Bunkie, Louisiana

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City of Bunkie
City
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Avoyelles
Area 2.7 sq mi (7 km²)
 - land 2.6 sq mi (6.7 km²)
 - water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²), 3.7%
Center
 - coordinates 30°57′13″N 92°11′08″W / 30.95361, -92.18556Coordinates: 30°57′13″N 92°11′08″W / 30.95361, -92.18556
 - elevation 66 ft (20.1 m)
Population 4,662 (2000)
Density 1,763.4 /sq mi (680.9 /km²)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code 318
Location of Bunkie in Louisiana
Location of Bunkie in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Bunkie is a city in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,662 at the 2000 census.

Bunkie was the birthplace of jazz drummer Zutty Singleton.

Bunkie has hosted the Louisiana Corn Festival since 1987. The festival is held the second full weekend in June each year.

Bunkie was also a major place to shop, with a Wal-Mart and a Winn-Dixie Marketplace, when Hwy. 71 was a major corridor to and from Baton Rouge. Wal-Mart pulled a few years after the Interstate was built, and Winn-Dixie was closed when the suit occurred. Now both buildings sit abandoned on the north side of the town, a reminder of what life was like before the Interstate.

[edit] Geography

Bunkie is located at 30°57′13″N, 92°11′8″W (30.953566, -92.185462)[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.8 km²) of it is land and 0.38% is water.

The slogan of the City of Bunkie is 'best spot top side God's green earth'.

After the 1960 U.S. census, Bunkie, Louisiana absorbed Sanford, Louisiana because Sanford did not have enough people anymore for it to officially be called a town. The "Sanford" part of the town (as it is referred to by the locals) is located on the North North Western side of Bunkie.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 4,662 people, 1,698 households, and 1,198 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,763.4 people per square mile (681.8/km²). There were 1,866 housing units at an average density of 705.8/sq mi (272.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.54% White, 50.26% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.

There were 1,698 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were married couples living together, 26.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $14,745, and the median income for a family was $23,448. Males had a median income of $31,382 versus $19,479 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,302. About 34.4% of families and 37.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.9% of those under age 18 and 32.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.