West Carroll Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, in the northeast corner of the state along the Mississippi River lowlands bordering Arkansas. It had a population of 9,751 at the 2020 census and covers 360 square miles (930 km2) of land, centred near 32°47′N 91°27′W.
Oak Grove is the county seat, and its postal code is 71263. The parish has one incorporated town (Oak Grove) and four incorporated villages (Epps, Forest, Kilbourne and Pioneer), plus a scatter of unincorporated crossroads communities. West Carroll Parish sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in West Carroll Parish
Oak Grove, on U.S. Route 65, holds the parish’s commercial center and courthouse. The four villages and the unincorporated places below are spread across the parish’s farmland and bayou lowlands.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Grove | City · seat | 1,441 | 71263 |
| Epps | Village | 358 | 71237 |
| Kilbourne | Village | 351 | 71253 |
| Forest | Village | 304 | 71242 |
| Pioneer | Village | 149 | 71266 |
| Chickasaw | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Concord | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Darnell | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Fiske | Unincorp. | — | 71237 |
| Floyd | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Floyd Landing | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Goodwill | Unincorp. | — | 71253 |
| Gowen | Unincorp. | — | 71266 |
| Green | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Newhope | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Redwing | Unincorp. | — | 71242 |
| Terry | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Twin Bridges | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
| Bear Skin | Unincorp. | — | 71263 |
ZIP Codes
- 71263 — Oak Grove (also serves most of the parish’s unincorporated interior)
- 71237 — Epps
- 71253 — Kilbourne
- 71242 — Forest
- 71266 — Pioneer
The unincorporated crossroads communities have no ZIP code of their own and use the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
West Carroll Parish lies in the flat Mississippi alluvial plain of northeast Louisiana, drained by Bayou Macon and the Boeuf River. Farmland covers most of the parish, with hardwood bottomland along the waterways. Of its total area, 360 square miles are land and 0.9 square miles are water.
The parish borders:
- Chicot County, Arkansas — north
- East Carroll Parish — east
- Richland Parish — south
- Morehouse Parish — west
Demographics
West Carroll Parish had 9,751 residents at the 2020 census. Oak Grove and Epps are the two largest communities. Louisiana’s 2023 ACS median household income was $58,229; West Carroll Parish, a rural farming parish, runs below that state figure. Population density works out to roughly 27 people per square mile, spread thinly across the parish’s farmland.
Economy & Local Life
Row-crop agriculture drives the parish economy — corn, cotton, rice and sweet potatoes are the main crops on the alluvial soil. West Carroll Health Systems, the parish school board, Ruffin Building Systems and Walmart are among the largest employers. The parish also draws visitors to Poverty Point, the Native American earthwork site near Epps, dating to roughly 1500 BCE. Oak Grove hosts an annual fall festival built around the parish’s agricultural calendar.
History
West Carroll Parish was created on March 26, 1877, when the Louisiana legislature split the old Carroll Parish into West Carroll and East Carroll. Carroll Parish itself had been carved decades earlier out of the cotton-growing Natchez District along the Mississippi River. The parish is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland, the only Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. Poverty Point, near present-day Epps, is one of the largest and oldest Native American earthwork complexes in North America.
Getting There
U.S. Route 65 runs the length of the parish north to south through Oak Grove; Louisiana Highway 2 crosses it east to west.
- Lake Village, Arkansas — 13 miles north
- Monroe, Louisiana — 55 miles south
- Vicksburg, Mississippi — 70 miles southeast
- Bastrop, Louisiana — 35 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Monroe Regional Airport. Amtrak does not serve West Carroll Parish; the closest station is in Vicksburg.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Oak Grove postcode?
Oak Grove’s ZIP code is 71263.
What is the county seat of West Carroll Parish?
Oak Grove is the county seat.
How many people live in West Carroll Parish?
The 2020 census counted 9,751 residents.
How big is West Carroll Parish?
It covers 360 square miles (930 km2) of land, plus 0.9 square miles of water.
What are the incorporated villages in West Carroll Parish?
Epps, Forest, Kilbourne and Pioneer are the parish’s four incorporated villages, alongside the town of Oak Grove.
What is West Carroll Parish known for?
Row-crop farming and the Poverty Point archaeological site near Epps, one of the oldest large Native American earthworks in North America.
Which parishes border West Carroll Parish?
East Carroll Parish to the east, Richland Parish to the south, Morehouse Parish to the west, and Chicot County, Arkansas, to the north.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Louisiana.