Denham Springs is a city in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, United States. The 2010 U.S. census placed the population at 10,215, up from 8,757 at the 2000 U. S. census. At the 2020 United States census, 9,286 people lived in the city. The city is the largest area of commercial and residential development in Livingston Parish. Denham Springs and Walker are the only parish municipalities classified as cities. The area has been known as Amite Springs, Hill's Springs, and Denham Springs.

History

19th century

The original land claims of John Noblet and Alexander Hogue form what is now the older section of Denham Springs, including the first residential and business districts. In 1828, William Denham, a Wilkinson County, Mississippi, native, married Mercy Hogue, the daughter of Alexander Hogue. Three months later he purchased the originally claimed by his father-in-law.

It is assumed that the hotel was burned during the Civil War, although no evidence to support this assumption has been found to this date. Following the Civil War, Covas, the New Orleans businessman, lost possession of the Hogue-Denham tract when George L. Minton bought it for delinquent taxes of $124.00.

Demographics

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|+Denham Springs racial composition as of 2020

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

|-

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 6,618

| 71.27%

|-

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 1,513

| 16.29%

|-

!scope="row"| Native American

| 28

| 0.3%

|-

!scope="row"| Asian

| 121

| 1.3%

|-

!scope="row"| Pacific Islander

| 2

| 0.02%

|-

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 386

| 4.16%

|-

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 618

| 6.66%

|}

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,286 people, 3,615 households, and 2,256 families residing in the city. According to the 2019 American Community Survey, the racial and ethnic makeup was 81.6% non-Hispanic white, 13.9% Black and African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% some other race, 0.5% two or more races, and 3.6% Hispanic and Latin American of any race. The median household income was $53,435 and 8.9% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Government

Denham Springs is run under a Mayor-council form of government. The current mayor, Gerard Landry, has been in office since 2014, being reelected in 2018 after support from the city in his recovery efforts after the flood of 2016.

The Denham Springs City Council is a Unicameral council governing the City of Denham Springs. The five member council is elected directly by popular vote. Each council member serves the entire Denham Springs community. No neighborhoods elect representatives. Members serve a term of four years. Each city council member serves as a member of one of several city groups. This includes the Denham Springs Economic Development District, The Denham Springs Sewage District No. 1, Springs at Riverside Landing Economic Development District, and Finance Committee.

The city council meets twice monthly at 6 PM on the second Tuesday and fourth Monday of the month at the Municipal building in Denham Springs' Historic District.

Education

Denham Springs is within the Livingston Parish Public Schools system.

High schools

  • Denham Springs High School
  • Denham Springs Freshman High School

Junior high schools

  • Denham Springs Junior High School
  • Southside Junior High School
  • Jefferson D. Hughes, III, associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court since 2013, reared in Denham Springs
  • Rosalie "Lady Tambourine" Washington (born 1957), gospel musician and tambourine player
  • Robert Pete Williams (1914-1980), blues musician, in 1958 was released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary into servitude parole in Denham Springs

References

  • City of Denham Springs website