Tallulah is a city in and the parish seat of Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States.[1] The population was 9,189 at the 2000 census. Tallulah is the principal city of the Tallulah Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Madison Parish.
Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections operates the Steve Hoyle Rehabilitation Center in Tallulah.[2]
Geography
Tallulah is located at 32°24′33″N 91°11′29″W / 32.40917°N 91.19139°W / 32.40917; -91.19139 (32.409047, -91.191306)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), all of it land.
Tallulah got its name in an unusual sort of way. When the railroad was expanding in the area, there was a widow that owned a large plantation. She became friendly with the railroad's contractor and persuaded him to change the route of the railroad so it would run through her plantation. After the railroad was built she had nothing else to do with him. Feeling rejected he named the water stop for an old girlfriend named Tallulah, instead of the plantation.
Tallulah was the focus of national shame when, on July 20, 1899, five Sicilians were lynched, to much public approval, after they fought with a local doctor after he shot their goat. The sheriff testified that every white man in Madison Parish was implicated in the lynchings, but no one was ever charged.
Tallulah was the first city in the United States to have an indoor shopping mall. The mall was only one hall with stores on either side much like the ones today but much smaller. This hall opened into the street on both ends. This historic land mark is still in Tallulah to this day on US HWY 80, though no longer in use. The name of the indoor shopping mall is Bloom's Arcade, built around 1925.
Tallulah is thought to be the place where Delta Air Lines got its early beginnings as the home of an agricultural experiment station which first used airplanes to control cotton pests.
Built in the late 1920s by Standard Oil Company, the building housed a US Experimental Station in the early 20's that began flying mail for the US Post Office, and soon started a flying service which evolved into Delta Airlines.
Madison Parish considers itself the home of Delta Airlines, and the original airport building, Scott's Field, still stands near Tallulah, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. http://www.ladelta65.org/places/Delta.Airlines.Roots.htm
Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 9,189 people, 3,016 households, and 2,078 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,396.0 people per square mile (1,309.2/km²). There were 3,226 housing units at an average density of 1,192.2/sq mi (459.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 23.22% White, 74.79% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.12% of the population.
There were 3,016 households out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% were married couples living together, 30.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.49.
In the city the population was spread out with 37.6% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $17,142, and the median income for a family was $20,100. Males had a median income of $22,346 versus $14,679 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,324. About 35.7% of families and 43.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 59.2% of those under age 18 and 25.2% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Carl Otis Trimble, first African-American quarterback at Louisiana State University (LSU)
- Jimmy "Cooch Eye" Jones, former National Basketball Association (NBA) player with the (Baltimore Bullets)
- James "Hang Man" Haynes, former National Football League (NFL) linebacker with the (New Orleans Saints)
- Anthony Lucas, former National Football League (NFL) wide receiver with the (Dallas Cowboys & Green Bay Packers)
- Bobby Howard, former American Football League (AFL)& National Football League (NFL) corner back with the San Diego Chargers (1967-1969 AFL, 1970-1974 NFL), the New England Patriots (1975-1977), and the Philadelphia Eagles (1978-1979)
- Zelma Wyche, first black Chief of Police in Tallulah and black to head the police department of any sizable biracial town (pop. 10,000) in the South at that time.
- Judge Felicia Toney Williams, first black woman elected to the Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.(1993)
- James Silas, former American professional basketball player. Was drafted in the fifth round of the 1972 National Basketball Association Draft by the Houston Rockets but played the majority of his career with the San Antonio Spurs in the ABA. Was known by the "The Snake," "Captain Late," and "The Late Mr. Silas," the latter two referring to the fact that Silas seemed to play his best late in games. On February 28, 1984, Silas's #13 became the first number ever retired by the San Antonio Spurs, and he is currently one of only six players to have received that honor from the franchise.
References
External links
