Bunkie is a city in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bunkie had a population of 3,346.

History

Bunkie was founded as a station terminus on the Texas and Pacific Railroad line. It was named for the daughter (whose nickname was "Bunkie") of the original landowner.

The federal post office in town contains a mural, Cotton Pickers, painted in 1939 during the Great Depression by Caroline Speare Rohland. Federally commissioned murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department. This work was part of the effort by the federal government to employ artists during the difficult Depression years.

The area around Bunkie is devoted to agriculture; since the late 20th century, corn has been an important commodity crop. Since 1987, Bunkie has hosted the annual Louisiana Corn Festival during the second full weekend of June.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.57%, is water.

Climate

Bunkie has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Bunkie had a population of 3,346. The median age was 41.7 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.6 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,385 households in Bunkie, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 30.1% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 43.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

|-

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 1,070

| 31.98%

|-

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 2,041

| 61.0%

|-

!scope="row"| Native American

| 9

| 0.27%

|-

!scope="row"| Asian

| 10

| 0.3%

|-

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 149

| 4.45%

|-

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 67

| 2.0%

|}

Notable people

  • Sue Eakin, Louisiana historian and former publisher of the Bunkie Record
  • Donald E. Hines, Physician and former member of the Louisiana State Senate
  • Ronnie Johns, a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
  • Zutty Singleton jazz drummer
  • Seymour Weiss, prominent New Orleans civic leader, born in Bunkie in 1896.

References

  • Bunkie community website