Red River Parish is located in northwest Louisiana and consists of 388.6 square miles (248,701 acres). Established March 2, 1871, the parish was named for the Red River which flows through the entire length of the parish. According to the 2000 census the population of Red River Parish is 9,622. The parish has four incorporated communities: Coushatta, Edgefield, Hall Summit and Martin. Coushatta is the parish seat and was named for an Indian tribe which once inhabited the area.
Pine trees are the number one agricultural commodity grown in the area, followed by two row crops -- cotton and soybeans. Beef cattle sometimes ranks even with or ahead of row crops. Two large sawmills, Hood Industries, Inc. and Almond Brothers Lumber and Supply Company process the trees that grow so well here. Weyerhauser has a paper mill just nine miles south of Coushatta, and 15 miles to the west is the largest paper mill in the world (when it was built 20 years ago) owned by International Paper Company. Leibhardt Mills Inc., a division of West Point-Stevens, has a 150,000-sq.-ft. plant that manufactures pillows and mattress pads. A lignite mine (Red River Mining Company) supplies coal for a nearby power plant. Other major employers include B & C Wood Company, Natchitoches Louisiana Meat Pies, Quality Wood, Coushatta Concrete Company, Red River Parish School Board and Green Meadow Haven Nursing Home.
Christus-Coushatta Health Care is a 60-bed full-time care hospital with four full-time physicians and a wellness and rehabilitation center. Two dentists, a chiropractor and optometrist are located in the parish. Other services available are home health care, an adult day care center, non-emergency medical transportation, a nursing home and helicopter service (20 minutes or less) to major medical care centers. The parish health unit also serves the entire parish.
Three major festivals occur in Red River Parish: the Lignite Festival is held in May to celebrate the local lignite industry; the Hall Summit Old Time Festival is the first weekend of June; and the Red River Parish Fair is usually the third week of September.
Places of interest in the parish include: The Coushatta Depot, a restored railroad station, which is now a senior citizen center where quilts are made and sold locally and by mail nationwide; the Armistead Cotton Gin, which is open for tours by appointment during ginning season, is a reminder of the days when cotton was “king” in the parish; the courthouse is a classic architectural structure rebuilt in 1926 to replace the original parish courthouse which was destroyed by fire.
Recreational opportunities include fishing. The newly navigable Red River has five oxbow lakes. The Grand Bayou Resort features a 2,700-acre lake, and the John K. Kelly Grand Bayou Reservoir, which is completely cleared and is great for water sports and recreational activity, has great fishing for all types of fish. The resort also features 8 two-story lodges and 50 deluxe RV sites.
The annual average temperatures are: 66° - January 51° and July 82°. With its mild winters, low cost of living, clean air, clean water, nearby big cities, low crime and friendly people, Red River Parish is an attractive place for retirees and others.