AVOYELLES PARISH
Parish Offices
312 North Main Street
Marksville 318-253-9208
https://www.avoypj.org
Chamber of Commerce
113 North Main Street
Marksville 318-253-8599
http://marksvillechamber.org
Rural Avoyelles Parish is situated at the crossroads of Central Louisiana, served by the major thoroughfares of Interstate 49 and U.S. Highway 71 along with Louisiana state highways. Named for the Native Americans who once inhabited the area, the parish maintains a diverse economy that combines agricultural activity and forestry with manufacturing and tourism. Today, the parish is home to the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe, who operate Louisiana’s only land-based casino in Marksville, adding lavish accommodations and world-class entertainment to the area’s small-town charm.
Services
“Making a difference in our community” is more than a slogan at Aoyelles Hospital in Marksville, where residents receive compassionate, patient-centered care close to home. Services range from general medicine to intensive care, telemetry, radiology, laboratory, respiratory therapy, and surgical services. The hospital’s highly qualified emergency department is available around the clock, treating everything from minor wounds to life-threatening injuries. In addition to its 51-bed hospital, Aoyelles provides facilities for home health, assisted living, and hospice for a full continuum of local care. Access to ambulances and helicopter service is available should the situation require transfer to a larger medical center. Nearby Alexandria is home to two regional healthcare institutions, including Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital with a medical staff of more than 325 physicians and a number of specialty centers in addition to the 241-bed hospital. Rapides Regional Medical Center also maintains a progressive, full-service campus in Alexandria, easily accessible from Interstate 49. Licensed for 325 beds, Rapides Regional offers a wide array of specialized services in addition to general medicine and surgery and comprehensive outpatient services. In addition to its status as the first verified Level II Trauma Center in Louisiana, Rapides Regional is a consistent recipient of the Louisiana Quality Award and was listed among the nation’s “100 Top Hospitals-Benchmarks for Success.” Rapides Regional is home to the area’s first Certified Stroke Center and the only accredited Cycle III Chest Pain Center in Central Louisiana.
Educational opportunities in Avoyelles Parish are underlined by a dedicated public school system complemented by options for alternative learning environments in private or parochial schools. Opportunities for higher education begin close to home in Marksville, where Northwestern State University offers classes at the Tunica-Biloxi Cultural and Educational Resources Center. The campus is designed to help students achieve their goals through academic guidance, on-site classes, and exam proctoring for those enrolled in online classes or programs. Central Louisiana Technical Community College maintains the Ward H. Nash Avoyelles Campus in the rural community of Cottonport. Instructors are leaders in their field with years of experience in the practical application of academic theory, providing the most progressive and relevant programs possible. The campus serves a regional population, drawing students from Avoyelles, Rapides, and Pointe Coupee parishes. Nearby Alexandria is home to Louisiana State University-Alexandria, an LSU branch campus that was founded in 1960. Covering 2,000 acres, the university enrolls more than 2,400 undergraduates who enjoy the beauty of a rural campus, hands-on learning experiences, and the advantage of close working relationships with their instructors. Louisiana State University-Alexandria is proud of its ranking in the 2014 edition of Best Colleges in National Liberal Arts Colleges. Students gain from a first-class classroom education but also from the opportunities generated by LSUA’s collaboration with local businesses and organizations.
Lifestyle
Newcomers to Avoyelles Parish will discover a rural countryside with a distinctively colorful cultural heritage. The parish is considered the most northern of the 22 Acadiana parishes in Louisiana but few families in Avoyelles are of Acadian descent. Modern Avoyelles Parish is a study in diversity, blending French, Italian, German, and Scottish influences along with those from Africa, Native American, Haitian and the French West Indies. The parish culture is classified as Cajun for similarities with southern parishes in speech, cuisine, and folk traditions and is very well known for its brand of Cajun music and exquisitely unique gumbo soup. In many respects the parish is a study in contrasts, a convergence point of Louisiana’s primarily Protestant north with its predominantly Catholic south. Even the landscape is one of striking differences, where lazy streams, scenic byways meandering past river bottoms, frame country churches, and elegant antebellum mansions coexist with bustling interstate traffic. Quaint historic buildings and picturesque villages beckon locals and travelers to stop for great music and extraordinary food. The Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge preserve vast tracts of natural treasures. Cultural attractions include the Prehistoric Indian Museum and mounds at the Marksville State Historic Site, the historic downtown district at the courthouse square, and the Adam Ponthieu Grocery Store and Post Office Museum in Big Bend.
The leading City of Marksville not only serves as the seat of parish government but the educational, healthcare, and cultural hub of the parish. One of the most popular destinations in the state is the spectacular entertainment center of Paragon Casino Resort—the “Pearl of Louisiana.” The Fox Performing Arts Center in Marksville features a full lineup of concerts, plays, pageants, and special events. Throughout the calendar year, colorful festivals and seasonal or cultural celebrations bring friends and neighbors together for family-oriented fun in an area so distinctive, so set apart, that some affectionately refer to it as the Free State of Avoyelles. In addition to the wildly popular Cochon de Lait Festival, the Avoyelles Arts and Music Fest transforms downtown Marksville into an extravaganza of entertainment, arts, crafts, and food that includes a BBQ Cook-Off. Outdoor enjoyment is available throughout the parish where newcomers will find wonderful parks, great golfing, and trails through pristine habitats. Avoyelles Parish is a very special place that has managed to retain its ancestral charm and grace in a world of rising cosmopolitanism. From the bustling small City of Marksville to rural towns and villages, “joie de vivre” is the hallmark of Avoyelles Parish life.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Marksville
City Offices
318-253-9500
https://www.cityofmarksville.com
Chamber of Commerce
318-253-8599
http://marksvillechamber.org
Serving as the parish seat of government, the City of Marksville is a bustling hub of commercial activity and a center for healthcare, education, and the arts for Avoyelles Parish. Marksville is home to facilities that draw attendance from the smaller rural communities throughout the parish, including the Fox Performing Arts Theater for live-stage productions, musical concerts, and special events. The Avoyelles Art Council actively promotes cultural enrichment and sponsors the popular Avoyelles Arts and Music Fest that provides a showcase for performing and visual arts. Marksville is the location for the Farmer’s Market, the dazzling Mardi Gras Parade, and many other colorful events throughout the year. The city is also home to a stellar attraction, the Paragon Casino Resort, where luxurious accommodations include an indoor tropical pool with swim-up bar, full-service spa, three-screen cinema, fabulous dining choices, retail shops, a championship golf course, and live entertainment.
