Baker, Louisiana

Baker, Louisiana
Settlement
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	East Baton Rouge
Elevation	79 ft (24.1 m)
Coordinates
Area	7.9 sq mi (20.5 km2)
- land	7.9 sq mi (20 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	13,895 (2010)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	225
Location in East Baton Rouge Parish and the state of Louisiana. Location in East Baton Rouge Parish and the state of Louisiana.
Website: cityofbakerla.us

Baker is a small city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the third-largest city in East Baton Rouge Parish. The population was 13,895 at the 2010 census, an increase of 102 persons from the 2000 tabulation of 13,793.

History

Baker was named in 1888 for an early settler.

Geography

Baker is located at (30.585637, -91.157096). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1950	762		—
1960	4,823		532.9%
1970	8,281		71.7%
1980	12,865		55.4%
1990	13,233		2.9%
2000	13,793		4.2%
2010	13,895		0.7%
Est. 2014	13,776		−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,793 people, 4,971 households, and 3,782 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,747.3 people per square mile (675.0/km²). There were 5,389 housing units at an average density of 682.7 per square mile (263.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 45.97% White, 52.36% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.

There were 4,971 households out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,151, and the median income for a family was $38,621. Males had a median income of $31,791 versus $22,177 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,920. About 13.4% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Baker experienced an influx of New Orleans residents during the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Renaissance Village (established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) was the home to more than 3000 evacuees of which more than 500 were school-age children. The large majority of the residents came from the poorest parts of New Orleans.

A major incident occurred at a bank in the city in 1961. The local bank in Baker had been using profits it earned for itself and not the state. The bank eventually attracted the attention of Governor Jimmie Davis, and the bank quickly attracted statewide publicity.

Baker Buffalo Festival

The Baker Buffalo Festival is held every year in Baker on the last full weekend in September. The festival was started in 1993 as a fundraiser for the schools in the Town of Baker. The schools and their organizations are able to use the festival to raise money for their activities. Besides what they raise on their own, the Festival Committee also makes donations to all the schools that participate. It includes a festival, parade, Queen's pageant, and a car show.

Education

Baker residents are zoned to the City of Baker School System. Unincorporated areas with Baker addresses are within the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools.

National Guard

Baker is home to the 926th MAC (mobility augmentation company) which is part of the 769th Engineer Battalion (combat) headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. These units belong to the 225th Engineer Brigade which is headquartered at Pineville, Louisiana on Camp Beauregard. As of 2011 this unit has been activated for overseas deployment to a combat theater.

Notable people

Ossie Brown, who served as East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney from 1972—1984, grew up in Baker and graduated from Baker High School. While a student there, he composed the Baker High alma mater A 1964 Baker High School alumnus, Jim Mitchell, served as judge of the Louisiana 30th Judicial District Court in Leesville from 2009 until his death in 2015.

Former Louisiana State Senator Mike Cross was the mayor of Baker from 1976–1981, having been preceded and succeeded in the latter position by Norman E. "Pete" Heine. Heine's successor, Bobby Simpson, a Republican, became the East Baton Rouge mayor-president in 2001. Republican former Louisiana State Representative Tony Perkins resided in Baker until he relocated to Washington, D.C., to head the Family Research Council. W.W. Dumas, the East Baton Rouge Parish mayor-president from 1965 to 1980, was from Baker, where he relocated after World War II to play semi-professional baseball. Rufus D. Hayes, the first Louisiana insurance commissioner, was an East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney and judge who resided in Baker at the time of his death in 2002. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, was born in Baker.

Twin cities

Flag	City	Country
	Joal-Fadiouth	Senegal

External links

• City of Baker
• City of Baker School District