GRANT PARISH
Parish Offices
200 Main Street
Colfax 318-627-3157
https://www.gppj.org
Chamber of Commerce
1118 Third Street
Alexandria 318-442-6671
https://www.cenlachamber.org
Grant Parish enjoys a centralized location in Louisiana as part of the vibrant Greater Alexandria region. This sparsely populated rural parish draws newcomers to a small-town country lifestyle that offers easy access to urban amenities. One-third of the parish falls into the boundaries of Kisatchie National Forest, although the local economy is largely agrarian with the primary crops being cotton, soybeans and corn. Residents enjoy quick commutes within the parish as well as to regional destinations through a transportation network that combines U.S. Highways 71, 165 and 167 with state and local highways and roads.
Services
Residents of Grant Parish have access to outstanding educational opportunities on every level, beginning with a responsive and progressive public school system from kindergarten through high school. Committed to providing an education and fostering a love of learning that will serve students throughout their adult lives, the local school board focuses on parental involvement, safety, technology and community support. Options for higher education are abundant in the nearby Alexandria-Pineville metropolitan area, where a consortium of colleges and universities are available in a single location to provide a wealth of opportunity for career education and degree programs. Other options include the nationally recognized private Baptist institution of Louisiana College. Louisiana State University-Alexandria enrolls more than 3,000 students in undergraduate programs, while Louisiana Technical College in Alexandria focuses on two-year transfer programs and career training. Blue Cliff College specialized in Allied Health and the beauty industry, and LANtec of Louisiana provides technical and computer training. Other career institutes include Central Louisiana Medical Academy, Central Louisiana School for Dental Assistants, and the National EMS Academy for Emergency Medical Technicians.
Greater Alexandria is also the hub of healthcare for residents of Grant Parish, who have access to specialty institutions like Alexandria Veterans Administration Medical Center and Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital as well as regional medical centers. With a staff of more than 325 skilled professionals in every major specialty, St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria features a long list of medical and supportive services. Also in Alexandria, Rapides Regional Medical Center serves a regional population in its 325-bed acute-care facility, providing leading-edge, comprehensive care that includes the first verified Level II Trauma Center in Louisiana, the area’s first Certified Stroke Center, and the only accredited Cycle III Chest Pain Center in Central Louisiana. Exceptional healthcare is also available at the Huey P. Long Medical Center in Pineville, a facility within the Louisiana State University Health system in the Schreveport area, also known as LSU Health Shreveport.
Lifestyle
Newcomers will discover a rare quality of life in Grant County, where country pleasures, a close-knit community atmosphere, and some of Louisiana’s most breathtaking backdrops for recreational activity are located within a convenient commute from urban amenities. The parish is home to two large recreational lakes and more than one-third of its area is covered by the pristine Kisatchie National Forest. Opportunities to hunt and fish in Grant Parish are so outstanding that sports enthusiasts actually travel from southern Louisiana for the opening day of hunting season for squirrel and deer. In late November and December, the waterfowl season is in full swing while spring draws hundreds of angers to the area’s rivers, lakes, and ponds for bass, white perch, bream, and catfish. The $2.4 million Colfax Recreation Area located on the Red River offers a boat launch, picnic shelters, a playground, floating wharf, and RV sites for extended stays. Smaller boat landings that provide access to the Red River are available at Colfax and Montgomery. Youngsters are familiar with Camp Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center with its summer camp and educational activities. Those who love water sports, camping, hiking, cycling, dirt biking, four-wheeling, and horseback riding will find the ideal setting for every activity.
The City of Colfax is home to approximately half of the parish population, serving as the parish seat of government and focal point of commercial development. This quiet, rural community offers tree-shaded streets lined with comfortable homes in a pleasing variety of styles, sizes, and ages. Rural properties and even large tracts of land are available in Grant Parish for those who want to own a beautiful country manor on a large lot or picturesque acreage. The Colfax Civic Center and Aloha Community Center provide gathering places for parish residents, bringing friends, family and neighbors together frequently. The parish is known for its colorful festivals and special events, including the Louisiana Pecan Festival that evolved out of Colfax’s centennial celebration in 1969. Drawing crowds of 70,000 to the parish, the festival includes a parade, fireworks, carnival rides, live entertainment, pecans in every form, and the crowning of Miss Louisiana Pecan Festival. Other popular events include the Dogwood Festival with arts and crafts including homemade jams and jellies produced from local crops. The Louisiana Mudfest happens several times during the year at a 300-acre family owned business that invites the community to relax, converse, fish, mud-ride, and enjoy live entertainment. Few places can rival Grant Parish for outstanding recreation and small-town living just 30 minutes from the Alexandria-Pineville region—a hub of regional healthcare institutions, colleges and universities, cultural enrichment, family entertainment, great shopping, and fine restaurants. Discover for yourself the world of simple pleasures that keep attracting newcomers to a true country paradise.
