Bunkie is a city in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,662 at the 2000 census.
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 ninety. Her works include Avoyelles Parish: Crossroads of Louisiana.[1]
Ronnie Johns, an incoming member of the Louisiana State Senate from Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish, was reared in Bunkie and graduated from Bunkie High School in 1967.
Since 1987, Bunkie has hosted the annual Louisiana Corn Festival during the second full weekend of June.
Bunkie is also well known as the rice, sugarcane, sweet potato, waterfowl, boudin, boiled crawfish, fried fish, and cajun capital of the world.
Geography
Bunkie is located at 30°57′13″N 92°11′8″W / 30.95361°N 92.18556°W / 30.95361; -92.18556 (30.953566, -92.185462)[2].
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.
Demographics
As of the census[3] 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.
References
- ^ "Obituary of Sue Lyles Eakin". melanconfunerals.com. http://www.melanconfunerals.com/index.cfm. Retrieved 3-September 21, 2009.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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