Bistineau is a long, narrow waterway of , wide and long located in Webster, Bossier, and Bienville parishes in northwestern Louisiana. The lake is fed by Dorcheat Bayou, Clark’s Bayou, and other smaller...
with the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
, flows through Bienville Parish west of Ringgold.
Geography
Ringgold is located at 32°19′35"N 93°17′1"W (32.326475, -93.283588).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,660 people, 636 households, and 410 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 715.3 people per square mile (276.3/km²). There were 749 housing units at an average density of 322.8 per square mile (124.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 43.92% White, 55.30% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.06% Asian, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.
There were 636 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 26.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 32.1% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $15,326, and the median income for a family was $21,563. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $9,817. About 36.5% of families and 38.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.9% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives and residents
- Sue Woodard Huckaby (1943–2008), first wife of former U.S. Representative Jerry HuckabyJerry HuckabyThomas Jerald Huckaby, usually known as Jerry Huckaby , is a retired businessman who served as a Democratic U.S. representative from the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana between 1977 and 1993...
, was a Ringgold native who formerly taught elementary school there. A Realtor in Virginia, she ranked tenth among two million Realtors nationally. - Stephen A. CaldwellStephen A. CaldwellStephen Adolphus Caldwell was an American educator originally from the village of Bienville in Bienville Parish in North Louisiana, best known for A Banking History of Louisiana, originally published in 1935....
, educator, principal at Ringgold High School, 1911-1914. - Barbara ColleyBarbara ColleyBarbara Ann Logan Colley is a romance and mystery novelist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her recent work is centered on the fictitious "Charlotte LaRue", the subject of a series of mysteries. She has written more than a dozen novels which have been published in some seventeen languages....
, romanceRomance novelThe romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
and mystery novelist from New OrleansNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, was born in Ringgold in 1947. - Garnie W. McGintyGarnie W. McGintyGarnie William McGinty was an historian whose career was principally based for thirty-five years at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.-Biography:...
, Louisiana historian, was born near Ringgold in 1900. - Duvall Cortez Wimberly, born in Ringgold, was president of the organization American Ex-Prisoners of WarAmerican Ex-Prisoners of WarPrisoners of War is a service organization that aims to assist the surviving U.S. military prisoner of war , particularly those who are elderly and those who have medical problems. Based in Arlington, Texas, the American Ex-Prisoners of War was founded in 1942. It received a congressional charter...
.