Village of Choudrant
Village
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Lincoln
Area	1.8 sq mi (4.7 km²)
- land	1.8 sq mi (4.7 km²)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km²), 0%
Center
- coordinates	32°31′49″N 92°30′45″W / 32.53028, -92.5125Coordinates: 32°31′49″N 92°30′45″W / 32.53028, -92.5125
- elevation	157 ft (47.9 m)
Population	571 (2000)
Density	318.9 /sq mi (123.1 /km²)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	318
Location of Choudrant in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website : http://www.choudrant.org

Choudrant is a village located in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 582.

Geography

Choudrant is located at 32°31′49″N, 92°30′45″W (32.530269, -92.512405)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²). 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Village Government and Services

Choudrant is served by four elected officials - Mayor Bill Sanderson village aldermen Reagon As well, John O'Neal, and "Skip" Morrison. Other public employees include town clerk Celeste Butler, Police Chief Bobby Milner.
For many years, Choudrant was served by only one law enforcement officer, its police chief, but the force has grown in recent years as a second officer, Landon Hunt and car have been added. Also, in 2007, Choudrant was able to gain the services of Max, a drug and narcotics sniffing dog. The Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Office also provides law enforcement services as needed.
Fire protection in the area is provided and active Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) and the parish-wide Lincoln Parish Fire Department.

Education

Choudrant is located within the fifth district of the Lincoln Parish School System. It is served by school board member James Kessler, a Choudrant native. There are two schools within the Choudrant district - Choudrant Elementary and Choudrant High. The elementary school (referred to locally as "the little school") services between 400 and 450 students in grades K-6 while the high school contains approximately 350 students in grade levels 7-12.
Both schools are known throughout the district and the state as being high academic achievers under the state's school improvement plan, though Choudrant Elementary was labeled a "school in decline" during the 2005-06 school year despite its high score in the upper 90's under the grading system used by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Choudrant High has consistently scored as one of the top schools in the Parish.
Choudrant High is also known for its athletic achievements, having won three Louisiana Class B state baseball championships while the cross country and track and field programs have enjoyed success under Coach Christopher Baker, winning boys' cross country championships for five years and girls' state runners-up for last six years straight. The track and field program has also grown under the direction of Coach Baker for the five years he has been at Choudrant, culminating in a state championship for the boys' team in 2006.
One sore point for the community is the fact that both school facilities are falling into decline. The high school, rebuilt in 1937 after a fire, suffers from the effects of time and weather while the elementary school fares little better. However, attempts to renovate the high school and rebuild the elementary school were halted in 2007 when citizens of the school district voted by a 2-1 majority against passage of a bond issue to fund such changes. There were charges of fear-mongering leveled against supporters of the bond issue while opponents were charged with distributing false information through unsigned letters and lying in letters to the editors of local newspapers.

Business

Being a small village, Choudrant has limited business growth or opportunity. Village leaders, led by Mayor Bill Sanderson, are seeking to change this, though they experience opposition from other prominent villagers who seek to keep Choudrant small by discouraging economic growth and business development.
There are several "home grown" businesses within the village limits. Some of the more notable and long-standing of these are Parnell's Station, Ken's Mini Mart, Spiller's Service Station, Morrison's Building Supply, and Choudrant Appliance. Choudrant is also home to a chicken feed mill that produces much of the feed used in the poultry industry of the area. Likewise, Choudrant also houses a Pilgrim's Pride hatchery just within its eastern boundary.
Most prominent of all local businesses though is Community Trust Bank, originally founded as the Bank of Choudrant. It has since grown to become one of the largest banks in both Lincoln Parish and the neighboring Ouachita Parish. Despite its growth though, the FDIC still recognizes the original Choudrant branch as its home office. Community Trust also sponsored the Louisiana Peach Festival in Ruston until 2005, whence sponsorship was taken up by Squire Creek Country Club.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2004, there are 571 people. For the following information, the 2000 census will have to be referred to: 234 households, and 167 families residing in the village. The population density is 123.5/km² (318.9/mi²). There are 257 housing units at an average density of 54.5/km² (140.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 91.92% White, 6.53% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. 1.20% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 234 households out of which 35.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% are married couples living together, 11.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% are non-families. 24.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.49 and the average family size is 2.98.

In the village the population is spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $37,321, and the median income for a family is $42,656. Males have a median income of $30,855 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the village is $15,726. 6.6% of the population and 4.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.5% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Village of Choudrant

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Parish seat: Ruston
Cities	Ruston
Towns	Dubach | Grambling | Vienna
Villages	Choudrant | Downsville | Simsboro