Boyce, Louisiana

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Boyce is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,190 at the 2000 census. Originally called Cotile Landing, the name was changed to Boyce in 1880, when the Texas and Pacific Railroad made Boyce its terminal point. The town was named for Judge Henry Boyce, who owned the land on which the town was located. Being of Irish descent, Boyce, and/or his son Henry Archinard Boyce, gave all the streets Irish names as he did his own plantation, Ulster, which was immediately adjacent to the town along Bayou Jeunes des Gens (Jean de Jean). The original incorporation date is not on file.

1 Death of Mayor Julius Patrick
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] Death of Mayor Julius Patrick

On November 26, 2006, Julius Patrick, Jr., the black Democratic mayor of Boyce, was killed in a vehicular accident on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish near Baton Rouge. Patrick had served as mayor since 1978. He had just won an eighth term in the November 7 general election. Boyce is nearly 75 percent black, according to the 2000 census. An interim mayor will be appointed by the town council, pending a special election early in 2007 to choose a successor to Patrick. Patrick had retired in 2005 from a 41-year career in education, mostly in Rapides Parish.

Boyce is served by Northwood High School, which opened in 1996, as a new consolidation of the old Boyce High School and the former black A. (Alfred) Wettermark High School. Patrick's funeral was held in the Northwood gymnasium, and more than one thousand mourners attended.

[edit] Geography

Boyce is located at 31°23′12″N, 92°40′14″W (31.386778, -92.670577)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²). 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (8.62%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,190 people, 426 households, and 310 families residing in the town. The population density was 866.9/km² (2,239.5/mi²). There were 485 housing units at an average density of 353.3/km² (912.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 23.19% White, 74.37% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.

There were 426 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples living together, 35.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the town the population was spread out with 34.8% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 77.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 67.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $17,727, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $24,000 versus $13,600 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,616. About 37.9% of families and 40.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.3% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.