Pineville, Louisiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pineville, Louisiana
City
City of Pineville
Location of Pineville in Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Rapides
Area
• Total	13.14 sq mi (34.04 km2)
• Land	12.62 sq mi (32.68 km2)
• Water	0.52 sq mi (1.36 km2)
Elevation	118 ft (36 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,384
• Rank	RA: 2nd
• Density	1,139.96/sq mi (440.15/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	318
FIPS code	22-60530
Website	www.pineville.net

Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located across the Red River from the larger Alexandria. Pineville is hence part of the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,555 at the 2010 census. It had been 13,829 in 2000; population hence grew by 5 percent over the preceding decade.

The Central Louisiana State Hospital, the Pinecrest Supports and Services Center, the Huey P. Long Memorial Hospital (closed), the Alexandria Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Alexandria National Cemetery are all located in Pineville. The city is also home to several large non-government employers including Baker Manufacturing, Procter & Gamble, Crest Industries, and Dresser Industrial Valve.

Original LSU in Pineville

Louisiana State University was founded by the Louisiana General Assembly in 1853. It was founded under the name Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy and was located near Pineville. The first session began on January 2, 1860, with General William Tecumseh Sherman of Ohio as superintendent.

The military opened for its fourth session in November 1862 with 112 students. Superintendent William A. Seay found the task of holding the cadets in class hopeless. According to historian John D. Winters of Louisiana Tech University:

The undisciplined young cadets with their enthusiasm for war were a continuous source of trouble. Around April 1, 1863, the cadets decided to close the school. They broke into the kitchen, smashed all the furniture, and seized all the cutlery, dishes, pots and pans, dumping them into the well. Most of the students then went home to volunteer. Professor Seay was able to keep a few students until April 23, when the excitement of the approach of Banks's army caused him to close the school and send the cadets home to fight."

Geography

Pineville is located at 31°20′20″N 92°24′45″W / 31.33889°N 92.41250°W / 31.33889; -92.41250 (31.338781, -92.412485).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31.3 km²), of which 11.5 square miles (29.7 km²) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.6 km²) (4.97%) is water.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Pineville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,384 people, 5,065 households, and 3,063 families residing in the city.

Museums

The former Pineville City Hall building now houses the only museum in Louisiana dedicated to municipal government

Pineville houses two unique museums. The Louisiana Maneuvers Museum provides insight into the huge maneuvers that prepared the United States for World War II and promoted the career of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, known for his organizational skills.

Old Town Hall Museum "is the only museum in the entire state of Louisiana dedicated to municipal government".

National Guard

Located adjacent to the city is Camp Beauregard. Operated by the Louisiana Army National Guard, it is the headquarters of the 225th Engineer Brigade and is one of the largest engineer units in the US Army.

Liquor sales in restaurants

Until a special election held on October 19, 2013, Pineville had long been a fully dry city, with no alcohol available legally in the community. Voters in the 1980s maintained that stance in a referendum. The late Mayor Fred Baden was particularly known for his opposition to liquor sales. Clarence R. Fields, the first African-American mayor of Pineville, who has held his office since 1999, pushed for another referendum to permit the sale of liquor in restaurants. Nearly four years after Baden's death, the measure was roundly approved by voters in the special election, 1,849 (78 percent) to 515 (22 percent).

Liquor will become available in restaurants no sooner than January 1, 2014. Fields claims that allowing limited liquor sales, requested by area developers, will boost economic development, particularly along the riverfront. According to Fields, members of the clergy, including city council member Nathan Martin of the Christian Challenge Worship Center in Pineville, have joined the call for liquor sales: "We've had a lot of conversations with our religious community, and all of the ministers I have spoken with are favorable.".

The liquor referendum was authored by State Senator Rick Gallot. In the previous referendum in 1981, liquor sales in restaurants had not been one of the options available for consideration. Gallot's Senate Bill 116 allows cities within the population range of 13,500 to 16,500 to call for an election to permit restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages. The Pineville City Council then voted unanimously to place the referendum on the special election ballot.

Pineville gallery

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  Pineville welcome sign

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  Buhlow Lake hosts boat races and other recreational events. The O.K. Allen Bridge atop the Red River is in the background.

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  Entrance to Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville

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  Pineville City Hall was completed in 1974 during the administration of Mayor Fred Baden.

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  First Baptist Church of Pineville is located across the street from City Hall.

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  Main Street in Pineville near the Community Center

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  A glimpse of the large Greenwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Pineville

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  Peaceful pond at Greenwood Memorial Park

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  Mt. Olivet Episcopal Chapel and Cemetery in Pineville; former Mayor Fred Baden is interred there.

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  Kingsville Baptist Church off U.S. Highway 165

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  Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery across from Kingsville Baptist Church

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  Kees Park off Louisiana Highway 28 East in Pineville is named for businessman and postmaster William "Billy" Keys, Sr. (1881-1938), the father of Willie E. Kees, Jr., the mayor of Pineville from 1946 to 1952.

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  Procter and Gamble plant off U.S. Highway 165 in north Pineville

Education

In 1906, the Southern Baptist–affiliated Louisiana College opened in Pineville. The Rapides Parish School Board operates public schools.

Notable people

• Joe W. Aguillard, president of Louisiana College from 2005 to 2014
• Rick Brewer, president of Louisiana College since 2015
• Faith Ford, actress
• W. C. Friley, president of Louisiana College from 1909 to 1910
• Lawrence T. Fuglaar, state representative for Rapides Parish from 1948 to 1952
• Justin Gaston, actor, model, and singer who was also a contestant on Nashville Star.
• G. Earl Guinn, president of Louisiana College from 1951 to 1975
• Jeff Hall, state representative for District 26 in Rapides Parish; former Pineville resident
• Henry E. Hardtner, lumber magnate, state legislator, and forestry conservationist, born in Pineville in 1870
• Ben F. Holt, state representative from Rapides Parish from 1956 to 1960
• Anjanette Kirkland, track and field athlete
• Rory Lee, president of Louisiana College from 1997 to 2004
• Rashard Lewis, professional basketball player with the Miami Heat
• Robert L. Lynn, Louisiana College president from 1975 to 1997; now a poet in Duluth, Georgia
• Tommy Tenney, evangelist and author
• Kenny Mixon, played football at Pineville High, LSU and with NFL.

See also

In Spanish: Pineville (Luisiana) para niños