Editing Ball, Louisiana

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Ball, Louisiana
| official_name = Town of Ball
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline = Welcome sign at Ball, LA IMG_0118.JPG
| image_size = 250px
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = Welcome sign for Ball (established 1972)
| image_map = File:Rapides Parish Louisiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Ball Highlighted.svg
| map_caption = Location of Ball in Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
| image_map1 = Louisiana in United States (US48).svg
| map_caption1 = Location of Louisiana in the United States
<!-- Location ------>
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Louisiana
| subdivision_type2 = Parish
| subdivision_name2 = [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana|Rapides]]
| subdivision_type3 = 
| subdivision_name3 = 
<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type = 
| governing_body = 
| leader_party = 
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = 
| founder = 
| named_for = 
| established_title = Incorporated
| established_date = May 1972
| established_title1 = 
| established_date1 = 
<!-- Area ------->
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_22.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 20.59
| area_total_sq_mi = 7.95
| area_land_km2 = 20.59
| area_land_sq_mi = 7.95
| area_water_km2 = 0.00
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.00
<!-- Population ------->
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total = 3961
| population_rank = [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana#Communities|RA]]: 3rd
| population_density_km2 = 192.34
| population_density_sq_mi = 498.18
<!-- General information -->
| timezone1 = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset1 = -6
| timezone1_DST = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = -5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft = 161
| coordinates = {{coord|31|24|40|N|92|23|50|W|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
|postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code = 71405<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/71405|title=Ball LA ZIP Code|publisher=zipdatamaps.com|year=2023|access-date=June 16, 2023}}</ref>
| area_code_type = 
| area_code = [[Area code 318|318]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 22-04055
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 2405204<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405204}}</ref>
| website = http://www.ball.govoffice2.com/
| footnotes = 
}}
[[File:Kingsville Baptist Church, Ball, LA IMG 0119 (2).JPG|thumb|200px|right|Kingsville Baptist Church, a [[Southern Baptist]] congregation at 3911 Monroe Highway in Ball, is located across from Forest Lawn Memorial Park.]]

'''Ball''' is a town in [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana|Rapides Parish]], just north of [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]],  [[Louisiana]], United States. Established in 1972, it is part of the [[Alexandria, Louisiana]] [[Alexandria, Louisiana metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. The population was 4,000 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]], an increase of 8.7 percent over the 2000 tabulation of 3,681.

==History==
Ball had its start as a logging town with a sawmill.<ref>{{cite book|last=Leeper|first=Clare D'Artois|title=Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHeeUa0xNxcC&pg=PA28|date=October 19, 2012|publisher=LSU Press|isbn=978-0-8071-4740-5|page=28}}</ref>

The earliest record of settlers in Ball dates to between 1840 and 1863. In 1893 Captain Chittenden Edwin Ball, a native of Union County, Kentucky, who captained steamboats up the Red River to Alexandria, named a sawmill town after himself. The captain settled in Rapides Parish in the late 1880s, where he established the Sweet Home Mill. In 1940 [[Camp Livingston]] was constructed, bringing with it job opportunities and a population boom. The number of military personnel stationed at Camp Livingston reached a peak of 42,500 in 1942. The end of World War II in 1945 brought about the closing of the base but many families decided to stay in the community. Discussion of incorporation began in the 1960s and in May 1972 incorporation was completed with the finalization of the town charter under "The Lawrason Act".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tourism Information |url=https://ball.govoffice2.com/index.asp?SEC=6937EC74-0B65-47AD-8D5A-7422326953C3&Type=B_LOC |access-date=April 2, 2022 |website=ball.govoffice2.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 2011, former mayor [[Roy Hebron]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], was sentenced to four years imprisonment for corruption.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southcentral/2011/05/25/186225.htm | title=Former Louisiana Town Mayor Sentenced in Fraud Scheme | publisher=Claims Journal | date=May 25, 2011 | accessdate=August 16, 2014}}</ref> Hebron intended to return to the office after his election on November 6, 2018, when he handily unseated the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] incumbent, Neil S. Kavanagh, 817 (56 percent) to 380 (26 percent). Another 254 votes (18 percent) went to a second Republican candidate, Gene Decker.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical|title=Election Returns: Rapides Parish|publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]]|date=November 6, 2018|accessdate=November 9, 2018}}</ref> However, Hebron was unable to be sworn in because of a constitutional amendment passed in the November 2018 election which prevents felons from holding office for five years after the conclusion of their sentences.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gregory |first=Melissa |title=State Supreme Court decision means Hebron won't be Ball mayor |url=https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/2019/03/18/state-supreme-court-decision-means-hebron-wont-ball-mayor/3206523002/ |access-date=March 1, 2022 |website=The Town Talk |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|8.0|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

===Climate===
This [[climate|climatic]] region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters.   The heat has a heavy feel and can be dangerous due to the heat index which is caused by humid air. According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Ball has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=747543&cityname=Ball%2C+Louisiana%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Ball, Louisiana]</ref>
{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Ball, Louisiana
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Y
|Jan high F = 55
|Feb high F = 60
|Mar high F = 68
|Apr high F = 77
|May high F = 82
|Jun high F = 89
|Jul high F = 91
|Aug high F = 89
|Sep high F = 86
|Oct high F = 77
|Nov high F = 66
|Dec high F = 59
|year high F = 75
|Jan low F = 35
|Feb low F = 37
|Mar low F = 44
|Apr low F = 53
|May low F = 59
|Jun low F = 66
|Jul low F = 69
|Aug low F = 68
|Sep low F = 64
|Oct low F = 51
|Nov low F = 42
|Dec low F = 37
|year low F = 51
|Jan precipitation inch = 5.1
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.2
|Mar precipitation inch = 5.1
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.3
|May precipitation inch = 5.1
|Jun precipitation inch = 2.7
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.1
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.9
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.8
|Oct precipitation inch = 3
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.9
|Dec precipitation inch = 6.5
|year precipitation inch = 52.9
|source 1 = Weatherbase <ref name=Weatherbase>
{{cite web
|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=747543&cityname=Ball-Louisiana-United-States-of-America
|publisher=Weatherbase
|title=Weatherbase.com
|year=2013
}}
Retrieved on October 5, 2013.
</ref>
|date=October 2013
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1980= 3405
|1990= 3305
|2000= 3681
|2010= 4000
|2020= 3961
|footnote=[https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-1-1.pdf Ball Census]
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Ball racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2204055&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 29, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 3,058
| 77.2%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 455
| 11.49%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 30
| 0.76%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 21
| 0.53%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 1
| 0.03%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 236
| 5.96%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 160
| 4.04%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 3,961 people, 1,332 households, and 877 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 3,681 people, 1,435 households, and 1,057 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|458.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,524 housing units at an average density of {{convert|189.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 96.74% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.58% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.65% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.35% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.22% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.43% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.41% of the population.

There were 1,435 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,500, and the median income for a family was $38,588. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $20,323 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $14,178. About 10.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Ball residents are zoned to Rapides Parish School Board schools. Ball is home to two elementary schools within the city limits that residents may go to, Ball Elementary School and Paradise Elementary School. Some residents may also go to three nearby schools in Tioga: Tioga Elementary School, Tioga Junior High School, and Tioga High School.

==Highway==
*[[File:US 165.svg|30px]] [[U.S. Route 165]]

==Notable people==
* [[W. H. Johnson Jr.]], state legislator in Mississippi

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Rapides Parish, Louisiana}}
{{Louisiana}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Rapides Parish, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Towns in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Towns in Alexandria metropolitan area, Louisiana]]