Plain Dealing, Louisiana

In 1839, George Oglethorpe Gilmer and his son, James Blair Gilmer, bought 5,000 acres of this land—then described as a "vast, unsettled wilderness"—from the United States government, calling a portion of this acreage "Plain Dealing" after the family's Virginia plantation. The "Plain Dealing" name became official when the town was formally chartered on April 24, 1890. ==Geography==

Plain Dealing is south of the Arkansas border and north of Shreveport. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.26%, is water. Climate According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Plain Dealing has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Plain Dealing was on August 10, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 13, 1899. ==Demographics==

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 893 people, 424 households, and 192 families residing in the town. ==Education==

The community is in the Bossier Parish School District. There is one school in the community, Plain Dealing High School, which covers grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. Its attendance boundary includes all of Plain Dealing. White and black students had separate K-12 schools, under educational segregation in the United States. White students went to Plain Dealing High School, then K-12, while black students went to Carrie Martin High School, a K-12 school established in 1952 by its namesake. In 1969 the white and black schools were consolidated into a single school with two campuses, later separated into Plain Dealing Elementary School and Plain Dealing High School. The elementary school was renamed Carrie Martin Elementary School in 2003. In 2017 the district announced that it will merge Martin Elementary into Plain Dealing High, and stop using the former elementary facility. ==Notable people==

• William Benton Boggs (1854–1922), first mayor of Plain Dealing in 1890 • Ryan Gatti (born 1974), state senator from Bossier City since 2016 • Booker T. Huffman Jr aka Booker T, American professional wrestler • A. P. Tugwell (1889–1976), the longest-serving Louisiana state treasurer • Joseph David "Joe" Waggonner, Jr. (1918–2007), a former congressman • W. E. "Willie" Waggonner (1905–1976), sheriff of Bossier Parish from 1948 until his death in office • Greg Stumon (born 1963), retired defensive end Canadian Football League ==References==