Bernice (Louisiana)

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Bernice
Bernice (Louisiana)
Bernice
Bernice
Location in Louisiana
Basic data
Foundation : 1899
State : United States
State : Louisiana
Parish : Union Parish
Coordinates : 32 ° 49 ′  N , 92 ° 39 ′  W Coordinates: 32 ° 49 ′  N , 92 ° 39 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 1,655 (as of 2012)
Population density : 206.9 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 8.3 km 2  (approx. 3 mi 2 ) of
which 8 km 2  (approx. 3 mi 2 ) are land
Height : 68 m
Postal code : 71222
Area code : +1 318
FIPS : 22-07030
GNIS ID : 2405249
Website : www.bernicela.org

Bernice is a city in Union Parish in the US state of Louisiana . About 1700 people live in an area of ​​more than eight square kilometers.

Bernice is part of the Ark-La-Tex socio-economic region , which includes parts of the four states of Arkansas , Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas .

geography

Bernice is about 20 kilometers south of the Arkansas border. Almost 30 kilometers to the southwest is Lake Claiborne , which is about 26 square kilometers in size .

Neighboring cities include Dubach (9.5 km south), Junction City (20 km north) and Farmerville (23 km southeast).

history

The current urban area of ​​Bernice 'was once part of the border forest of the state of Louisiana, buildings from 1865 still exist. The city itself was founded in 1899 when the Arkansas Southern Railroad was built and sawmills were built along the route at various locations, including Bernice. In addition, the city was the first European-American parish in Union Parish and its first agricultural trading center. The area around the city was also known as "Big Woods" because there were huge stands of old pine trees here. With the construction of the railroad, the deforestation of these forests began.

The First Baptist Church

In the year it was founded, Bernice was also incorporated into Parish and the federal state and shortly thereafter received a railway depot, which today serves as a railway museum and tourist center. The first head of the city was Jake Crews, who had built many of the houses at the time. Houses from the period between 1900 and 1904 have survived, including the Alabama Methodist Church from 1895, which was also entered on the National Register of Historic Places . During this time the first shops were opened and the Bank of Bernice was founded. During the 20th century, the city center was referred to as the Bernice Historic District .

Despite the general loss of importance of the lumber industry, Bernice still has an active lumber and building block factory. There is also a hospital, a nursing home, a volunteer fire brigade, various churches and small shops in the city.

traffic

The city is traversed on a shared path by US Highway 63 and US Highway 167 . The Louisiana Highway 2 also runs through the city.

Demographics

The 2000 census showed a population of 1809, which were divided into 668 households 452 families. The population density was just over 98 people per square kilometer. 57% of the population were black, 36.9% white, 6.6% Hispanic or Latin American, 0.5% Asian and 0.2% American Indian. 5% were of a different ethnicity, 0.6% had two or more ethincities. The median age was 35 years, as per capita income was over 17,000 US dollars, which means that almost a third of the population lived below the poverty line.

The 2010 census found a lower population of 1,689.

Until 2012 the number of inhabitants decreased further to 1655.

Personalities

Willis Reed , famous basketball player of the New York Knicks and part of the Hall of Fame since 1982 , lived temporarily in Bernice.

Web links

Commons : Bernice, Louisiana  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files