Oakdale is a small city in Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,137 at the 2000 census.
Oakdale was founded as "Dunnsville" by William T. Dunn. The Leatherwood Museum, which contains the history of Allen Parish, reopened in a renovated facility on September 27, 2008.[1]
Geography
Oakdale is located at 30°48′48″N 92°39′38″W / 30.81333°N 92.66056°W / 30.81333; -92.66056 (30.813371, -92.660504)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.3 km²), of which, 5.1 square miles (13.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.17%) is water. Oakdale's closest neighbor in Allen Parish is Elizabeth. It is located just to the west of Oakdale.
Demographics
As of the census[3] 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 people per square mile (619.7/km²). There were 2,512 housing units at an average density of 495.1/sq mi (191.3/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 natives and residents
Three former Louisiana politicians, former Lieutenant Governors Coleman Lindsey and Bill Dodd and former state Treasurer Mary Evelyn Parker, have roots in Oakdale. Dodd was Parker's teacher at while she was a student at Oakdale High School. Parker in her younger years was editor of the Oakdale Journal.
Federal prison
Oakdale is home to the Oakdale Federal Correctional Complex, a minimum security prison for male inmates, which include former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers who is serving a 25-year sentence for his involvement in the accounting scandal that toppled that company.[4] The prison also is home to former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards who is serving a 10-year sentence for his involvement in a 2000 riverboat gambling racketeering case. Other notable inmates include former Alabama governor Don Siegelman who was serving a 7-year sentence but has been released pending appeal [5], and Andrew Fastow, the former Chief Financial Officer for Enron Corporation who is serving six years. Former Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James H. "Jim" Brown also served time in the facility.[6] Former New Orleans city councilman Oliver Thomas, currently serving a 37-month federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to accepting bribes, is now serving the duration of his sentence at the Oakdale complex.[7]
References
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