Editing Simmesport, Louisiana

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                       = Simmesport, Louisiana
| settlement_type            = Town
| image_skyline              =
| imagesize                  =
| image_caption              =
| image_map                  = File:Avoyelles Parish Louisiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Simmesport Highlighted.svg
| mapsize                    =
| map_caption                = Location of Simmesport in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana.
| image_map1                 = Louisiana in United States (US48).svg
| mapsize1                   =
| 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          = [[Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana|Avoyelles]]
<!-- Government -->
| founder                    = 
| named_for                  = 
| government_footnotes       = 
| government_type            = 
| governing_body             = 
| established_title          = Founded
| leader_title               = Mayor
| leader_name                = 
<!-- 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             = 6.15
| area_total_sq_mi           = 2.37
| area_land_km2              = 5.66
| area_land_sq_mi            = 2.19
| area_water_km2             = 0.49
| area_water_sq_mi           = 0.19
<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of           = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_total           = 1468
| population_density_km2     = 259.43
| population_density_sq_mi   = 671.85
<!-- General information -->
| timezone                   = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset                 = -6
| timezone_DST               = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset_DST             = -5
| elevation_footnotes        = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft               = 46
| coordinates                = {{coord|30|58|50|N|91|48|51|W|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
| postal_code_type           = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code                = 71369<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/71369|title=Simmesport LA ZIP Code|publisher=zipdatamaps.com|year=2023|access-date=June 16, 2023}}</ref>
| area_code                  = [[Area code 318|318]]
| blank_name                 = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                 = 22-70525
| blank1_name                = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info                = 2407344<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2407344}}</ref>
| website                    = {{URL|https://simmesportla.com/}}
}}

'''Simmesport''' is a town in [[Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana|Avoyelles Parish]], [[Louisiana]], United States.<ref name=gnis/> The population was 2,161 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US2270525| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212181422/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US2270525| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Simmesport town, Louisiana| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=May 16, 2013}}</ref> It is the northernmost town on the [[Atchafalaya River]], located near the [[Old River Control Structure|Old River]] which connects the [[Red River of the South|Red]] and Atchafalaya rivers with the [[Mississippi River]].

== History ==
The town was founded by Bennet Barton Simmes (1811–1888), one-time owner of [[White Hall Plantation House|White Hall Plantation]], which was located on the opposite bank of the [[Atchafalaya River]].

In December 2005 industrialist [[Frank Stronach]] founded a new community just south of Simmesport along the Atchafalaya River levee, known as [[Canadaville, Louisiana|Canadaville]], a place intended to house people displaced by [[Hurricane Katrina]].<ref>{{cite news Canadaville, Louisiana is no longer a community and was considered to be a failure by many. The site of the community is still there but many of the homes and structures have been moved. Many inhabitants of Canadaville now reside within the town and throughout the area. 
 |url         = https://nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=edb3713c-f82a-4712-bea5-9d5855456f24
 |title       = Canadaville a blessing for Katrina evacuees
 |date        = 2006
 |newspaper   = National Post
 |access-date = October 4, 2015
}}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Geography==
Simmesport is located in eastern [[Avoyelles Parish]] on the west bank of the [[Atchafalaya River]].<ref>''Simmesport, LA,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1998</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|6.1|sqkm|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|5.7|sqkm|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.5|sqkm|disp=flip}}, or 7.93%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1930= 638
|1940= 1215
|1950= 1510
|1960= 2125
|1970= 2027
|1980= 2293
|1990= 2092
|2000= 2239
|2010= 2161
|2020= 1468
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Simmesport racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2270525&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)
| 528
| 35.97%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 858
| 58.45%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 8
| 0.54%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 5
| 0.34%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 49
| 3.33%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 20
| 1.36%
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,468 people, 627 households, and 379 families residing in the town.

==Notable people==
* [[Norma McCorvey]], a.k.a. "Jane Roe", the [[plaintiff]] in ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'', was born in Simmesport in 1947.
* [[Joe Simon (musician)|Joe Simon]], the soul musician, was born in Simmesport in 1943.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://lacoastpost.com/blog/?p=9916 Don't sneeze at Atchafalaya policy changes], LaCoastPost.com, July 6, 2009

{{Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Towns in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana]]