Pitkin is a census-designated place (CDP) in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States.[3]

Pitkin, Louisiana
Location in Vernon Parish and the state of Louisiana.
Location in Vernon Parish and the state of Louisiana.
Coordinates: 30°56′11″N 92°56′11″W / 30.93639°N 92.93639°W / 30.93639; -92.93639
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishVernon
Area
 • Total6.24 sq mi (16.16 km2)
 • Land6.23 sq mi (16.13 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation
167 ft (51 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total455
 • Density73.05/sq mi (28.20/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code337
GNIS feature ID555670[2]

Pitkin is approximately 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Leesville, the parish seat. Pitkin is approximately 45 miles (72 km) southwest of the city of Alexandria and about 150 miles (240 km) due west of the Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP, also known as Angola) in West Feliciana Parish.[4] As of the 2010 census, the CDP's population was 576.[5] James Ridgeway of Mother Jones said that the Pitkin area had 1,965 residents.[4]

Burl Cain, the warden of LSP, was reared in Pitkin.[4] His older brother, James David, a former member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature, was born in Pitkin in 1938.

History edit

In 1863, during the Civil War, Confederate soldiers built a military road from Niblett's Bluff to Alexandria that passed through the area. The Vernon Parish Tourism Commission placed an historical marker in 2009.[6]

Demographics edit

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
2020455
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

According to the 2010 census, of its 576 population who live in 230 households, their median age was 41.6, 541 are White, 10 are multiracial, 3 are Asian, 2 are some other race, 1 is African American; 10 have Latino ethnicity.[8]

Education edit

The Vernon Parish School District serves Pitkin. It operates Pitkin High School (PK-12).[9] The Vernon Parish Library operates the Pitkin Branch Library.[10]

References edit

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Pitkin". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ " 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Pitkin CDP, LA." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 23, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Ridgeway, James. "God's Own Warden." Mother Jones. July/August 2011 Issue. p. 1. Retrieved on March 23, 2013.
  5. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  6. ^ "Old Confederate Military Road 1862-1865". HMdb.org. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010". United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  9. ^ "Home." Pitkin High School. Retrieved on March 23, 2013.
  10. ^ "Sexual Predator Policy." (Archive) Vernon Parish Library. Retrieved on March 23, 2013.