East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana


East Feliciana Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 19,531. The parish seat is Clinton.
Established when Feliciana Parish was divided in 1824, both East and West Feliciana parishes are part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area. They are also considered part of the Florida Parishes, at one time part of Spain's West Florida colony.
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History

The parish was part of Feliciana Parish, which was founded and named in 1810 by Spaniards who then controlled the territory. The Spanish governor, Bernardo de Gálvez, named it in honor of his wife, Marie Felicité.
After the United States annexed this territory, population continued to increase. It had been developed for sugar cane plantations and business was thriving. In 1824, the state legislature divided the parish into East Feliciana Parish and West Feliciana Parish, so that residents would have easier access to their parish seats.
The Louisiana State Insane Asylum was the first state institution in the parish, established near the town of Jackson in 1847. It was greatly enlarged and improved under the administration of Dr. John Welch Jones, who was appointed as superintendent in 1874, during the Reconstruction era. The bi-racial legislators in power at the time made commitments to public education and state welfare institutions. The facility was later called East Louisiana State Hospital.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Major highways

Adjacent parishes and counties

Communities

Towns

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 19,539. The median age was 45.9 years. 17.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 122.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 127.2 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the parish was 58.9% White, 36.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,886 households in the parish, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.4% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and 4,777 families lived in the parish.
There were 8,063 housing units, of which 14.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.9% were owner-occupied and 18.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.8%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone 9,5829,95710,98910,66611,41150.39%51.83%51.45%52.63%58.40%
Black or African American alone 9,0969,02510,0129,0527,10847.84%46.98%46.87%44.66%36.38%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 20213360600.11%0.11%0.15%0.30%0.31%
Asian alone 52224851460.27%0.11%0.22%0.25%0.24%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone xx119xx0.00%0.00%0.05%
Other race alone 001714420.00%0.00%0.08%0.07%0.21%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx103215472xx0.48%1.06%2.42%
Hispanic or Latino 2651861572083911.39%0.97%0.74%1.03%2.00%
Total19,01519,21121,36020,26719,539 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

American Community Survey estimates

According to the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 1,595 businesses operating in East Feliciana.
As of 2019-2021's census estimates, approximately 40% of the population was employed in the parish, and the home-ownership rate was 80.5%. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $139,300, and median gross rent was $647. Residents had a median household income of $51,803; males earned a median income of $61,105 versus $32,243 for females. An estimated 23.3% of the parish lived at or below the poverty line in 2019.

2010 census

In 2010, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was the following: 53.2% were White, 44.9% Black and African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 1.1% of two or more races; 1.0% were Hispanic or Latin American of any race.

2000 census

At the 2000 United States census, the median household income was $31,631, and the median family income was $37,278. Males had a median income of $31,804 versus $20,243 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $15,428. An estimated 23% of the parish lived at or below the poverty line in 2000.
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the Southern Baptist Convention was the parish's largest Christian denomination, Christianity being the largest religion as part of the Bible Belt. Southern Baptists were spread out in 16 congregations and numbered 5,248; following, United Methodists numbered 1,636. Roman Catholicism had 250 adherents.

Education

East Feliciana Parish School Board operates public schools in the parish. Elementary schools include Jackson Elementary School, Slaughter Elementary School, and Clinton Elementary School. Upper public schools include East Feliciana Middle and High school. Some students in the parish attend Wilkinson County Christian Academy in Wilkinson County, Mississippi.
The parish is in the service area of Baton Rouge Community College.
Silliman Institute in Clinton was established in the late 1960s.

Government and infrastructure

The East Feliciana Parish Police Jury is the governing body of the parish and consists of nine representatives elected by district.
East Louisiana State Hospital, currently referred to as Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System is located in Jackson. Its main building is considered to be one of the largest and most significant Greek Revival buildings in Louisiana, it has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The institution was one of the first mental hospitals in the South.
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections operates the Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson.

Notable people