Vivian, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Vivian, is a town in Caddo Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
and is home to the Red Bud
Festival
. The population was 4,031 at the 2000 census. It was founded as a railroad stop in North Louisiana
and named after the daughter of an locomotive engineer
.
Vivian is part of the Shreveport
–Bossier City
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
, a political mainstay in northern Caddo Parish who also served on the then police jury from 1933–1972 and again from 1979-1980. State law at the time permitted Williamson to occupy both posts. Williamson was succeeded as mayor in 1966 by Jimmy Wilson, a grocer
and banker, who served until 1972, when he won his only term in the Louisiana House of Representatives
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²), all of it land.
Select scenes of an episode on popular internet pornography site "Bangbus" was filmed here.
of 2000, there were 4,031 people, 1,569 households, and 1,019 families residing in the town. The population density
was 782.1 people per square mile (302.2/km²). There were 1,812 housing units at an average density of 351.5 per square mile (135.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 63.90% White, 34.19% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% from other races
, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.
There were 1,569 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples
living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.7% 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 2.51 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $23,800, and the median income for a family was $29,867. Males had a median income of $26,844 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,267. About 21.4% of families and 26.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.0% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Shreveport; as of 2000, the population was 252,161...
, 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...
and is home to the Red Bud
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis L. is a large shrub or small tree native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario, Canada south to northern Florida, United States....
Festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
. The population was 4,031 at the 2000 census. It was founded as a railroad stop in North Louisiana
North Louisiana
North Louisiana is a region in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The region has two metropolitan areas: Shreveport-Bossier City and Monroe-West Monroe....
and named after the daughter of an locomotive engineer
Locomotive engineer
A locomotive engineer may refer to:*Railroad engineer, a person who operates a locomotive, usually called an engine or train driver outside North America*Locomotive builder, a person who designs and builds locomotives...
.
Vivian is part of the Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
–Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area
The Shreveport-Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in northwestern Louisiana that covers three parishes – Caddo, Bossier, and De Soto. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 375,965...
.
History
From 1938-1946 and again from 1962–1966, the Vivian mayor was Earl WilliamsonEarl Williamson
Earl Guyton Williamson, Sr. was a prominent businessman and politician in northern Caddo Parish, Louisiana, from the 1930s until the 1970s...
, a political mainstay in northern Caddo Parish who also served on the then police jury from 1933–1972 and again from 1979-1980. State law at the time permitted Williamson to occupy both posts. Williamson was succeeded as mayor in 1966 by Jimmy Wilson, a grocer
Grocer
A grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
and banker, who served until 1972, when he won his only term in the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
.
Geography
Vivian is located at 32°52′16"N 93°59′12"W (32.870974, -93.986731).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 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²), all of it land.
Culture
Like Shreveport, Vivian has been the location of several recent films.- Exterior shots of the supermarketSupermarketA supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
in the film The MistThe Mist (film)The Mist is a 2007 American science-fiction horror film based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Stephen King. The film is written and directed by Frank Darabont, who had previously adapted Stephen King's works The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile...
were shot in Vivian in 2007 with Tom's Market providing the basis.
- Outdoor scenes for Straw DogsStraw Dogs (2011 film)Straw Dogs is a 2011 American thriller film directed, produced, and written by Rod Lurie. It is a remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 film of the same name, itself based on the Gordon Williams novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm.-Plot:...
were filmed in the downtown region in 2009.
Select scenes of an episode on popular internet pornography site "Bangbus" was filmed here.
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 4,031 people, 1,569 households, and 1,019 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 782.1 people per square mile (302.2/km²). There were 1,812 housing units at an average density of 351.5 per square mile (135.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 63.90% White, 34.19% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.
There were 1,569 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% 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, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.7% 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 2.51 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $23,800, and the median income for a family was $29,867. Males had a median income of $26,844 versus $17,500 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 $13,267. About 21.4% of families and 26.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.0% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The town's single government-sponsored cultural organization is the North Caddo Branch of the Shreve Memorial Library. The library is housed in the once-abandoned, now-restored Vivian Elementary School building. This new library contains a wealth of primitive readings from early Louisiana history, two expansive floors of books and periodicals, and numerous computers. The library staff includes one widely-published author, who works as the reference specialist.Notable people
- Richard John "Rick" McMillan, II, first RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
mayor of Vivian in modern times, 1986-1997. - Earl WilliamsonEarl WilliamsonEarl Guyton Williamson, Sr. was a prominent businessman and politician in northern Caddo Parish, Louisiana, from the 1930s until the 1970s...
(1903–1992), former Caddo Parish police juror and mayor of Vivian - Clayton Lamar Williamson, a former city managerCity managerA city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
in several TexasTexasTexas 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...
communities. - Don W. WilliamsonDon W. WilliamsonDonald Wayne Williamson, usually known as Don Williamson , is a semiretired American businessman in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish and the largest city in north Louisiana, who served in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature between 1968 and 1980...
, former State RepresentativeLouisiana State LegislatureThe Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, State SenatorLouisiana State LegislatureThe Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, and member of the Caddo Parish School Board. - James Whitfield WilliamsonJames Whitfield WilliamsonJames Whitfield Williamson was a businessman and politician from north Caddo Parish in northwestern Louisiana, the scion of a prominent political family...
(1925–2008), Vivian mayor from 1972–1986; 1998; Caddo Parish Commissioner, 1988-1992. - Tedford WilliamsonTedford WilliamsonTedford Fielden Williamson, known as Ted Williamson , is a Texas businessman who is the scion of a politically-connected family from North Louisiana and himself a former member of the Round Rock, Texas, City Council. Round Rock is located along Interstate 35 in Williamson County north of the state...
, Vivian native; businessman who served on the Round RockRound Rock, TexasRound Rock is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the metropolitan area. The 2010 census places the population at 99,887....
, Texas, City CouncilCity councilA city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
from 2005-2007. - Jimmy Wilson (1931–1986), mayor of Vivian, 1966–1972; former member of the Louisiana House; Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1978 and 1980
- Jeremy Norris, Assistant Director at LSU, 1998–present.