Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, of which it is the parish seat. It extends along the west bank of the Red River into neighboring Bossier Parish. The 2020 census tabulation for the city's population was 187,593, while the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area had a population of 393,406.
Shreveport was founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company, a corporation established to develop a town at the juncture of the newly navigable Red River and the Texas Trail, an overland route into the newly independent Republic of Texas. It grew throughout the 20th century and, after the discovery of oil in Louisiana, became a national center for the oil industry. Standard Oil of Louisiana and United Gas Corporation were headquartered in the city until the 1960s and 1980s, respectively. After the loss of jobs in the oil industry, the closure of General Motors' Shreveport Operations, and other economic problems, it struggled with a declining population, poverty, drugs, and violent crime. The city continues in its efforts to revitalize its infrastructure, revive the economy through diversification, and lower crime.
Shreveport is the educational, commercial and cultural center of the Ark-La-Tex region, where Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas meet. It is the location of Centenary College of Louisiana, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Louisiana Tech University Shreveport, Southern University at Shreveport, and Louisiana Baptist University. It forms part of the I-20 Cyber Corridor linking Shreveport to Dallas and Atlanta. Companies with significant operations or headquarters in Shreveport are Amazon, Regions Financial Corporation, JPMorgan Chase, Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, AT&T Mobility, United Parcel Service, Walmart, SWEPCO, General Electric, UOP LLC, Calumet Specialty Products Partners, and APS Payroll.
History
Early settlers
Shreveport was established to create a town at the meeting point of the Brown Bricks and the Texas Trail. The Red River was made navigable by Captain Henry Miller Shreve, who led the United States Army Corps of Engineers efforts to clear the Red River. A natural log jam, the Great Raft, had previously obstructed passage to shipping. Shreve used a specially modified riverboat, the Heliopolis, to remove the log jam. The company and the village of Shreve Town were named in Shreve's honor.
Shreve Town was originally contained within the boundaries of a piece of land sold to the company in 1835 by the indigenous Caddo Indians. In 1838 Caddo Parish was created from the large Natchitoches Parish, and Shreve Town became its parish seat. On March 20, 1839, the town was incorporated as Shreveport. Originally, the town consisted of 64 city blocks, created by eight streets running west from the Red River and eight streets running south from Cross Bayou, one of its tributaries.
Shreveport soon became a center of steamboat commerce, carrying mostly cotton and agricultural crops from the plantations of Caddo Parish. Shreveport also had a slave market, though slave trading was not as widespread as in other parts of the state. Steamboats plied the Red River, and stevedores loaded and unloaded cargo. By 1860, Shreveport had a population of 2,200 free people and 1,300 enslaved people within the city limits.
Civil War and Reconstruction
During the American Civil War, Shreveport was the capital of Louisiana from 1863 to 1865, having succeeded Baton Rouge and Opelousas after each fell under Union control. The city was a Confederate stronghold throughout the war and was the site of the headquarters of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederate Army. Fort Albert Sidney Johnston was built on a ridge northwest of the city. Because of limited development in that area, the site is relatively undisturbed in the 21st century.
Isolated from events in the east, the Civil War continued in the Trans-Mississippi theater for several weeks after Robert E. Lee's surrender in April 1865, and the Trans-Mississippi was the last Confederate command to surrender, on May 26, 1865. "The period May 13–21, 1865, was filled with great uncertainly after soldiers learned of the surrenders of Lee and Johnston, the Good Friday assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the rapid departure of their own generals." In the confusion there was a breakdown of military discipline and rioting by soldiers. They destroyed buildings containing service records, a loss that later made it difficult for many to gain Confederate pensions from state governments. In aggregate it is estimated that about one quarter of the population of Shreveport was lost, making it one of the deadliest local epidemics in American history. About 800 were interred in a mass grave at Oakland Cemetery. Five Roman Catholic priests in the city and two religious sisters died while caring for yellow fever victims in the city.
Providence Academy was established for African American students in the city.
20th century to present
Greenwood Cemetery was established in 1893. A number of local African American musicians became nationally famous. By the 1910s, Huddie William Ledbetter—also known as "Lead Belly", a blues singer and guitarist—was performing for Shreveport audiences in St. Paul's Bottoms, the notable red-light district of Shreveport that operated legally from 1903 to 1917. Ledbetter began to develop his own style of music after exposure to a variety of musical influences on Fannin Street, a row of saloons, brothels, and dance halls in the Bottoms. Bluesmen Jesse Thomas, Dave Alexander, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and the early jazz and ragtime composers Bill Wray and Willian Christopher O'Hare were all from Shreveport. Lead Belly achieved international fame.
By 1914, neglect and lack of use, due to diversion of freight traffic to railroad lines, resulted in the Red River becoming unnavigable. In projects accomplished over decades, in 1994, the United States Army Corps of Engineers restored navigability by completion of a series of federally funded lock-and-dam structures and a navigation channel.
As early as 1924, the citizens of Shreveport became interested in hosting a military flying field. In 1926, Shreveport citizens learned that the 3rd Attack Wing stationed at Fort Crockett, Texas, would be enlarged by 500 percent and would require at least 20,000 acres (81 km<sup>2</sup>) to support aerial gunnery and a bombing range. The efforts to procure the government's commitment to build the facility in the Greater Shreveport metropolitan area were spearheaded by a committee co-chaired by local civic leaders Andrew Querbes and John D. Ewing, beginning in 1927. It took a great deal of correspondence between the interested parties and the original proposal was rejected. However, in February 1928, a young crop duster, an Air Corps captain named Harold Ross Harris, was hired to fly over the local area in order to find a suitable site for the airfield.
Captain Harris selected what he felt was an adequate location for a military airfield. It was a sprawling section of cotton plantation near Bossier City. The site selection committee, representing the wealthiest taxpayers in the city, unanimously agreed upon the Barksdale Field location. A delegation of citizens traveled to Washington, D.C., to personally present the advantages of the proposed site to the War Department. Following the return of this delegation, a special army board visited Shreveport and reported the location met all requirements of the Air Corps.
The site was selected December 5, 1928, as the location of the airfield. The land in Bossier Parish on which the airfield was built was unincorporated land near Bossier City that was annexed by the city of Shreveport once the site had been selected among 80 candidates. The real estate was purchased from over 800 property owners via a $1,500,000 municipal bond issue approved by Shreveport voters in 1929 in fulfillment of the pledge that the citizens of Shreveport made to the U.S. government. The last of these bonds matured on December 31, 1959. After acquisition, Shreveport then donated the land to the federal government per their agreement, while the federal government assumed all the costs of building construction and equipment installation. Shreveport had originally proposed a site adjacent to Cross Lake, but the United States Department of War deemed this location inappropriate due to the lack of suitable terrain for the facility's future expansion. Subsequent to the establishment of the military installation, Bossier City grew and expanded southward and eastward, eventually enveloping the area surrounding the base. Technically, Barksdale AFB is neither in Bossier City nor Shreveport but, like all military bases, is an autonomous community with its own infrastructure.
In September, 1941, the capture of the city of Shreveport was the objective of a U.S. Army war game, or military exercise, known as the Louisiana Maneuvers. The field exercise's mission was accomplished largely due to General George S. Patton, who commanded the mock "Blue" army's 2nd Armored Division.
thumb|upright|[[Elvis Presley|Elvis in the Louisiana Hayride]]
Shreveport was home to the Louisiana Hayride radio program, broadcast weekly from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium. During its heyday from 1948 to 1960, this program stimulated the careers of some of the greatest figures in American music. The Hayride featured musicians including Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, who made his broadcasting debut at this venue. In the mid-1950s, KWKH was the first major radio station to feature the music of Presley on its long-running Louisiana Hayride program at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. Horace Logan, long-term KWKH program manager and originator of the Hayride, and Frank Page introduced Presley on the Hayride.
African American veterans of World War II were among activists in Shreveport through the 1960s who worked in the civil rights movement to correct injustices under Jim Crow and disenfranchisement of blacks. While activism gradually increased, 1963 was a particularly violent year in Shreveport because of white resistance. The Shreveport home of Dr. C. O. Simpkins was bombed in retaliation for his work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In September 1963 George W. D'Artois, Public Service Commissioner, refused a permit for a march to the Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport, where mourners gathered to honor and commemorate four black girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing on September 15 in Birmingham, Alabama. D'Artois and other officers entered the church on horseback and took out the pastor, Dr. Harry Blake, beating him severely.
Also in 1963, headlines across the country reported that African American musician Sam Cooke was arrested in Shreveport after his band tried to register at a "whites-only" Holiday Inn, where they planned to stay before performing in the city. Public facilities in Louisiana were still segregated. In the months following, Cooke recorded the civil rights era song, "A Change Is Gonna Come". In 1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act to end segregation of public facilities.
In the mid-1990s, the coming of riverboat gambling to Shreveport attracted numerous new patrons to the downtown and spurred a revitalization of the adjacent riverfront areas. Many downtown streets were given a facelift through the "Streetscape" project. Traditional brick sidewalks and crosswalks were built, and statues, sculptures, and mosaics were added to create a better pedestrian environment. The O.K. Allen Bridge, commonly known as the Texas Street bridge, was lit with neon lights. Residents predictably had a variety of reactions to these changes. Shreveport was named an All-American City in 1953, 1979, and 1999.
In the 1990s, Shreveport became known for its rap music scene, and acquired its famous aka name, Ratchet City. The term was first used by the group Lava House in its 1999 single "Ratchet".
Since the downturn in the oil industry and other economic problems, the city has struggled with a declining population, unemployment, poverty, drugs and violent crime. and the revitalization plan of the Shreveport Economic Recovery Task Force after the Cross Bayou redevelopment plan was rejected.
In June 2020, rapper Hurricane Chris was arrested in Shreveport for second-degree murder. Following the George Floyd killing in Minnesota, multiple protests were held in the city. The city experienced the largest number of homicides in its recorded history in 2021, eclipsing the previous record set in 1993.
On Sunday, April 19, 2026, a man opened fire at three homes in Shreveport, leaving eight children dead and two women injured. It is the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since the 2024 Joliet shootings.
Geography
thumb|Red River between Shreveport and Bossier City with Barksdale Air Force Base in background, 2008Shreveport is located in Northwest Louisiana. It is the center of the Ark-La-Tex region where Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas meet. It is also part of the I-20 Cyber Corridor linking the tech-centered Dallas–Fort Worth, Shreveport–Bossier, Greater Monroe, and Greater Atlanta metropolitan areas together. The city of Shreveport is from Dallas, from Tyler, and from Marshall, Texas; from Little Rock and from Texarkana, Arkansas; and from the state capital of Baton Rouge, from Monroe, from Ruston, and from Minden, Louisiana. The city's proximity to the nearby cities makes it North Louisiana and the Ark-La-Tex's transportation hub.
Shreveport is the parish seat of Caddo Parish. Portions of the city extend into neighboring Bossier Parish, bordering Bossier City. Shreveport sits on a low elevation overlooking the Red River. Western and northern portions of Shreveport have an elevation over above sea level. Pine forests, cotton fields, wetlands, and waterways mark the outskirts of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
Cityscape
alt=|thumb|The [[Long–Allen Bridge (Shreveport)|Long-Allen Bridge (also known as the Texas Street Bridge) connects Shreveport and Bossier City.]]
Shreveport—since the mid-1990s—has been a major gambling center with a modest downtown skyline. The "Streetscape" project, inspired by the coming of riverboat gaming, gave Shreveport's downtown traditional brick sidewalks, statues, sculptures, and mosaics. The O.K. Allen Bridge (Texas Street bridge) was lit with neon lights. Since then, Downtown Shreveport has seen minor changes until the 2010s; the whole of Shreveport has been improving roads since the mid-2010s, with continued road projects in 2018. In 2018, buildings in Shreveport's downtown and nearby districts were revitalized due to re-investment in the area. In 2020, plans were unveiled for the I-49 Connector and further redevelopment of the city. extremes 1871–present
|single line = Y
|collapsed = Y
|Jan record high F = 85
|Feb record high F = 89
|Mar record high F = 92
|Apr record high F = 96
|May record high F = 102
|Jun record high F = 105
|Jul record high F = 108
|Aug record high F = 110
|Sep record high F = 109
|Oct record high F = 99
|Nov record high F = 89
|Dec record high F = 85
|year record high F = 110
|Jan avg record high F = 76.4
|Feb avg record high F = 79.1
|Mar avg record high F = 84.6
|Apr avg record high F = 87.5
|May avg record high F = 92.4
|Jun avg record high F = 96.3
|Jul avg record high F = 100.2
|Aug avg record high F = 101.4
|Sep avg record high F = 98.0
|Oct avg record high F = 91.3
|Nov avg record high F = 82.2
|Dec avg record high F = 77.4
|year avg record high F = 102.6
|Jan high F = 58.4
|Feb high F = 62.6
|Mar high F = 70.4
|Apr high F = 77.5
|May high F = 84.6
|Jun high F = 91.1
|Jul high F = 94.3
|Aug high F = 94.9
|Sep high F = 89.6
|Oct high F = 79.3
|Nov high F = 67.9
|Dec high F = 59.9
|year high F = 77.5
|Jan mean F = 47.9
|Feb mean F = 51.8
|Mar mean F = 59.0
|Apr mean F = 65.9
|May mean F = 74.0
|Jun mean F = 80.9
|Jul mean F = 83.9
|Aug mean F = 84.0
|Sep mean F = 78.3
|Oct mean F = 67.4
|Nov mean F = 56.6
|Dec mean F = 49.5
|year mean F = 66.6
|Jan low F = 37.3
|Feb low F = 41.0
|Mar low F = 47.7
|Apr low F = 54.3
|May low F = 63.5
|Jun low F = 70.6
|Jul low F = 73.5
|Aug low F = 73.0
|Sep low F = 67.0
|Oct low F = 55.4
|Nov low F = 45.3
|Dec low F = 39.0
|year low F = 55.6
|Jan avg record low F = 21.2
|Feb avg record low F = 26.3
|Mar avg record low F = 30.4
|Apr avg record low F = 38.3
|May avg record low F = 49.6
|Jun avg record low F = 62.3
|Jul avg record low F = 68.0
|Aug avg record low F = 65.9
|Sep avg record low F = 54.3
|Oct avg record low F = 39.0
|Nov avg record low F = 28.8
|Dec avg record low F = 24.3
|year avg record low F = 19.5
|Jan record low F = −2
|Feb record low F = −5
|Mar record low F = 15
|Apr record low F = 31
|May record low F = 39
|Jun record low F = 52
|Jul record low F = 58
|Aug record low F = 53
|Sep record low F = 42
|Oct record low F = 28
|Nov record low F = 16
|Dec record low F = 5
|year record low F = -5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 4.40
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.30
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.90
|Apr precipitation inch = 5.19
|May precipitation inch = 4.46
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.78
|Jul precipitation inch = 3.50
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.91
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.46
|Oct precipitation inch = 4.59
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.00
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.94
|year precipitation inch = 51.43
|Jan snow inch = 0.2
|Feb snow inch = 0.5
|Mar snow inch = 0.1
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 0.1
|year snow inch = 0.9
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 9.4
|Feb precipitation days = 9.6
|Mar precipitation days = 9.7
|Apr precipitation days = 7.9
|May precipitation days = 9.1
|Jun precipitation days = 8.9
|Jul precipitation days = 7.5
|Aug precipitation days = 6.6
|Sep precipitation days = 6.7
|Oct precipitation days = 7.6
|Nov precipitation days = 8.4
|Dec precipitation days = 9.6
|year precipitation days = 101.0
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.2
|Feb snow days = 0.3
|Mar snow days = 0.1
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.0
|Dec snow days = 0.1
|year snow days = 0.7
|Jan humidity = 72.6
|Feb humidity = 69.7
|Mar humidity = 67.7
|Apr humidity = 69.6
|May humidity = 73.2
|Jun humidity = 73.3
|Jul humidity = 72.4
|Aug humidity = 71.7
|Sep humidity = 73.6
|Oct humidity = 71.7
|Nov humidity = 73.7
|Dec humidity = 74.4
|year humidity = 72.0
|Jan sun = 158.3
|Feb sun = 172.8
|Mar sun = 213.1
|Apr sun = 231.2
|May sun = 267.1
|Jun sun = 297.9
|Jul sun = 317.9
|Aug sun = 300.7
|Sep sun = 249.8
|Oct sun = 235.8
|Nov sun = 176.8
|Dec sun = 158.4
|year sun = 2779.8
|Jan percentsun = 50
|Feb percentsun = 56
|Mar percentsun = 57
|Apr percentsun = 59
|May percentsun = 62
|Jun percentsun = 70
|Jul percentsun = 73
|Aug percentsun = 73
|Sep percentsun = 67
|Oct percentsun = 67
|Nov percentsun = 56
|Dec percentsun = 51
|year percentsun = 63
|source 1 = NOAA (sun and relative humidity 1961–1990)