In the heart of Louisiana, Alexandria became the center of the 1864 Red River Campaign of the Civil War, which resulted in the burning of the town. During World War II camps Beauregard, Livingston, Claiborne, Polk, and Alexandria Air Force Base, all nearby, feverishly trained young Americans to fight. The largest maneuvers in US history, involving 472,000 servicemen, took place in this area.

Both Alexandria and Pineville, located on the Red River where it is joined by the Bayou Rapides, are centers for farming and livestock production, lumbering, and light manufacturing. Water sports are popular at Fort Buhlow Lake and other nearby lakes.