Lake Providence, Louisiana

Lake Providence, Louisiana
Town
Louisiana State Cotton Museum in 2013
Location of Lake Providence in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 32°48′19″N 91°10′46″W / 32.80528°N 91.17944°W / 32.80528; -91.17944
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	East Carroll
Government
• Mayor	Bobby Amacker
Area [1]
• Total	3.62 sq mi (9.36 km2)
• Land	3.60 sq mi (9.31 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation	105 ft (32 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,587
• Density	997.77/sq mi (385.28/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	71254
Area code	318
FIPS code	22-41400
Website	Town of Lake Providence

Lake Providence is a town in, and the parish seat of, East Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana.^[2] The population was 5,104 at the 2000 census and declined by 21.8 percent to 3,991 in 2010. The town's poverty rate is approximately 55 percent; the average median household income is $16,500, and the average age is 31.^[3]

The town shares its name with the oxbow lake of the Mississippi River, also called Lake Providence. This area was historically developed as cotton plantations before and after the Civil War, and remains largely rural. The Union Army developed a supply depot near the lake during the Civil War, and its camp was crowded with refugee slaves seeking their freedom. The town grew larger at this site.