Alexandria

Town and administrative headquarters of Rapides Parish, central Louisiana; population (1990) 49,200. It is situated on the Red River, opposite Pineville, and 150 km/93 mi northwest of Baton Rouge. It is a centre for livestock, meatpacking, and timber. Cotton, sugar cane, and livestock are processed in and shipped from Alexandria. The town's other industries include oil refining and the manufacture of concrete, brick and tile roofing, naval stores, valves, pipe fittings, and road machinery. Alexandria is home to an undergraduate branch of Louisiana State University (1960).

The area was initially settled in 1785, and the town was founded in 1810. The shipping of crops and cattle sustained Alexandria's economy before the Civil War, during which it was twice occupied, in May 1863 and March 1864. It was burned when Union troops withdrew in May 1864. Railway expansion and the exploitation of regional forests after the war helped to rebuild the city. England Air Force Base is 10 km/6 mi to the northwest, and Fort Polk is 47 km/29 mi to the southwest.