Baker, Louisiana

History

Baker was named in 1888 for an early settler.

Geography

Baker is located north of the center of East Baton Rouge Parish at 30°35′8″N 91°9′26″W (30.585637, -91.157096). It is bordered to the north by Zachary and to the south by Baton Rouge. According to the United States Census Bureau, Baker has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²), all land.

Louisiana Highway 19 runs through the center of Baker, leading north 4 miles (6 km) to the center of Zachary and south 5 miles (8 km) to U.S. Route 61 in the northern part of Baton Rouge. Downtown Baton Rouge is 11 miles (18 km) south of Baker. Louisiana Highway 67 passes through the eastern part of Baker, leading north 22 miles (35 km) to Clinton and south 9 miles (14 km) into the center of Baton Rouge.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,793 people, 4,971 households, and 3,782 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,747.3 people per square mile (675.0/km²). There were 5,389 housing units at an average density of 682.7 per square mile (263.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 45.97% White, 52.36% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.

There were 4,971 households out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,151, and the median income for a family was $38,621. Males had a median income of $31,791 versus $22,177 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,920. About 13.4% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Baker experienced an influx of New Orleans residents during the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Renaissance Village (established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) was the home to more than 3,000 evacuees, of which more than 500 were school-age children. The large majority of the residents came from the poorest parts of New Orleans.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Baker Post Office.

Baker Buffalo Festival

The Baker Buffalo Festival is held every year in Baker on the last full weekend in September. The festival was started in 1993 as a fundraiser for the schools in Baker. The schools and their organizations are able to use the festival to raise money for their activities. Besides what they raise on their own, the Festival Committee also makes donations to all the schools that participate. It includes a festival, parade, Queen's pageant, and a car show.

Education

Baker residents are zoned to the City of Baker School System. Baker High School is the city's high school.

Unincorporated areas with Baker addresses are within the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools.

East Baton Rouge Parish Library operates the Baker Branch, located across from Baker High School. The library opened in Miss Angie Williams' Tea Room on June 19, 1941 and subsequently moved to a school building in 1955, a third building building, and then the Baker Masonic Lodge on July 20, 1959. The current library, with 17,900 square feet (1,660 m²) of space, opened in April 2001; it was designed by Cockfield - Jackson Architects.

National Guard

Baker is home to the 926th MAC (mobility augmentation company) which is part of the 769th Engineer Battalion (combat) headquartered in Baton Rouge. These units belong to the 225th Engineer Brigade which is headquartered at Pineville on Camp Beauregard. As of 2011 this unit has been activated for overseas deployment to a combat theater.

Notable people

Ossie Brown, who served as East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney from 1972—1984, grew up in Baker and graduated from Baker High School. While a student there, he composed the Baker High alma mater A 1964 Baker High School alumnus, Jim Mitchell, served as judge of the Louisiana 30th Judicial District Court in Leesville from 2009 until his death in 2015.

Former Louisiana State Senator Mike Cross was the mayor of Baker from 1976–1981, having been preceded and succeeded in the latter position by Norman E. "Pete" Heine. Heine's successor, Bobby Simpson, a Republican, became the East Baton Rouge mayor-president in 2001. Republican former Louisiana State Representative Tony Perkins resided in Baker until he relocated to Washington, D.C., to head the Family Research Council. W. W. Dumas, the East Baton Rouge Parish mayor-president from 1965 to 1980, was from Baker, where he relocated after World War II to play semi-professional baseball. Rufus D. Hayes, the first Louisiana insurance commissioner, was an East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney and judge who resided in Baker at the time of his death in 2002. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, was born in Baker.

Barbara West Carpenter, the dean of international relations at Southern University, is the District 63 state representative for East Baton Rouge Parish. She resides in Baker.