Bunkie, Louisiana

Bunkie, Louisiana
City
Motto: "The best place top side God's Green Earth"
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Avoyelles
Elevation	66 ft (20.1 m)
Coordinates
Area	6.97 km2 (2.69 sq mi)
- land	6.93 km2 (2.68 sq mi)
- water	0.04 km2 (0.02 sq mi), 0.57%
Population	4,171 (2010)
Density	601.7 / km2 (1,558.4 / sq mi)
Mayor	Police Chief Bobby Comer
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Zip Code	71322
Area code	318
Location of Bunkie in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: bunkiecityhall.com

Bunkie is a city in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,171 at the 2010 census.

History

Bunkie had its start when the Texas and Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for the original landowner's daughter, who had the nickname Bunkie.

Since 1987, Bunkie has hosted the annual Louisiana Corn Festival during the second full weekend of June.

Geography

Bunkie is located at (30.953566, -92.185462).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.69 square miles (6.97 km²), of which 2.68 square miles (6.93 km²) is land and 0.015 square miles (0.04 km²), or 0.57%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	299		—
1900	873		192.0%
1910	1,765		102.2%
1920	1,743		−1.2%
1930	2,464		41.4%
1940	3,575		45.1%
1950	4,666		30.5%
1960	5,188		11.2%
1970	5,395		4.0%
1980	5,364		−0.6%
1990	5,044		−6.0%
2000	4,662		−7.6%
2010	4,171		−10.5%
Est. 2014	4,071		−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census 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 per square mile (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.

Notable people

Bunkie is the birthplace of jazz drummer Zutty Singleton. Sue Eakin, Louisiana historian and former publisher of the Bunkie Record, resided in Bunkie for most of her life until her death in 2009 at the age of 90. Her works include Avoyelles Parish: Crossroads of Louisiana.

The Bunkie physician, Donald E. Hines, is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate who served from 2004 to 2008 as the Senate president.

Ronnie Johns, an incoming member of the Louisiana State Senate from Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish, grew up in Bunkie and graduated from Bunkie High School in 1967.

James Nelson Lee was the first city court judge in Bunkie, having served from 1956 to 1978, when he began a seven-year stint on the 12th Judicial District Court, based in the parish seat of Marksville.

External links

• City of Bunkie official website
• Bunkie Chamber of Commerce
• Bunkie community website