Best Web Design in Alexandria, LA (2026)

Web Design for Alexandria, Louisiana

Alexandria sits at the geographic center of Louisiana on the south bank of the Red River, the self-styled "Heart of Louisiana" where the river's rapids once forced every boat to unload and haul cargo overland. Platted in 1805 by trader Alexander Fulton, the town was burned nearly to the ground by Union troops in 1864 and rebuilt into Central Louisiana's commercial and medical hub. Today it anchors the nine-parish "Cenla" region with pharmaceutical, forestry, and healthcare industry.

AppWT works with Alexandria, LA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Alexandria

Also known as. The Heart of Louisiana. Alex (local shorthand). hub of "Cenla" (Central Louisiana).

History. Grew up around the Spanish outpost Post du Rapides; Pennsylvania trader Alexander Fulton received a Spanish land grant in 1785 and had the town platted into 81 squares by Frederick Walther on February 1, 1805. Named seat of Rapides Parish in 1807; the parish name comes from the French 'rapides,' for the Red River rapids that blocked upstream navigation. Before the Civil War the community thrived on river commerce in cotton, sugarcane, and lumber, with goods warehoused and portaged overland around the falls. During the 1864 Red River Campaign, roughly 90% of the town was burned by retreating Union forces around May 13, 1864. Lt. Col. Joseph Bailey rescued Admiral Porter's stranded Union fleet at the falls by building 'Bailey's Dam,' a winged log-and-brush dam (based on Wisconsin logging dams) that raised the Red River enough for gunboats to pass. In WWII, Central Louisiana hosted the 1940-41 'Louisiana Maneuvers,' the largest peacetime training exercises to that point, involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers at nearby camps.

Local economy. Procter & Gamble has operated a fabric-care (laundry detergent) plant in the Alexandria area for more than 40 years and announced a $96 million expansion. Forestry and wood products anchor the industrial base: Roy O. Martin, Hunt Forest Products, Boise, and Stella-Jones, alongside Union Tank Car and BASF. Healthcare is a major employment cluster: Rapides Regional Medical Center (a 346-bed downtown acute-care hospital serving 16 parishes), CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini, the VA Medical Center, and Central Louisiana State Hospital. England Airpark, the redeveloped former England Air Force Base (closed 1992), is now a multi-modal commerce and aviation center home to Alexandria International Airport, with roughly $276 million in annual economic impact.

Culture and community. Central Louisiana Mardi Gras parades bring the city into Louisiana's Carnival tradition, and the riverfront Alex River Fete is a marquee spring festival. Signature annual events include the Louisiana Dragon Boat Races and the Louisiana Elvis Festival. WinterFETE and the Holiday Trail of Lights fill December with a Christmas parade, ice skating, Santa's Village, a gumbo cook-off, fireworks, and live music.

What makes Alexandria distinct. The parish name literally means 'the rapids': boats could not pass the Red River falls, so cargo had to be unloaded and hauled overland, which is exactly why a warehouse town grew on the spot. Nearly the entire city burned in 1864, so almost nothing predates the Civil War -- which is why the spared c.1796 Kent Plantation House is so remarkable. Actress Faith Ford, who played Corky Sherwood on the CBS sitcom 'Murphy Brown,' was born in Alexandria.

Alexandria Landmarks and Local Life

• Alexandria Zoological Park -- a 33-acre AZA-accredited zoo (opened 1926) with about 500 animals; one of only around 20 zoos worldwide to house Malayan tigers.
• Kent Plantation House -- a Creole plantation home built around 1796 - before the Louisiana Purchase, and one of the oldest standing structures in the entire state
• Hotel Bentley -- a grand 1908 hotel built by lumber baron Joseph A. Bentley.
• T.R.E.E. House Children's Museum (The Rapides Exploratory Education House) in downtown Alexandria at 1403 Third Street.
• Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum at Camp Beauregard - built as a replica WWII barracks