Richland Parish is a parish located in the North Louisiana Delta Country in the U.S. state of Louisiana, known for its fertile, flat farmland, cane brakes, and open spaces. The parish had a population of 20,043 at the 2020 United States census.^[1] The name Richland was chosen due to the rich production from farming. The parish seat and largest community is Rayville.

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Richland Parish
Parish
Alto Presbyterian Church
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32.421736°N 91.762070°W / 32.421736; -91.762070
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	September 29, 1878
Named for	Fertile (rich) land in the area
Seat	Rayville
Largest town	Rayville
Area
• Total	576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Land	559 sq mi (1,450 km2)
• Water	9.375 sq mi (24.28 km2)  1.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,043
• Density	35/sq mi (13/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)

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The parish was officially created on September 29, 1868.^[2] Rayville, Louisiana, the parish seat, was named for John Ray, a politician from Monroe with large land holdings in present-day Rayville.^[3]

Richland Parish is home to the first public parish library in the State of Louisiana, the Rhymes Memorial Library. The library was built in 1925 by the Lambda Kappa Club of Rayville. R.R. Rhymes donated the original building in memory of his wife, Nonnie Roark Rhymes.^[4]

Bayou Macon flows through the western areas of Richland. Other tributaries in the parish include Crew Lake, and the Lafourche Diversion Canal are located in the western portion of the parish. Boeuf River flows from the northern end to the southern end in the center of the parish.

• Julia Letlow, from Start, elected Member of Congress in the United States House of Representatives.
• Luke Letlow, from Start, elected to the United States House of Representatives, but died of a heart attack caused by COVID-19 before he could be seated.
• Ralph Abraham, from Alto, elected Member of Congress in United States House of Representatives.
• Harry W. Addison was a Southern author and humorist who resided in Rayville from 1945 to 1957.
• Jamar Adcock, a politician and banker in Monroe, born in Richland Parish
• Terry Doughty, is a federally appointed judge for the Western District of Louisiana.
• Elvin Hayes, Hall of Fame basketball player, born in Rayville
• Arlene Howell, Miss Louisiana USA 1958, Miss USA 1958
• Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Richland Parish in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960
• William L. Kirk, of Rayville was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe/Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe.
• Ernie Ladd, a football player/professional wrestler, born in Rayville
• Moses J. Liddell was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as a judge for the Supreme Court of the Montana Territory.
• Wiley Person Mangham, an American publisher and editor. He is the namesake for t
• Tim McGraw, Country musician, born in Delhi, and raised in Start
• Robert Max Ross, was a Republican politician and activist who qualified to run for governor, U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House, for the purpose of advancing the two-party system in Louisiana, at a time it did not exist.
• Francis C. Thompson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1975 until 2008; since in the Louisiana State Senate

• Tim McGraw, a famous country musician.
• Ralph Abraham, U.S. House of Representatives.
• Elvin Hayes, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
• Wiley Person Mangham, American Publisher and Editor.

• Former Rayville High School, operated by the Richland Parish School Board and originally designed by the Shreveport architect Edward F. Neild, was renovated into an apartment complex
• Holly Ridge High School in Holly Ridge in rural Richland Parish
• Veteran's Memorial in Mangham
• Rhymes Memorial Library in Rayville was the first parish wide public library in Louisiana.
• Poverty Point Reservoir in Delhi.
• Start Baptist Church
• Richland Parish Courthouse, in Rayville
• Alto Presbyterian Church, built in 1873
• Richland Parish Detention Center near Alto, Louisiana
• First Baptist Church in Delhi
• Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Richland Parish, Louisiana