Best Web Design in Shreveport, LA (2026)

Web Design for Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport sits on the Red River in Louisiana's northwest corner, a city born of a riverboat captain's engineering feat and raised on cotton, oil, and natural gas. It is the seat of Caddo Parish, birthplace of the term 'ratchet,' and the home of the Louisiana Hayride, the radio show that gave Elvis Presley and Hank Williams early national exposure. Its Art Deco downtown, riverboat casinos, and stint as 'Hollywood South' round out a distinctive Ark-La-Tex identity.

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

About Shreveport

Also known as. Ratchet City. Port City. The Port.

History. Founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company at the junction of the Red River and the overland Texas Trail. Named for Captain Henry Miller Shreve, who cleared the 180-mile log jam known as the Great Raft using his specially modified snagboat, the Heliopolis, making the Red River navigable. Caddo Parish was carved from Natchitoches Parish in 1838, with Shreve Town as its seat; the town was incorporated as Shreveport on March 20, 1839. Before the Civil War, Caddo Parish was the leading cotton producer in Louisiana; Shreveport briefly served as the state's Confederate capital late in the war. The early-1900s oil boom, with derricks around Oil City and Caddo Lake, brought renewed prosperity after the war.

Local economy. Cotton and timber wealth gave way to an early-1900s oil boom, and by the 1950s Shreveport was a national center for natural gas production and distribution. Riverboat and casino gaming became a major industry starting in the mid-1990s, reshaping the downtown riverfront. Modern employers include international operations of Amazon and Walmart alongside national chains. Nearby Barksdale Air Force Base (in adjoining Bossier City) is a major regional military and economic anchor.

Culture and community. The Louisiana Hayride, broadcast from the Municipal Auditorium from 1948 to 1960, launched national careers for Hank Williams Sr. and gave Elvis Presley an early platform. Mudbug Madness, held on Memorial Day weekend since 1984, has grown into one of Louisiana's largest Cajun festivals, centered on boiled crawfish, Cajun and zydeco music. The State Fair of Louisiana is held annually in Shreveport, along with the Independence Bowl college football game. In the 2000s, Shreveport became a film hub nicknamed 'Hollywood South,' hosting productions such as Oliver Stone's 'W.' Notable natives include NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw, country stars Hank Williams Jr. and Kix Brooks, and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.

What makes Shreveport distinct. The nickname 'Ratchet City' traces to the local group Lava House and their 1999 song 'Ratchet,' credited with popularizing the now-widespread slang term. The American Rose Society moved its headquarters and gardens to Shreveport from Columbus, Ohio, in 1974. The Municipal Auditorium's address is literally Elvis Presley Avenue, honoring the Hayride's most famous alumnus. Shreveport exists because one man, Henry Shreve, spent years dismantling a natural log raft that had blocked the Red River to shipping. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson graduated from the city's Captain Shreve High School, named for the same founder.

Shreveport Landmarks and Local Life

• Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium - an Art Deco landmark on Elvis Presley Avenue built between 1926 and 1929
• The Gardens of the American Rose Center - the nation's largest park dedicated to roses, with about 20,000 bushes across 118 acres
• The R.W. Norton Art Gallery - a fine-art museum set in landscaped grounds
• The Highland Historic District - a neighborhood of more than 600 early-20th-century homes in Craftsman, Colonial Revival, and Tudor styles
• Independence Stadium - home of the Independence Bowl