Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport
City
Downtown
Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium
Shreveport Convention Center
Caddo Parish Courthouse
Flag of Shreveport
Flag
Official seal of Shreveport
Seal
Coat of arms of Shreveport
Coat of arms
Map
Map
Map
Interactive map of Shreveport
Coordinates: 32°30′53″N 93°44′50″W / 32.51472°N 93.74722°W / 32.51472; -93.74722
Country United States
StateLouisiana
ParishesCaddo, Bossier
Founded1836 (188 years ago) (1836)
IncorporatedMarch 20, 1839 (185 years ago) (1839-03-20)
Named forCaptain Henry Miller Shreve
Government
 • MayorTom Arceneaux (R)
 • City Council
Members list
Area
[1]
 • City123.84 sq mi (320.74 km2)
 • Land108.14 sq mi (280.10 km2)
 • Water15.69 sq mi (40.65 km2)
 • Metro
2,698 sq mi (6,987.8 km2)
Elevation
154 to 253 ft (46 to 77.1 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City201,573
 • Rank1st in Caddo Parish
3rd in Louisiana
137th in United States
 • Density1,734.64/sq mi (669.75/km2)
 • Urban
288,052 (US: 140th)[2]
 • Urban density1,592.8/sq mi (615.0/km2)
 • Metro
547,406 (US: 140th)
DemonymShreveporter[3]
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
71101-71109, 71115-71166
Area code318
FIPS code22-70000
Websiteshreveportla.gov

Shreveport (/ˈʃriːvpɔːrt/ SHREEV-port) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, of which it is the parish seat.[4] It extends along the west bank of the Red River into neighboring Bossier Parish. The 2020 census tabulation for the city's population was 201,573,[5] while the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area had a population of 393,406.[6]

Shreveport was founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company, a corporation established to develop a town at the juncture of the newly navigable Red River and the Texas Trail, an overland route into the newly independent Republic of Texas.[7] It grew throughout the 20th century and, after the discovery of oil in Louisiana, became a national center for the oil industry. Standard Oil of Louisiana and United Gas Corporation were headquartered in the city until the 1960s and 1980s, respectively. After the loss of jobs in the oil industry, the closure of General Motors' Shreveport Operations, and other economic problems, it struggled with a declining population, poverty, drugs, and violent crime.[8] However, the city continues in its efforts to revitalize its infrastructure,[9][10][11] revive the economy through diversification,[12][13][14] and lower crime.[15] Despite these efforts, the city witnessed the largest number of homicides in its recorded history in 2021, eclipsing the previous record set in 1993.[16]

Shreveport is the educational, commercial and cultural center of the Ark-La-Tex region, where Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas meet. It is the location of Centenary College of Louisiana, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Louisiana Tech University Shreveport, Southern University at Shreveport, and Louisiana Baptist University. It forms part of the I-20 Cyber Corridor linking Shreveport to Dallas and Atlanta.[17][18][19][20] Companies with significant operations or headquarters in Shreveport are Amazon, Regions Financial Corporation, JPMorgan Chase, Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, AT&T Mobility, United Parcel Service, Walmart, SWEPCO, General Electric, UOP LLC,[21] Calumet Specialty Products Partners, and APS Payroll.

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ United States Census Bureau (December 29, 2022). "2020 Census Qualifying Urban Areas and Final Criteria Clarifications". Federal Register.
  3. ^ "What is the proper demonym for someone from Shreveport?". Stack Exchange. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  6. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Brock, Eric J. "Shreveport History". Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  8. ^ The Shreveport Times, Police Chief Addresses Shreveport's Rising Violent Crime Archived April 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, June 26, 2017, retrieved December 16, 2017
  9. ^ May, Gerry (July 2, 2019). "Future of fast internet pops up in Shreveport". KTBS. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "New Shreveport industrial park is shovel-ready". KTBS. February 18, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Forecast for economic growth in Shreveport is bright". www.ksla.com. January 17, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Bayliss, Deborah. "New aviation facility in Shreveport will create more than 130 new jobs". shreveporttimes.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  15. ^ "Crime down in Shreveport, police say". June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Death of assault victim marks Shrevport's 87th homicide, making 2021 Shreveport's bloodiest year in history". KTALnews.com. December 19, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  17. ^ cfloyd. "Rise of the I-20 Technology Corridor". Cyber Innovation Center. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "A little Silicon Valley along the I-20 Cyber Corridor". GuiceBlog. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  19. ^ "Gov. Edwards: New center strengthens Shreveport-Bossier as cyber hub of La". shreveporttimes.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  20. ^ "Louisiana Governor launches the first ever Cyber Security Education Center in the state with Cybint and BPCC". finance.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  21. ^ "Honeywell UOP Opens New Catalyst Production Line At Shreveport, La. Facility". Honeywell. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.