# Bunkie, Louisiana

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

## 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 2.69 square miles (6.97 km$^2$), of which 2.68 square miles (6.93 km$^2$) is land and 0.015 square miles (0.04 km$^2$), or 0.57%, is water.

### Climate

Climate data for Bunkie, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1956–present) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) | 85 (29) | 88 (31) | 93 (34) | 99 (37) | 102 (39) | 103 (39) | 107 (42) | 106 (41) | 98 (37) | 89 (32) | 83 (28) | 107 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 60.2 (15.7) | 64.1 (17.8) | 71.6 (22.0) | 78.6 (25.9) | 85.5 (29.7) | 90.7 (32.6) | 92.8 (33.8) | 93.3 (34.1) | 89.0 (31.7) | 80.7 (27.1) | 70.1 (21.2) | 62.3 (16.8) | 78.2 (25.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 49.7 (9.8) | 53.4 (11.9) | 60.4 (15.8) | 67.3 (19.6) | 74.9 (23.8) | 80.5 (26.9) | 82.8 (28.2) | 82.5 (28.1) | 77.7 (25.4) | 68.1 (20.1) | 58.1 (14.5) | 51.7 (10.9) | 67.3 (19.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 39.2 (4.0) | 42.6 (5.9) | 49.3 (9.6) | 56.0 (13.3) | 64.3 (17.9) | 70.4 (21.3) | 72.7 (22.6) | 71.8 (22.1) | 66.4 (19.1) | 55.5 (13.1) | 46.1 (7.8) | 41.0 (5.0) | 56.3 (13.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 10 (−12) | 13 (−11) | 23 (−5) | 33 (1) | 32 (0) | 50 (10) | 56 (13) | 55 (13) | 38 (3) | 27 (−3) | 22 (−6) | 8 (−13) | 8 (−13) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 6.79 (172) | 5.30 (135) | 4.67 (119) | 5.92 (150) | 5.01 (127) | 4.86 (123) | 4.14 (105) | 4.68 (119) | 4.52 (115) | 4.76 (121) | 5.45 (138) | 5.33 (135) | 61.63 (1,565) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.4 | 9.3 | 8.6 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 10.3 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 7.9 | 10.0 | 104.4 |
| Source: NOAA ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

Bunkie racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Number | Percentage |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,070 | 31.98% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,041 | 61.0% |
| Native American | 9 | 0.27% |
| Asian | 10 | 0.3% |
| Other/Mixed | 149 | 4.45% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 67 | 2.0% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,346 people, 1,702 households, and 1,227 families residing in the city.

## 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.
* Physician Donald E. Hines, a former member of the Louisiana State Senate, who served from 2004 to 2008 as Senate president.
* Ronnie Johns, a member of the Louisiana State Senate from Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish, grew up in Bunkie and graduated from Bunkie High School in 1967.
* Seymour Weiss, former owner and longtime manager of the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, close confidant of Huey Pierce Long, Jr., prominent New Orleans civic leader, who was born in Bunkie in 1896.