Ruston is a city in north Louisiana with a 2010 population of 21,859. The seat of Lincoln Parish, Ruston grew 6.4 percent from the 2000 census tabulation of 20,546.
Ruston hosts the state's annual Peach Festival and is the home of Louisiana Tech University, which was established in 1894. Nearby to the west is the predominantly African American institution, Grambling University in Grambling, also in Lincoln Parish.
In recent years, Lincoln Parish has been a Republican stronghold. It is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Rodney Alexander of Jackson Parish and in the Louisiana House by attorney Rob Shadoin of Ruston.
Notable people
- Abraham Attrep, historian
- C. E. "Cap" Barham, Ruston attorney, state senator from 1948 to 1952 and lieutenant governor from 1952 to 1956
- Clifton Ellis Byrd, former one-year president of Louisiana Tech from 1906 to 1907; namesake of C. E. Byrd High School in Shreveport
- Eleanor Albrecht Cawthon, administrator in various capacities at Louisana Tech University
- John Ardis Cawthon, educator and historian
- Claybrook Cottingham​, tenth president of Louisiana Tech, 1941 to 1949
- O.K. "Buddy" Davis, sportswriter
- Paul M. Davis, Jr., orthopedic surgeon and real estate developer in Alexandria; born in Ruston
- Hollis Downs, former state representative
- Clarence Faulk, radio station owner, former publisher of the Ruston Daily Leader; his father was a founder of Delta Air Lines.
- Rick Gallot, president of the University of Louisiana System, former president of Grambling State University, and a former Democrat state senator and state representative
- Ray Germany, Louisiana Tech basketball All American, 1959-1960
- B. H. Gilley, historian
- Greg Hilburn, journalist
- Wiley Hilburn, journalist; former chairman of the Louisiana Tech Journalism Department
- Berry Hinton, Louisiana tech baseball coach, 1943 to 1967
- Dan Hollingsworth, mayor from 1999 to 2015
- George B. Holstead, attorney and state representative from 1964 to 1980
- Jerry Huckaby, U.S. Representative from 1977 to 1993
- John S. Hunt, Ruston native, Monroe attorney, Louisiana Public Service Commissioner from 1964 to 1972
- Fred W. Jones, Jr., judge of city, district, and appellate courts
- J. E. Keeny, president of Louisiana Tech, 1908-1926; namesake of Keeny Hall
- K. D. Kilpatrick, funeral home owner and one-term member of the Louisiana State Senate
- Ragan Madden, state representatives in 1940; district attorney for Lincoln and Union parishes, 1949-1979
- C. Wade Meade, historian
- Robert W. Mondy, historian
- L. D. "Buddy" Napper, attorney and state representative from 1952 to 1964
- Virgil Orr, former Louisiana Tech administrator and former state representative
- B. R. Patton, former state senator for Lincoln and Union parishes
- Morgan D. Peoples, historian
- Elton Pody, mayor from 1983 to 1991
- E. S. Richardson, president of Louisiana Tech from 1936 to 1941
- Norman Richardson, journalist known for coverage of hurricanes, born in Ruston
- H. J. Sachs, English professor
- Rob Shadoin, state representative
- Don Shows, national champion football coach originally from Ruston
- Robert C. Snyder, professor and lecturer
- William Sumlin, state representative, 1983-1988
- Lawson Swearingen, former state senator reared in Ruston
- F. Jay Taylor, former president of Louisiana Tech
- William Y. Thompson, historian
- Robert O. Trout, sociologist
- Christopher Lyle "Chris" Turner, current state representative for Lincoln and Union parishes