Winnfield, Louisiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
City of Winnfield | |
---|---|
City | |
Country | United States |
State | Louisiana |
Parish | Winn |
Area | 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km²) |
- land | 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km²) |
- water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km²), 0% |
Center | |
- coordinates | Coordinates: |
- elevation | 128 ft (39 m) |
Population | 5,749 (2000) |
Density | 1,733.4 /sq mi (669.3 /km²) |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
- summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP code | 71483 |
Area code | 318 |
Website : http://www.cityofwinnfield.com |
The small city of Winnfield is the parish seat of Winn Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. [1] [2] The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It is also the hometown of Huey P. Long, Earl Long and Oscar K. Allen, former governors of Louisiana.
Home of the Louisiana Forest Festival The festival encompasses timber related activities. There are numerous forestry equipment displays and related exhibits. Professional lumberjack sports competitors come from throughout the United States to participate in the show. The Lumberjack Challenge T.V. Show on Versus (TV channel) has featured the festival.
Home of "Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials". The Hog Dog Trials are the world’s largest and have been coined as the "Super Bowl" of hog dog baying. This sport is part of our heritage in Louisiana.
Home of Louisiana Political Museum & Hall of Fame, an installation dedicated to celebrating and preserving the political heritage of Louisiana.
Portions of the 1989 film "Blaze," starring Paul Newman, were filmed in Winnfield. Motel shots were filmed at the old Winnfield Motel. Of note is the appearance of the town's own high school band in the parade sequence.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Winnfield is located at [3] and has an elevation of 128 feet (39.0 m)[4].
(31.923339, -92.640308)According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 5,749 people,[2] 2,172 households, and 1,446 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,733.4 people per square mile (668.6/km²). There were 2,554 housing units at an average density of 770.1/sq mi (297.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.29% White, 49.83% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.
There were 2,172 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 24.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town of Winnfield, the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,342, and the median income for a family was $25,201. Males had a median income of $27,123 versus $14,267 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,180. About 25.2% of families and 31.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.5% of those under age 18 and 28.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable residents
- Oscar K. Allen - former Louisiana governor.
- A. Leonard Allen, U. S. Congressman.
- Harriet Belchic (1928-1999) -- Shreveport Republican activist and first woman to have received bachelor's and master's degrees in geology from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
- Arnold Bernstein, served as mayor of City of Monroe, LA
- Jennifer Blake, famed romance novelist; New York Times best seller list.
- P.J. Brown - NBA player with New Jersey Nets, Charlotte and New Orleans Hornets, currently with Boston Celtics.
- John Burrows, major league pitcher with the Philadelphia A's and Chicago Cubs, 1943-1944.
- William Edenborn, steel and railroad tycoon, inventor who had numerous patents and was credited with being "The Man Who Fenced the West" due to his patents involving barbed wire and wire nails. Was personal friends with President Theodore Roosevelt and at one time was one of the wealthiest men in America.
- Jerry Hamilton - Star Search alumni with vocal group champion Eboni.
- Earl K. Long - former Louisiana governor.
- George S. Long, U. S. Congressman.
- Floyd H. Long, Jr. (1915-2003) -- U.S. Army colonel affiliated with Delgado Community College in New Orleans.
- Gerald Long -- Member of the Louisiana State Senate; born in Winnfield, resides in Natchitoches; only Republican official from Long dynasty.
- Huey P. Long - former Louisiana governor and US Senator.
- Speedy Oteria Long, U. S. Congressman, state senator, district attorney, state district judge.
- Charlton Lyons (1894-1973) -- Republican politician; practiced law in Winnfield during the 1920s before moving to Shreveport, where he entered the petroleum business.
- Gillis William Long (1923-1985) -- U.S. Representative from defunct 8th Congressional District (1963-1965; 1973-1985); brother of U. S. Army Col. Floyd Long.
- Henry Tyndall "Dick" Merrill, early aviation pioneer who logged over 8 million miles, personal pilot for Dwight Eisehnower in 1952 presidential campaign, flew the first commercial flight from the U. S. to Europe, married actress Toby Wing.
- Mattie Ruth Cross Palmer- famed novelist; authored The Golden Cocoon, a best seller which was became a major motion picture, along with several other published novels and articles.
- Floyd W. Smith, Jr. -- former mayor of Pineville and Long factional politician.
- William Jay Smith, American poet; Rhodes Scholar, professor, author of many books. Was appointed as Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress (the position now called Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress) from 1968 to 1970. A member of the Academy of Arts and Letters since 1975, Smith is noted for his translations for which he has garnered awards from the French Academy, Swedish Academy, and the Hungarian government. Smith is the author of ten collections of poetry of which two have been awarded the National Book Award. He is currently Professor Emeritus of English at Hollins University.
- William Allyn Strong, Louisiana Secretary of State.
- Anthony Thomas - NFL player for the [[Buffalo Bills] and was NFL Rookie of the Year with Chicago Bears.
- A. P. "Pat" Tugwell, longtime Louisiana State Treasurer.
- Clarence Eugene "Happy Jack" Wallace, major league catcher with the Chicago Cubs (1915) and long time minor league manager, player.
- Trey Junkin - former NFL Long Snapper.
[edit] References
- ^ "Winnfield, Louisiana (LA) Detailed Profile" (notes), City Data, 2007, webpage: C-Wnnfd.
- ^ a b "Census 2000 Data for the State of Louisiana" (town list), US Census Bureau, May 2003, webpage: C2000-LA.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
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