Enforcement Fire Department |
The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s main office is located in the Parish Courthouse in Natchitoches and handles all of the criminal, civil and tax division operations, as well as police protection throughout the parish. There are 45 commissioned employees including 33 full-time deputies, who provide 24-hour patrol throughout the parish, using 14 patrol cars. |
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There is one hospital with 84 beds to serve parish residents. The medical field in the parish is comprised of 17 clinics, 20 doctors and 9 dentists. Two nursing homes and a long-term care unit with a total of 112 beds also serve the community. Natchitoches Parish Ambulance Service is available in the parish. Regional medical centers with the very latest medical technology available in The Alexandria-Pineville area, 50 miles south and in Shreveport. Hospitals in Alexandria include the Central Louisiana State Hospital, Huey P. Long Regional Medical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Briarwood Hospital, Rapids Regional Medic Center, River North Treatment Center and St. Frances Cabrini Hospital. These medical facilities offer an array of specialty medical services including: advance cardiac care, chemical dependency services, cancer treatment centers, womenós health services, as well as psychiatric care services. |
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and Recreation |
Natchitoches Parish has 12 public parks, a golf course, several community swimming pools, eight ball fields and six tennis courts. Numerous youth programs are available through the parish, the school system and other organizations. Boating, tubing, and fishing on local rivers and lakes are also major activities for visitors and residents of the parish. Two country dubs are also available in the parish. Shreveport, only two hours away, has a symphony, opera and ballet and NCAA college athletics are available from Grambling University, Northwestern State University, Louisiana Tech University, and others. AA Professional Baseball is available with the Shreveport Captains at the Fairgrounds in Shreveport. Louisiana Downs, 100 miles away off I-20 and U.S. 80 in Bossier City is one of the nationós top thoroughbred racetracks. The four-level, glass-enclosed grandstand contains a variety of restaurants, bars and seating areas. Racing season runs from April to November, Wednesdays through Sundays. Off track betting available January through March. |
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The Shreveport Central Business District and Bossier City are an hour and a half away, and have seen an explosion of retail activity in the past few years. Alexandria, only 55 miles to the south, is a rapidly expanding regional shopping center. Anchor stores at the new Alexandria Mall include J C Penney, Mervynós, Sears and Dillardós. Several smaller shopping centers are available locally.
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Communications in the area include a local bi-weekly newspaper (The Natchitoches Times‹Natchitoches). Metropolitan daily newspapers from Shreveport and Alexandria are also circulated in Natchitoches Parish. There is one AM (KNOC) and three FM (KZBL, KDBH, KNWD) stations in Natchitoches. Many Shreveport and Cable and television stations can be received from Shreveport or Alexandria including all four networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX). |
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| Natchitoches Parish enjoys a complete seasonal cycle with pleasant spring and fall seasons. Winter months are usually mild with cold spells of short duration. Snowfall is less than 2" per year. The summer months are quite warm, with an average daily maximum temperature in July and August of 93 degrees. |
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Natchitoches Parish is located in northwest Louisiana. It is bounded by Bienville Parish on the north and Vernon Parish on the south. To the east are Winn, Grant and Rapides parishes and to the west is Sabine Parish. Desoto and Red River parishes also border Natchitoches Parish to the northeast. From Natchitoches Parish, a manufacturer can realistically expect third-day truckload service to major markets in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Within this 31-state area are 69 percent of the nationós population and 70 percent of its manufacturing plants. Historically the main transportation arteries through Natchitoches Parish have been the Red River and the Old Spanish Trail/Natchez Trace. The Red River is regaining its value and state highways still cling to the old trails, but the major highways through the parish are now north/south routes. State Highway 1 and U. S. Highway 71 parallel the river on opposite banks and have been alternate routes for commercial traffic between metropolitan areas in the northern and southern extremes of the state. Recently they have been joined by Interstate Highway 49, one of the last links in the interstate system and a much needed link between I-20 in the north and I-10 which is the southern anchor of the federal highway system. Interstate Highway 12 is part of the I-10 system which stretches to both the east and west coasts of the United States. I-49 stretches through the length of the parish and promises to improve access to markets, as well as benefit from increased tourism and commerce through the area. |
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Highways |
From Natchitoches Parish, a manufacturer can realistically expect third-day truckload service to major markets in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Within this 31-state area are 69 percent of the nationós population and 70 percent of its manufacturing plants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This road is on the Federal Aid Primary program (FAP, 50ft. ROW with 24 ft. paved surface). It connects to State Highway 1 and U. S. Highway 71 north of the parish and separates from Highway 71 at Clarence to head east toward the Mississippi River, which it crosses at Vidalia. This highway is well used and maintained for commercial traffic from border to border within the state of Louisiana. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This road is on the Federal Aid Primary program . It runs from the northwest to the southeast corner of the parish along the Red River. Highway 71 is a major artery to large metropolitan areas such as Shreveport to the north and Baton Rouge and New Orleans to the south. This highway is well used and maintained for commercial traffic between Shreveport and I-10. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This road is on the Federal Aid Primary program (FAP, 50ft. ROW with 24 ft. paved surface). It cuts diagonally through the parish from the north where it intersects with I-20 in Shreveport and to the south where it connects to I-10 and various cities on its way to Grande Isle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This road is on the Federal Aid Secondary program (FAS 50ft. ROW with 24 ft. paved surface). It begins at the western border of the state and passes through the City of Natchitoches and across the Red River to Clarence where U. S. 84 continues its eastward course to the Mississippi River. | The main transportation arteries through Natchitoches Parish are state Highway x, which runs through the x portion of the parish, and U.S. Highway xx, which runs through the x part of the parish. State Highways x, xx and xxx also serve the parish as commercial routes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Natchitoches Parish is served by the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. All of the tracks run northwest and southeast, paralleling the Red River and the major highways such as I-49, U. S. Highway 71 and State Highway 1. The L & A Railway has two lines. The northern route passes through Ashland and Goldonna, north of the lakes that split the parish. The southern L&A route is south of the lakes but north of the Red River. This line passes through Campti and Clarence. The Union Pacific Railroad line passes through Powhatan, Natchitoches and Natchez on their way to Alexandria in the south. All these routes pass through Alexandria south of the parish and the latter two head toward Shreveport in the north part of the state. Rail rates in Louisiana for many commodities tend to be lower than those in the other states because of the competition from barge carriers. These railroads handle a significant volume of containers, TOFC and carload traffic between New Orleans and mid-America. |
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Facilities |
Northwestern Louisiana and various state and federal agencies are working together to bring a viable water transportation route back to the Red River, which will enhance access to the Port of New Orleans and other ports on the Gulf Coast. Planners are committed to building ports on the river, which will contribute significantly to Webster Parishós economic potential. The first indication of this is the establishment of a 100-acre warehousing, manufacturing and distribution center located in Shreveport. Interport, as it is called, has been designated a Customs Port of Entry, a Foreign Trade Zone and an Enterprise Zone giving it multiple tax advantages. These advantages plus the location of Shreveport near the center of United Statesó population makes Northwest Louisiana an ideal location for warehousing/distribution facilities. Cargo can be delivered by barge from Louisiana to all of mid-America via the 19,000 mile Mississippi River System. Louisiana also sits at the center of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway system that rims the northern Gulf of Mexico. Further, the state itself has 4,500 miles of navigable waterways served by 25 harbor and terminal districts, many of which can issue low-interest industrial revenue bonds to finance manufacturing and storage facilities. Also through the state there is a port construction and priority program that may assist in funding port facilities. |
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Louisianaós lower Mississippi corridor is the leading port area in the world with a total annual tonnage of over 345 million tons. The port area stretches 230 miles inland on both banks of the river with more than 110,000 acres of large, affordable deepwater sites with barge and ship access. There are several campus-type industrial parks suitable for warehouse/distribution operations, offices, sales/service facilities and light manufacturing/assembly. The Port of South Louisiana, the Port of New Orleans and the Port of Greater Baton Rouge are three of the port authorities along this corridor which operate Foreign Trade Zones. Imported materials may be processed or repackaged in these zones without paying United States Customs duties or certain taxes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Esler Regional Airport in Alexandria is the only commercial airport in Central Louisiana. The number of people using this airport has increased 44% since 1985, allowing over $1.8 million in general site improvements in recent years. The airport is served by five commuter airlines: LŒExpress, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Northwest Airlink, American Eagle and Continental Express. These airlines offer many daily flights to destinations including New Orleans, Memphis, Houston, Monroe, Dallas, Baton Rouge and Shreveport. Shreveport Regional Airport serves Northwest Louisiana with more than 20 national airlines. It is 110 miles from Natchitoches and accessible via Interstate Highway 20. Commercial carriers include American, Continental, Continental Express, Delta, Northwest, Northwest Airlink, American Eagle and LóExpress. One of the two runways is 8,350 feet long, 200 feet wide, grooved with category II lighting. Major repair facilities and fuel are available. Sixty-eight Louisiana cities have hard-surfaced public airports, most with night landing capability. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Delivery |
Nationwide passenger and parcel service are provided by Greyhound Bus Lines. Emery/Purolator, United Parcel Service and Federal Express are available. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Carriers |
At least 25 freight carriers service the area including: SAIA Motor Freight Line, Roadway Express, Red Ball, Consolidated, Jones Truck Lines and Yellow Freight Lines.
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| Electric Power and Fuel | Entergy | |||||||||||||||||
| Water & Sewerage | Facts about services in incorporated areas of the parish:
Waste Management, Inc. provides solid waste collection service for Napoleon and Natchitoches Parish under a contract with the Natchitoches Parish Police Jury. Other sanitation services provided by the communities include dead animal removal, mosquito and rodent control, street trash pickup, and pet animal confinement regulations. Water facilities are supervised by certified water plant operators. A water-use fee is assessed, with separate rates for domestic and commercial clients. The fee is adequate to cover operating costs, debt service, and equipment replacement. Community sewer systems treat all waste water before discharge to meet health standards. Other sanitation services provided by local government include dead animal removal, mosquito and rodent control, street trash. |
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| Natural Gas | Oceana Heights Gas Company provides natural gas to the communities of Natchitoches Parish. | |||||||||||||||||
| Telephone Service | South Central Bell Telephone Company serves the telephone needs of the Parish. |
