Bogalusa, Louisiana
Encyclopedia : B : BO : BOG : Bogalusa, Louisiana
Bogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,365 at the 2000 census. It is the only community in Washington Parish incorporated as a city. It is also the unofficial Capital of Blastomycosis disease.
Economy
Since its founding, the economy of Bogalusa has revolved around the lumber mill and paper plant; the current mill is said to be the largest pine mill in the world.History
The Great Southern Lumber Company mill was built here in 1906, and a community quickly grew around it. Bogalusa was incorporated as a city on July 4, 1914.Bogalusa was the birthplace of poet Yusef Komunyakaa and of blues piano titan Professor Longhair.
In the mid-1960s, Bogalusa was a center of activity for the Deacons for Defense and Justice.
In 1995 a railroad tank car imploded at Gaylord Chemical Co. releasing nitrogen tetroxide and forced the evacuation of about 3,000 people within a one mile radius. Residents say "the sky turned orange" as a result. Emergency rooms filled with about 4,000 people who complained of burning eyes, skin, and lungs. Dozens of lawsuits were filed against Gaylord Chemical and were finally settled in May of 2005, with compensation checks issued to around 20,000 people involved in the accident.
Geography
Bogalusa is located at (30.780436, -89.863761)[Geographic references#1GR1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.7 km² (9.5 mi²). 24.6 km² (9.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.52%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 13,365 people, 5,431 households, and 3,497 families residing in the city. The population density was 543.8/km² (1,407.6/mi²). There were 6,300 housing units at an average density of 256.3/km² (663.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.18% White, 41.21% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.
There were 5,431 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,261, and the median income for a family was $24,947. Males had a median income of $26,716 versus $17,992 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,476. About 26.1% of families and 32.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.1% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Bogalusa operates its own public school system. Bogalusa students are zoned to Bogalusa City Schools.External links
- [Welcome to Bogalusa] Official City Page
- [Bogalusa, Washington Parish, Louisiana: History, Links, Maps, and Photos]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
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