Vernon Parish, Louisiana
Vernon Parish, Louisiana | |
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| Parish of Vernon Paroisse de Vernon (French) | |
Vernon Parish courthouse in Leesville | |
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Seal | |
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
Louisiana's location within the U.S. | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Region | Central Louisiana |
| Founded | March 30, 1871 |
| Named after | Mount Vernon |
| Parish seat | Leesville |
| Largest municipality | Simpson (area) Leesville (population) |
| Incorporated municipalities | 6 (total)
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| Area | |
• Total | 1,341 sq mi (3,470 km2) |
| • Land | 1,328 sq mi (3,440 km2) |
| • Water | 14 sq mi (36 km2) |
| • percentage | 1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 48,750 |
| • Density | 36.71/sq mi (14.17/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 337 |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | Vernon Parish Police Jury |
Vernon Parish (French: Paroisse de Vernon) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,750. The parish seat and most populous municipality is Leesville. Bordered on the west by the Sabine River, the parish was founded in 1871 during the Reconstruction era.
It was long a center of the timber industry, which harvested pine in the hills and bottomland hardwoods. Construction of a railway to the area in 1897 stimulated the marketing of lumber and businesses in the area.
Since World War II, Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, has been most important to the parish economy. The population of the Leesville area rapidly increased fivefold after the fort was opened. Vernon Parish is part of the Fort Polk South, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the DeRidder-Fort Polk South, LA Combined Statistical Area.