Ruston, Louisiana

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City of Ruston
City
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Lincoln
Area	18.2 sq mi (47.1 km²)
- land	18.1 sq mi (46.9 km²)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²), 0.55%
Center
- coordinates	32°31′47″N 92°38′26″W / 32.52972, -92.64056Coordinates: 32°31′47″N 92°38′26″W / 32.52972, -92.64056
- elevation	331 ft (100.9 m)
Population	20,546 (2000)
Density	1,136.4 /sq mi (438.8 /km²)
Mayor	Dan Hollingsworth
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	71270
Area code	318
Location of Ruston in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website : http://www.ruston.org

The city of Ruston is the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ^[1] ^[2] As of the 2005 census, the city population was 20,667.^[1] The current mayor is Dan Hollingsworth. Ruston is home to Louisiana Tech University and rests on the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex. Ruston's economy is built around Louisiana Tech and caters to its college population. As of the year 2005, the official student enrollment to Louisiana Tech University was approximately 11,710. Adding several thousand personnel employed by the university, the total university population appears to rival the city itself.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Social Life
4 Notable people from Ruston
5 Points of interest
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Ruston is located at 32°31′47″N, 92°38′26″W (32.529674, -92.640466)^[3] and has an elevation of 331 feet (100.9 m)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.2 square miles (47.0 km²), of which, 18.1 square miles (46.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.44%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 20,546 people,^[2] 7,621 households, and 4,244 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,136.4 people per square mile (438.8/km²). There were 8,397 housing units at an average density of 464.5/sq mi (179.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.94% White, 38.92% African American, 0.17% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

There were 7,621 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city of Ruston, the population is mixed with 20.8% under the age of 18, 31.6% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.0 years, far below the state median age of 34.0 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,001, and the median income for a family was $37,394. Males had a median income of $33,408 versus $20,413 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,573. About 22.1% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Social Life

The social life in Ruston is somewhat diverse. Primary activities involve finding something to do with Louisiana Tech. There are many shops downtown that one can visit. There are many restaurants chains and the new eight-screen Celebrity Theater has increased the level of activities in the city of Ruston. Also of interest is the new Squire Creek Country Club.

[edit] Notable people from Ruston

Famous Louisiana Tech alumni include country music singers Kix Brooks and Trace Adkins.

Many notable athletic figures have, at one time or another, called Ruston home, the most famous being Fred Dean, Karl Malone, Bert Jones, Dub Jones, Terry Bradshaw, Willie Roaf, P.J. Brown, Paul Millsap, Tim Rattay, Luke McCown, Matt Stover, Josh Scobee, Ryan Moats, Patrick Ramsey, and Kim Mulkey. Bert and Dub Jones were the first father-son duo to be in the NFL record books at the same time.

Ruston was the birthplace of John S. Hunt, III, a Monroe attorney who served on the Louisiana Public Service Commission from 1964-1972.

Prominent Louisiana educator E.S. Richardson lived in Ruston, while he was president of Louisiana Tech from 1936-1941.

Mary Elizabeth Talbot Busbee, the first lady of Georgia from 1975-1983, was born and reared in Ruston. Known as "Mary Beth", she is the widow of former Georgia Democratic Governor George D. Busbee (1927-2004).

James Davison (billionaire founder of Davison trucking).

The founders of the Elephant 6 Collective, (Will Cullen Hart, Jeff Mangum, Robert Schneider, and Bill Doss) spent their childhoods in Ruston.

One of the most notable places located in Ruston is the Louisiana Center for the Blind, a training center for blind teenagers and adults operated by the National Federation of the Blind.