Oakdale, Louisiana

Oakdale
City
City of Oakdale
The Leatherwood Museum in Oakdale is the site of the Allen Parish Tourist Commission.
Location of Oakdale in Allen Parish, Louisiana.
Oakdale Show map of Louisiana Oakdale Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 30°48′48″N92°39′38″W / 30.81333°N 92.66056°W / 30.81333; -92.66056
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Government
• Mayor	Gene Paul
Area [1]
• Total	5.25 sq mi (13.61 km2)
• Land	5.19 sq mi (13.45 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,692
• Density	1,288.91/sq mi (497.64/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	71463
Area code	318
FIPS code	22-56540
Website	oakdale.municipalimpact.com

Oakdale welcome sign

Entrance to Oakdale City Hall at 333 E. 6th Ave.

Oakdale branch of the Allen Parish Library at 405 E 6th Ave.

Downtown Oakdale, with the United States Post Office at the front right.

First United Methodist Church at 309 E 6th Ave. in Oakdale

Behind the barricades at the Federal Correctional Institution, Oakdale

Oakdale is a city in Allen Parish in south Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,780 at the 2010 census. ^[2]

Oakdale was founded as "Dunnsville" by William T. Dunn. The history of Allen Parish is preserved at the Leatherwood Museum, which reopened on September 27, 2008, in a renovated facility at 202 E. 7th Ave. in Oakdale. ^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.6 km²), of which 5.2 square miles (13.4 km²) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km²), or 1.18%, is water. ^[2] Oakdale's closest neighbor in Allen Parish is Elizabeth, located just west of Oakdale.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	4,016		—
1930	3,188		−20.6%
1940	3,933		23.4%
1950	5,598		42.3%
1960	6,618		18.2%
1970	7,301		10.3%
1980	7,155		−2.0%
1990	6,832		−4.5%
2000	8,137		19.1%
2010	7,780		−4.4%
2020	6,692		−14.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [4]

2020 census

Oakdale racial composition ^[5]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	3,197	47.77%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,117	31.63%
Native American	71	1.06%
Asian	66	0.99%
Pacific Islander	2	0.03%
Other/Mixed	289	4.32%
Hispanic or Latino	950	14.2%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,692 people, 2,112 households, and 1,418 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census ^[6] of 2000, there were 8,137 people, 2,246 households, and 1,525 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,603.6 inhabitants per square mile (619.2/km²). There were 2,512 housing units at an average density of 495.1 per square mile (191.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.07% White, 34.94% African American, 0.57% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.22% of the population.

There were 2,246 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 23.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 38.6% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 157.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 179.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,826, and the median income for a family was $28,506. Males had a median income of $32,179 versus $16,039 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,288. About 21.7% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 22.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Leroy Johnson, posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor
• Coleman Lindsey, former lieutenant governor of Louisiana
• Bill Dodd, former lieutenant governor of Louisiana
• Mary Evelyn Parker, former Louisiana State Treasurer
• E. Holman Jones, former Louisiana State Representative
• R.C. Slocum, former head football coach at Texas A&M

Education

Allen Parish School Board operates public schools:

• Oakdale High School
• Oakdale Middle School
• Oakdale Elementary School

Notable facilities

Oakdale is home to the Oakdale Federal Correctional Complex.

In April 2009, the Roy O. Martin Lumber Company, doing business as Martco, unveiled a $200 million oriented-strand-board plant near Oakdale. The largest plant of its kind in the world, the facility initially employed 170 persons, according to company president Roy O. Martin, III. ^[7]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Oakdale city, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
3. Bill Sumrall (September 27, 2008). "A step into past: Museum showcases history of Allen Parish". The Town Talk (Alexandria). Retrieved May 14, 2013.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
5. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
6. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
7. Tom Bonnette (April 24, 2007). "Growing in Cenla: Martco 's $200M OSB plant near Oakdale is world's largest". Alexandria Town Talk . Retrieved July 27, 2014.

External links

• Oakdale Federal Correctional Complex