Bienville Parish is located in the northwest portion of Louisiana and, according to the 2000 census, has a population of 15,752. The parish seat is now Arcadia which replaced the town of Sparta in 1890 after the railroads were constructed. A hunting and fishing paradise, Bienville Parish offers a wide variety of ponds, lakes, and wooded areas that are prime for weekend getaways. Forestry is the number one agriculture product in the parish, worth more than $47 million at the farm gate.