Shongaloo is a village in Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States.

Shongaloo, Louisiana
City
Shongaloo Civic Center
Shongaloo Civic Center
Location of Shongaloo in Webster Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Shongaloo in Webster Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 32°56′17″N 93°17′54″W / 32.93806°N 93.29833°W / 32.93806; -93.29833
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishWebster
Area
 • Total7.93 sq mi (20.53 km2)
 • Land7.90 sq mi (20.45 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation
256 ft (78 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total151
 • Density19.12/sq mi (7.38/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code318
FIPS code22-69455

West of Shongaloo on Louisiana Highway 2 is Munn Hill, a homestead of Daniel and Rebecca Munn, established on July 26, 1900.

Shongaloo has a civic center for town council meetings as well as general usage. There is an adjacent museum with a restored log cabin.

Geography

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Shongaloo is located at 32°56′17″N 93°17′54″W / 32.93806°N 93.29833°W / 32.93806; -93.29833 (32.938129, -93.298369).[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20 km2), of which 7.9 square miles (20 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.38%) is water.

Dorcheat Bayou, 115-mile-long (185 km)[3] runs through Shongaloo, making it one of the longest natural bayous in the U.S.

 
Mt. Paran Baptist Church is lined with flags in observance of Memorial Day 2009.

Transportation

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Shongaloo is connected to other cities by road; currently, there is no air or boat access directly to the village. Air transportation is possible by using the Springhill Airport (15–20 minutes) or using the Shreveport Regional Airport (60–80 minutes). Shongaloo is connected to Sarepta and Homer via LA 2. Shongaloo is also connected to Magnolia and Minden via LA 159). LA 157 connects Shongaloo to Springhill and ALT LA 2 and LA 615 to Haynesville.

Interstate 69

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Proposals have been made to build Interstate 69 south of the city around the community of Leton and east of the city near Haynesville. Currently, Shongaloo will have access to the freeway via interchanges at LA 159, LA 2, and LA 2 Alt.

Etymology and pronunciation

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Shongaloo (pronounced Shawn-ga-lew) is an Indian term meaning "Running Water" or "Cypress Tree".

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1970173
1980163−5.8%
1990161−1.2%
20001620.6%
201018212.3%
2020151−17.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 162 people, 65 households, and 47 families residing in the village. The population density was 20.5 inhabitants per square mile (7.9 inhabitants/km2). There were 77 housing units at an average density of 9.7 per square mile (3.7/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 98.15% White, 0.62% Native American, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.62% of the population.

There were 65 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $48,750. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,809. About 5.0% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 18.8% of those sixty-five or over.

Local channels

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Local channels
Channel Number Network City of licence
KTBS 3 ABC Shreveport, Louisiana
KTAL 6 NBC Shreveport, Louisiana
KTVE 10 NBC El Dorado, Arkansas
KSLA 12 CBS Shreveport, Louisiana
KPXJ 21 The CW Minden, Louisiana
KLTS 24 PBS/LPB Shreveport, Louisiana
KMSS 33 FOX Shreveport, Louisiana
KSHV 45 MNT Shreveport, Louisiana

Shongaloo is located in the Shreveport/Texarkana broadcasting market (#82 DMA Market).

Education

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North Webster Lower Elementary School on Louisiana Highway 2 is located in the plant of the defunct Shongaloo High School.
 
The Shongaloo Museum is a log cabin structure behind the Civic Center.

North Webster Lower Elementary School, formerly Shongaloo High School before 2011, serves Shongaloo, Sarepta, and Cotton Valley for Pre-K-2nd graders. The school was formed during consolidation which moved Shongaloo 3rd-12th grade students to various schools within Webster Parish.

In 1979, the Shongaloo Tiger baseball team won the Louisiana LHSAA Class C State Championship.

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  3. ^ "USGS TNM 2.0 Viewer". viewer.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  4. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.