Basile, Louisiana

Basile, Louisiana
Town
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parishes	Acadia
Elevation	46 ft (14.0 m)
Coordinates	30°29′07″N 92°36′02″W / 30.48528°N 92.60056°WCoordinates: 30°29′07″N 92°36′02″W / 30.48528°N 92.60056°W
Area	3.0 km^2 (1.2 sq mi)
- land	3.0 km^2 (1.2 sq mi)
- water	0.0 km^2 (0 sq mi)
Population	1,821 (2010)
Density	606.0/km^2 (1,569.5/sq mi)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	337
Location of Basile in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Basile is a town in Acadia and Evangeline parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 1,821 at the 2010 census.^[1]

The Acadia Parish portion of Basile is part of the Crowley Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Basile is located at 30°29′7″N 92°36′2″W / 30.48528°N 92.60056°W (30.485148, -92.600589).^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	552		—
1930	403		−27.0%
1940	1,132		180.9%
1950	1,572		38.9%
1960	1,932		22.9%
1970	1,779		−7.9%
1980	2,635		48.1%
1990	1,808		−31.4%
2000	1,660		−8.2%
2010	1,821		9.7%
Est. 2015	1,816	[3]	−0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 1,660 people, 629 households, and 417 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,455.5 people per square mile (562.2/km²). There were 696 housing units at an average density of 610.3 per square mile (235.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.08% White, 17.83% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population.

There were 629 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,922, and the median income for a family was $23,008. Males had a median income of $21,389 versus $13,603 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,568. About 30.3% of families and 31.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.7% of those under the age of 18 and 21.5% of those 65 and older.

Government

Basile is also the location of the privately operated South Louisiana Correctional Facility.^[6]

Education

Public schools in Evangeline Parish are operated by the Evangeline Parish School Board. Two campuses serve the town of Basile - W.W. Stewart Elementary School (Grades PK-4) and Basile High School (Grades 5-12). The Basile High School mascot is the "Bearcat".

Basile was formerly home to a Methodist-run school for girls, the Evangeline Industrial Home, founded in 1922.^[7]

Notable people

• Nathan Abshire, Cajun accordionist^[8]
• Joe W. Aguillard, president of Louisiana College in Pineville (2005-2014)^[9]
• Dewey Balfa, Cajun fiddler, singer, and crossover sensation^[10]
• Harry Choates, Cajun fiddler^[11]
• J. Douglas Deshotel, Roman Catholic bishop^[12]

References

1. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Basile town, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
2. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
3. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
5. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
6. Silja Talvi (2 November 2007). Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the U.S. Prison System. Seal Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-7867-5079-5.
7. Methodist Episcopal Church. Commission on Life Service (1921). News Bulletin of Personnel. Commission of Life Service of the Methodist Episcopal Church. p. 37.
8. Richard Carlin; Ronald Cohen (2005). Folk. Infobase Publishing. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-8160-6978-1.
9. "Dr. Chuck Quarles' Introduction of Dr. Joe Aguillard, Inauguration Ceremony, March 23, 2006" (PDF). lacollege.edu. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
10. Shane K. Bernard (2003). The Cajuns: Americanization of a People. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-60473-496-6.
11. The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. 4 January 2012. pp. 385–6. ISBN 978-0-19-992083-9.
12. John Douglas Deshotel