VERNON PARISH
Parish Offices
300 South 3rd Street
Leesville 337-238-0324
https://www.vppjla.com
Chamber of Commerce
1309 N. 5th Street
Leesville 337-238-0349
https://www.chambervernonparish.com
Once dominated by the timber industry, Vernon Parish has evolved into a home for one of America’s largest military installations: Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center. With the constant movement of military personnel and their families into and out of the parish, Vernon uniquely blends people and cultures from across the nation and abroad, offering a delightful spectrum of diversity and vitality. Well-served by US Highway 171 and Louisiana Highways 8, 20 and 28, the parish nestles in a region of rolling hills, long-leaf pines, and abundant water resources from creeks and bayous to mammoth lakes.
Services
Healthcare resources and services in Vernon Parish are anchored by Byrd Regional Hospital in Leesville, providing a full range of inpatient and outpatient services along with 20 areas of specialty. Wellness initiatives include the national Senior Circle program, providing special hospital benefits, health and nutrition education, exercise classes and walking clubs, prescription and eye care discounts, a book exchange, entertainment, travel, and a volunteer program. Leesville is also home to the Doctor’s Hospital at Deer Creek, founded by four physicians in 2007 and the proud recipient of the prestigious Women’s Choice Awards as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience. The military community in Fort Polk is well-served at the award-winning Baynes-Jones Army Community Hospital. At the edge of Vernon Parish in DeRitter, Beauregard Memorial Hospital provides an array of general and specialized services. Throughout the parish, specialty institutions and clinics meet specific needs, including a neurology center, rehabilitation hospitals, an orthopedic center, surgery centers, and a cardiovascular center. Regional medical centers are available in Alexandria, home to the 241-bed Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital and the 325-bed Rapides Regional Medical Center. The latter provides a Level II Trauma Center, a Certified Stroke Center, and the only accredited Cycle III Chest Pain Center in Central Louisiana.
Quality education is another positive aspect of life in Vernon Parish, underlined by the Vernon Parish School System, ranking fourth in Louisiana based on the State District Performance Score. Area schools are supported by an excellent library system, featuring a 20,000-square-foot main library in Leesville with a children’s wing, a 100-seat meeting room, and local archives. The Lamar Salter Campus for Central Louisiana Technical College is located within the parish, providing a wide range of career and skills-oriented programs with immediate real-world application in relevant fields from accounting, electronics, and technology to industrial applications, automotive, nursing, and early childhood education. Several universities maintain satellite campuses in the parish, including Northwestern State University, Louisiana State University-Alexandria, Central Michigan University, Upper Iowa University, and Central Texas College. Northwestern State is a four-year university with its main campus in Natchitoches, although the Leesville/Fort Polk Campus provides a selection of associate, bachelor, and even master degree programs in addition to two-year transfer degrees. For expansive choices close to home, Alexandria offers The Learning Center for Rapides Parish, the largest consortium of colleges and universities in Louisiana. Alexandria is also home to Louisiana State University-Alexandria and nearby Pineville offers the nationally recognized private Baptist institution of Louisiana College.
Lifestyle
Vernon Parish is well known as a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, offering picturesque landscapes and world-class resources for hunting and fishing or forested splendor for hiking, jogging, biking, horseback riding, and studying nature. Water sports are available at Vernon Lake, Anacoco Lake, or Toledo Bend Reservoir—known for its bass fishing and 1,200 miles of shoreline. Kisatchie National Forest is another popular destination, drawing visitors to Little Cypress Pond, Fullerton Lake, and Kisatchie Hills Wilderness Areas. Colorful festivals and events add excitement around the four seasons, from the Mardi Gras Ball and Mayfest to Fall Fest, the Homecoming Parade, and the Christmas Parade. The Vernon Parish Arena is the home to the annual Lions Club Rodeo, held each year in conjunction with the West Louisiana Forestry Festival and Fair. The rodeo combines with the Lions Club Telethon to raise money for the local Louisiana Children’s Camp for youth with special needs. Leesville provides a municipal golf course, a community recreation complex with courts and fields, a delightful leisure pool for the kids, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. Wonderful parks, campgrounds and camp sites, scenic byways, golf courses, and tennis courts are all available close to home.
The charming downtown district of Leesville is home to the Museum of West Louisiana on the grounds of the historic Kansas City Southern Railway Depot. The parish preserves Civil War sites but the region was also chosen for the Louisiana Maneuvers prior to World War II, and these now-famous exercises paved the way for the establishment of Fort Polk. Vernon Parish takes great pride in being the home of Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center, providing a welcoming “home away from home” for those in active duty and a popular choice for military retirees. The latter are drawn to a world of benefits and advantages in the Fort Polk area, from a premier hospital to Showboat Dinner Theatre and Warrior Hills Golf Course. The dinner theatre is open to the public and features local talent as well as big-name entertainers. The Vernon Arts Council sponsors outstanding talent and stage performances of opera, ballet, and theatre. A wonderful gallery featuring local art combines with active groups like the Vernon Parish Community Choir and the Vernon Parish Community Orchestra. Even the library sponsors musical performances throughout the year. Celebrated museums including the Fort Polk Military Museum, natural beauty like Hodges Gardens State Park, architectural preservation, a farmer’s market, and abundant shopping areas are just a few of the advantages that make Vernon Parish such a beloved home. Newcomers will discover a friendly, close-knit feeling in an atmosphere that is truly ideal for living, working, playing, and raising families.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Leesville
City Offices
337-239-2250
https://leesvillela.gov
Chamber of Commerce
337-238-0349
https://www.chambervernonparish.com
Billing itself as the “Best Hometown in the Army,” the bustling parish seat of Leesville offers an ideal blend of historic preservation and modern amenities. The city is just minutes from Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center, with more than 24,000 active duty military personnel and their families. Leesville offers two progressive acute-care hospitals, top-ranked public schools, higher education, a leading public library, a charming historic downtown district, cultural enrichment, recreational facilities, local shopping, great restaurants, and wonderful parks. The Museum of West Louisiana, along with the Fort Polk Military Museum at nearby Fort Polk, are regional historic attractions. Residents enjoy a progressive yet close-knit hometown environment where the calendar is filled with exciting events and recreational opportunities are exceptional, from golf and tennis to camping, rafting, hiking, cycling, horseback riding, fishing, and hunting.
DeRidder
City Offices
337-462-8900
https://www.cityofderidder.org
Chamber of Commerce
337-463-5533
http://beauchamber.org
DeRidder is primarily situated along the border of Beauregard Parish with a small part of its boundary extending into Vernon Parish. DeRidder serves as the parish seat of government for Beauregard but also as a hub of commerce, healthcare, education, and cultural enrichment. Just 18 miles south of Fort Polk, DeRidder has been recognized by the Louisiana Municipal Association as the most progressive city of its size in the state. DeRidder is home to fine public and private schools, a full-service community hospital, local shopping, a wonderful library, and a rich architectural legacy. The city features a charming historic downtown district filled with wonderful museums, shops, and restaurants that also serves as a community gathering place for celebrations and special events. Advantages like a local theatre, a talented performance group, and an active arts community give DeRidder an appeal that few small towns offer.
Hornbeck
Town Offices
318-565-4659
https://www.townofhornbeck.com
Chamber of Commerce
337-238-0349
https://www.chambervernonparish.com
The small but welcoming Town of Hornbeck proudly bills itself as the gateway to Toledo Bend Reservoir, but the community also offers easy access to Vernon Lake, Peason Ridge Wildlife Management Area, and beautiful Hodges Gardens State Park. Recreational opportunities are abundant near Hornbeck, from fishing and water sports to hunting, cycling, horseback riding, camping, hiking, photography, and nature enjoyment. US Highway 171 runs through the town, ensuring quick and easy commutes to nearby Leesville and other regional destinations. Residents of all ages enjoy the close-knit atmosphere of a friendly community where a local senior center and the regional high school play vital roles in everyday life. Those who desire the serenity of rural living in close proximity to all that Leesville has to offer will want to explore the residential opportunities in and near Hornbeck.
Rosepine
Town Offices
337-463-8908
http://townofrosepine.com
Chamber of Commerce
337-238-0349
https://www.chambervernonparish.com
Established as a logging town in the early 1900s, Rosepine is a welcoming small community nestled in the southwestern Louisiana countryside. Many of those who have settled in this lovely area commute either north or south and return each evening to the serenity of a small town. The community has experienced considerable growth in recent years, primarily in residential expansion along with retail and wholesale trade. A number of churches are encompassed in its four-square-mile area, adding to the closeness of family and community life. Located thirteen miles from Leesville but only three miles from DeRidder, Rosepine is ideally situated to provide country pleasures—from quiet starry nights to mornings filled with bird songs—just minutes away from urban amenities. Quality healthcare facilities, opportunities for higher education, shopping, cultural enrichment, and premier recreational sites are all easily accessible from Rosepine.
New Llano
Town Offices
337-239-3670
https://www.townofnewllano.com
Chamber of Commerce
337-238-0349
https://www.chambervernonparish.com
Ideally located adjacent to Leesville, the Town of New Llano has a unique history. Originally named Stables, it was renamed by 200 members of the Llano Del Rio Cooperative Colony when they relocated from California in 1917. The community continued to function as a socialist commune where residents pooled their resources and wealth until 1939, and their story along with the ideals behind their movement are now displayed at the local museum. Today, New Llano welcomes newcomers to wonderful residential neighborhoods where homes vary in size, age, architectural style and setting. Many lovely homes are set back on large lots for an open country feeling. New Llano Park provides a green space for local recreation but the expanded amenities in Leesville are just minutes from home, including shopping, restaurants, hospitals, colleges, and cultural enrichment. The presence of US Highway 171 ensures quick commutes to Leesville and regional destinations.
Fort Polk
Directory Assistance
337-531-2911
Family Morale, Welfare & Recreation
337-531-1979
Less than ten miles from Leesville, the United States Army Garrison Fort Polk is nestled in beautiful West Central Louisiana and encompasses the Joint Readiness Training Center. The mission of Fort Polk is to provide installation support and combat readiness for resident units as well as quality services for military personnel and their families. Fort Polk is dedicated to providing the finest hometown in the Army, from new housing and community centers to a quality community hospital, local restaurants, a library, an arts and crafts center, an auto skills center, child care, and first-class recreation. Surrounded by a sports lover’s paradise, residents can enjoy hunting, fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, motocross, and horseback riding. Fort Polk provides gyms, a bowling center, intramural sports, the Warrior Hills Golf Course, and aquatics. Fort Polk covers nearly 200,000 acres, with one-half owned by the Department of the Army and the remainder within the boundaries of Kisatchie National Forest is under the jurisdiction of the US Forest Service. The US Army has invested considerable time and money to locate, identify, and inventory thousands of archaeological sites and historic buildings on this culturally rich land.
Pitkin
Parish Offices
337-238-0324
https://www.vppjla.com
Chamber of Commerce
337-238-0349
https://www.chambervernonparish.com
The unincorporated rural community of Pitkin offers a serene setting for residential development and a welcoming small-town atmosphere near the vast recreational resource of the Kisatchie National Forest. The Enduro Trail is easily accessible and ideal for all-terrain-vehicles, motorcycles, mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding. A number of state parks are nearby, including South Toledo Bend, Hodges Gardens, North Toledo Bend, and Sam Houston Jones Park to the southwest. The community offers a branch of the Vernon Public Library, local churches, limited commercial development, and some small businesses. Those who appreciate country pleasures, friendly neighbors, and a quick commute to expanded amenities may want to explore Pitkin.
