Ruston

City of Ruston
City
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Lincoln
Area	18.2 sq mi (47.1 km²)
- land	18.1 sq mi (46.9 km²)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²), 0.55%
Center
- coordinates	32°31′47″N 92°38′26″W / 32.52972°N 92.64056°W / 32.52972; -92.64056Coordinates: 32°31′47″N 92°38′26″W / 32.52972°N 92.64056°W / 32.52972; -92.64056
- elevation	331 ft (100.9 m)
Population	20,546 (2000)
Density	1,136.4 /sq mi (438.8 /km²)
Mayor	Dan Hollingsworth
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	71270
Area code	318
Location of Ruston in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website : http://www.ruston.org

Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States.^[1] The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston rests on the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy is built to cater to its college population.

Ruston is the principal city of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lincoln and Jackson parishes.

Geography

Ruston is located at 32°31′47″N 92°38′26″W / 32.52972°N 92.64056°W / 32.52972; -92.64056 (32.529674, -92.640466)^[2] and has an elevation of 331 feet (100.9 m)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.2 square miles (47.0 km²), of which, 18.1 square miles (46.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.44%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 20,546 people, 7,621 households, and 4,244 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,136.4 people per square mile (438.8/km²). There were 8,397 housing units at an average density of 464.5/sq mi (179.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.94% White, 38.92% African American, 0.17% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

There were 7,621 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population consisted of 20.8% under the age of 18, 31.6% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.0 years, far below the state median age of 34.0 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,001, and the median income for a family was $37,394. Males had a median income of $33,408 versus $20,413 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,573. About 22.1% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Louisiana Tech - Enrollment of 11,710 in 2005. Doctoral institution focusing on technical and professional disciplines.

Louisiana Center for the Blind - Training center for blind teenagers and adults operated by the National Federation of the Blind

Culture and Recreation

Most cultural activities are offered by Louisiana Tech. There are many shops downtown that one can visit. There are many restaurants chains and the new eight-screen Celebrity Theater has increased the level of activities in the city of Ruston. Other university-based opportunities exist at Grambling (6 miles) and Monroe (35 miles). Northern Louisiana is largely rural and does not offer the amenities of an urban center.

• Louisiana Tech University Arboretum

Notable people

• Trace Adkins, country music singer, who attended LaTech.
• Leon Barmore, basketball coach who was born and raised in Ruston, played basketball at LaTech, and whose LaTech coaching career as head coach of the Lady Techsters put him in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Terry Bradshaw, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who attended LaTech.
• Kix Brooks, country music singer, who attended LaTech.
• P.J. Brown, current NBA player, who attended LaTech.
• Mary Elizabeth Talbot Busbee, the first lady of Georgia from 1975-1983, was born and reared in Ruston. Known as "Mary Beth", she is the widow of former Georgia Democratic Governor George D. Busbee (1927-2004).
• H.D. Darby, mortician who was kidnapped by the Barrow Gang and later assisted in the autopsy of Bonnie Parker.
• Fred Dean, NFL Hall of Famer, who attended LaTech.
• John S. Hunt, III, who served on the Louisiana Public Service Commission from 1964-1972, was born in Ruston.
• Bert Jones, former NFL player, who attended Ruston High.
• Dub Jones, former NFL player, who attended Ruston High.
• Catfish, former writer, actor, and creator of yo! MTV raps. He is an American legend.
• Karl Malone, likely future Basketball Hall of Famer, who attended LaTech.
• Paul Millsap, current NBA player, who attended LaTech.
• Ryan Moats, athletic figure, who attended LaTech.
• Tim Rattay, athletic figure, who attended LaTech.
• Luke McCown, athletic figure, who attended LaTech.
• Kim Mulkey, current head women's basketball coach at Baylor University, whose career as a player at LaTech put her in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Patrick Ramsey, athletic figure, who attended Ruston High.
• E.S. Richardson, was president of Louisiana Tech from 1936-1941.
• Willie Roaf, former NFL player, who attended LaTech.
• Matt Stover, current NFL player, who attended LaTech.
• Josh Scobee, current NFL player, who attended LaTech.
• David William Thomas (1876-1961) lived in Ruston in the early 1930s while he headed the Louisiana Tech journalism department. He was mayor of Minden from [[1936]-1940.
• Founders of the Elephant 6 Collective:
  • Will Cullen Hart
  • Jeff Mangum
  • Robert Schneider
  • Bill Doss
• Waltz With Me, notable music group

Government

The current mayor is Dan Hollingsworth.

References

External links

• City of Ruston
• Ruston-Lincoln Convention And Visitors Bureau
• Lincoln Parish

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana Parish seat: Ruston Cities Grambling | Ruston Towns Dubach | Vienna Villages Choudrant | Downsville‡ | Simsboro Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent parish or parishes

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