West Monroe is a city in
Ouachita ParishOuachita Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana...
,
LouisianaThe State of 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 divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the
MonroeMonroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
West Monroe is situated on the
Ouachita RiverThe Ouachita River is a 605-mile-long river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Red River just before the Red enters the Mississippi River.-Course:...
, just across from the neighboring city of Monroe (pop. 53,107). The two cities are often referred to as the
Twin CitiesTwin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
of northeast Louisiana. It was originally named Trenton. Recently there has been an aborning interest in renaming the city Trenton.
Geography
West Monroe is located at (32.510844, -92.140048).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (20.6 km²), of which, 7.7 square miles (20.0 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (3.14%) is water.
People in West Monroe often make it a point to note that they are from West Monroe and not Monroe, because West Monroe is a separate municipality from Monroe.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 13,250 people, 5,734 households, and 3,457 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,717.2 people per square mile (662.7/km²). There were 6,312 housing units at an average density of 818.1/sq mi (315.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.42% White, 23.46% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.
There were 5,734 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,522, and the median income for a family was $35,348. Males had a median income of $28,231 versus $22,533 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $16,803. About 15.6% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.1% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Chris Elrod
Chris Elrod is the lead pastor and founder of Compass Point Church, a Christian church plant in Lakeland, Florida. A pastor, speaker, blogger and writer, Elrod is best known as a successful Christian comedian who toured extensively throughout North America from 1990 to 2000.- Biography :Born in...
, Christian comedian and writer
- Chuck Finley
Charles Edward "Chuck" Finley is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the California Angels from to and the Cleveland Indians and St...
, Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
pitcher; California AngelsThe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The Angels have been based in Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966...
, Cleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field . The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball...
- Andy Griggs
Andrew Tyler Griggs is an American country music artist. In his career, he has released three albums for RCA Records Nashville and a fourth, The Good Life for Montage Music Group...
, country singer
- James D. Halsell
James Donald Halsell, Jr. is a retired United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five Space Shuttle missions. He has been quoted as saying he loves floating in zero gravity and watching the earth from space.Halsell was born and raised in West Monroe,...
, astronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
; space shuttle pilot
- Bradie James
Bradie Gene James is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-High school career :...
, NFL linebacker for the Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . They are headquartered in suburban Irving, Texas, which lies between Fort Worth and Dallas...
who played football at Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 near Pineville, Louisiana, under the name Louisiana State...
, Wossman High School, before transferring to West Monroe High SchoolWest Monroe High School is a high school in West Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is administered by the Ouachita Parish School Board.It is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.The sports teams mascot is the Rebel....
- Lloyd E. Lenard
Lloyd Edgar Lenard was an American businessman from Shreveport, and a former Caddo Parish commissioner, author, United States Navy officer, civic leader, and a pioneer in the establishment of the two-party system in his native Louisiana.-Family, education, military:Lenard was born to James Lenard...
(1922-2008), businessman, author, and pioneer of the Republican PartyThe 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 Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
in Louisiana
- Webb Pierce
Webb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. For many, Pierce, with his flamboyant Nudie suits and twin silver dollar-lined convertibles, became the most recognizable face...
, Country Music Hall of Fame member
- Andrew Whitworth
Andrew Whitworth is an American football offensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State....
, NFL offensive guard for the Cincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Their first two seasons, 1968 and 1969, were as an American Football League franchise...
who played football at Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 near Pineville, Louisiana, under the name Louisiana State...
and West Monroe High School
Kenny Hearne Actor/Comedian
External links