With Shreveport and Bossier City stretching along opposite banks of the Red River, the cities have grown through the years to become a joint metropolitan area of more than 300,000 residents. Shreveport-Bossier is an area of tremendous cultural activity, with pride in its heritage, music, arts, theatre, sports and outdoor recreation, thoroughbred racing, festivals, cuisine, lifestyle, mild climate, and natural beauty. Popular attractions include the new Sci-Port Discovery Center for children, a new festival site on the Shreveport riverfront, the largest rose garden in North America, jazz and blues festivals, a crawfish festival, Holiday in Dixie and Mardi Gras events, and the Red River Revel. According to Shreveport Mayor Keith Hightower’s office, this area is the fastest growing tourism market in the state, with Louisiana leading the nation in tourism growth. Annually, 6 to 8 million people visit the Shreveport-Bossier City area, making this area the center of cultural activity for northwest Louisiana, southwest Arkansas, and east Texas, known as the Ark-La-Tex.

Historically, the area has thrived because of its active river port, rail network, oil and gas industry, agricultural crops such as cotton and timber, and an abundance of recreational lakes. Manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, tourism, agriculture, educational institutions, medical facilities, service industries, and oil and gas exploration and production have been vitally important to the Shreveport-Bossier economy. Today the area has moved away from its dependence on oil and gas and is prepared to meet the challenges of the future with a progressive business attitude and diversification into other areas of production and distribution of goods and services. According to statistics from the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce (GSCC), approximately 1,900 new jobs have been created in the Shreveport-Bossier City area since January 1998, while existing businesses expanded to create nearly 800 new jobs in 1998.

Designated as a Customs Port of Entry and Foreign Trade Zone, the Shreveport-Bossier area offers advantages for importing, exporting, and transacting international business. Operations such as AT&T, General Motors, General Electric, Rockwell, Upjohn, and Honda have benefited greatly from locating in Shreveport-Bossier. Among the major local manufacturers are Libbey Glass, General Electric, and Beaird Industries. Manufacturing employment in the Greater Shreveport area accounts for almost 20,000 jobs in 235 facilities, according to the GSCC. Numerous institutions of higher education, hospitals, nursing homes, and a growing health care industry are represented in the area. LSU Medical Center is one of the largest teaching hospitals in the South. Christus-Schumpert Health System and Willis-Knighton have undergone multimillion dollar expansion projects.

The location of the Shreveport-Bossier area offers almost unequaled access to a vast and growing population and a ready and productive work force. Located in the very heart of the population's shift to the southwest at the intersection of Interstate 20, Highway 80, and Interstate 49, Shreveport-Bossier is 231 miles from Houston, 187 miles from Dallas, 358 miles from Oklahoma City, 320 miles from Memphis, and 216 miles from Jackson. The Shreveport Regional Airport, served by eight regional and national airlines, is in the midst of a $26 million modernization project. The renovation will provide centralized ticketing, check-in baggage claim, and rental car areas, and will result in improved security and traffic flow throughout the airport.

The phenomenal growth in the Shreveport-Bossier area has prompted new commercial construction projects such as a municipal court building, two Wal-Mart Supercenters, Super Target, Holmes European Motors, several large retail pharmacy stores, the new Bayou Walk shopping center and University Place Shopping Center, new hotels including casino hotels, and new restaurants such as Copeland's of New Orleans, Posado's Cafe, and Applebee's. Additional new developments include the Biomedical Research Center, Red River Navigation Waterway and Port, the completion of I-49, and riverboat gaming. An $85 million state-of-the-art Convention Center is being designed. The Center will contain 300,000 total square feet, with 100,000 square feet of convention space.

The gaming industry has had a significant economic impact on the Shreveport-Bossier area. According to statistics from the GSCC, in July of 1998 more than 1.2 million patrons visited the casinos, resulting in record-breaking revenues that totaled $10 million more than revenues in July of 1997. Five casinos presently exist in the Shreveport-Bossier City area, and a fifth casino is under construction. According to the Shreveport Mayor’s office, Shreveport ranks 9th out of America’s top 33 gaming markets for revenue. The direct local impact of tourism in the area in 1997 was $204 million, up from $132 million in 1996.

In 1999, for the third time in 50 years, the city of Shreveport was named an All-America City by the National Civic League. Shreveport was one of 10 cities selected nation-wide to receive this honor in 1999. Established in 1949, the All-America City Award recognizes communities where the American spirit is at work through community problem solving. Three community projects were featured in Shreveport’s application: Team Works, an organization that helps youth build healthy minds and bodies; Shreveport Community Renewal, a group that strives to restore caring relationships between people; and Sci-Port Discovery Center, a children’s activity center that promotes hands-on science education. The Award encourages broad community initiatives such as economic development, health and social service projects, and efforts to improve race relations. Shreveport joins an elite group of only 16 communities out of the over 4,000 that have sought this award in the 50 years of its existence to be selected as an All-America City more than twice.