Delhi, Louisiana
City
Town of Delhi
Delhi City Hall
Delhi City Hall
Location of Delhi in Richland Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Delhi in Richland Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 32°27′21″N 91°29′36″W / 32.45583°N 91.49333°W / 32.45583; -91.49333
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishRichland
Government
 • TypeMayor-council
 • MayorJesse Washington (D)
Area
[1]
 • Total2.94 sq mi (7.62 km2)
 • Land2.87 sq mi (7.44 km2)
 • Water0.07 sq mi (0.19 km2)
Elevation
89 ft (27 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,622
 • Density912.95/sq mi (352.55/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
71232[2]
Area code318
FIPS code22-20190
Websitetownofdelhi.municipalimpact.com
Downtown Delhi looking south along La 17
Abandoned theater in downtown Delhi
Commercial Capital Bank is located in downtown Delhi across the street from the First Baptist Church.
First Baptist Church at 306 Broadway Street in downtown Delhi.
Delhi United Methodist Church is located across the street from Delhi High School.
Delhi High School, with mascot "The Bears", is operated by the Richland Parish School Board.
Trees in the reservoir north of Poverty Point Reservoir State Park near Delhi

Delhi (/ˈdɛl.haɪ/), originally called Deerfield, is a town in Richland Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 2,622.

History

In 1890, the Delhi Institute was founded in Delhi, Louisiana; a Black private school affiliated with the A.M.E. church.[3] Delhi Institute was renamed to Lampton College; after a 1907 fire, the campus was moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, before being absorbed sometime after 1945 by Campbell College in Jackson, Mississippi.[3][4]

In the 1940s, Delhi was the center of a large natural gas boom. Numerous workers came to work in the industry. Several functioning gas fields still surround the town.

From 1968 until 1969, Delhi Fire Department was home to the now defunct Louisiana State Police - Troop O. The site was abandoned in 1969 after thirteen months' operation, with state services reverting to Troop F in Monroe.[5]

On February 21, 1971, as part of the February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak, Louisiana's only recorded F5 tornado struck outside of Delhi. It resulted in forty-seven deaths and was the deadliest F5 tornado to hit the United States since the Jackson, Mississippi, Candlestick Park tornado in 1966. It was the earliest confirmed F5 tornado during a year.

Geography

Delhi is located at 32°27′21″N 91°29′36″W / 32.45583°N 91.49333°W / 32.45583; -91.49333 (32.455948, -91.493345).[6] The town lies at the confluence of U.S. Route 80 and Louisiana Highway 17, and near to Interstate 20.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (2.33%) is water.

The elevation of 89 ft (27 m) spared Delhi from the brunt of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 that destroyed most of the surrounding Mississippi River Delta area.

The Poverty Point Reservoir, which hosts the acclaimed Black Bear Golf Club and the Poverty Point Reservoir State Park, is located just north of Delhi on Louisiana State Highway 17 near Warden. The reservoir project was pushed to fruition by State Senator Francis C. Thompson of Delhi.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870186—
188031569.4%
189062096.8%
1900507−18.2%
191068535.1%
192098043.1%
19301,0436.4%
19401,19214.3%
19501,86156.1%
19602,51435.1%
19702,88714.8%
19803,29014.0%
19903,169−3.7%
20003,066−3.3%
20102,919−4.8%
20202,622−10.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
Delhi racial composition as of 2020[8]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 789 30.09%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,727 65.87%
Native American 8 0.31%
Asian 8 0.31%
Other/Mixed 44 1.68%
Hispanic or Latino 46 1.75%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,622 people, 1,082 households, and 641 families residing in the town.

Education

Public schools in Richland Parish are operated by the Richland Parish School Board. Three campuses serve the town of Delhi - Delhi Elementary School (Grades PK-4), Delhi Middle School (Grades 5-8), and Delhi High School (Grades 9-12).

Delhi Charter School (DCS) (K-12) is an area charter school.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Delhi LA ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Mitchell, Henry H. (October 4, 2004). Black Church Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-8028-2785-2.
  4. ^ Hartshorn, W. N.; Penniman, George W., eds. (1910). An Era of Progress and Promise: 1863–1910. Boston, MA: Priscilla Pub. Co. p. 289. OCLC 5343815.
  5. ^ "Troop History", Louisiana State Police
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "LSU Law School recognizes Judge C.A. Marvin", Minden Press-Herald, June 5, 1990, p. 10
  10. ^ Stambler, Irwin; Landon, Grelun (July 14, 2000). Country Music: The Encyclopedia. St. Martin's Press. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-312-26487-1.
  11. ^ Komara, Edward M. (December 9, 2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Psychology Press. p. 672. ISBN 9780415926997 – via Google Books.

External links

Municipalities and communities of Richland Parish, Louisiana, United States
Authority control databases
Categories