DeQuincy, Louisiana

Geography

DeQuincy is located in northern Calcasieu Parish at 30°27′3″N 93°26′8″W (30.450915, -93.435613). Louisiana Highways 12 and 27 pass through the center of town: LA 12 leads east 36 miles (58 km) to Kinder and southwest 22 miles (35 km) to Deweyville, Texas, while LA 27 leads north 31 miles (50 km) to DeRidder and south 17 miles (27 km) to Sulphur, 9 miles (14 km) west of Lake Charles.

According to the United States Census Bureau, DeQuincy has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,398 people, 1,332 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,066.1 people per square mile (411.3/km²). There were 1,500 housing units at an average density of 470.6 per square mile (181.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.25% White, 19.07% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.

There were 1,332 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,802, and the median income for a family was $34,712. Males had a median income of $35,893 versus $17,778 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,847. About 14.2% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

DeQuincy was founded as a railroad settlement, and the Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific railroads remain principal employers for area citizens.

The timber industry has long been a vital part of the local economy. DeQuincy is home to Temple-Inland's Southwest Louisiana Lumber Operation.

The DeQuincy Industrial Airpark houses facilities for Thermoplastic Services, Recycle Inc., United Oilfield Services, and Paragon Plastic Sheet. In 2002, Calgon Carbon Corporation planned to construct a carbon reactivation plant in the airpark, though those plans have been delayed due to environmental concerns.

Government and infrastructure

The former Grand Avenue High School was the site of the highest scoring boys high school basketball game on January 29, 1964, when Grand Avenue beat Cameron, Louisiana's Audrey Memorial High School by a score of 211 to 29.

The United States Postal Service operates the DeQuincy Post Office.

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections formerly operated the C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center in unincorporated Beauregard Parish, about 3 miles (5 km) north of DeQuincy. The facility closed in November 2012

Education

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools operates public schools:

Subject of multiple hoaxes

The town has been the subject of numerous hoaxes by satirical writer Paul Horner, widely spread on the Internet. The hoaxes claim the town enacted bizarre legislation such as banning those of Korean descent, issuing handguns to school children, permitting bigamy, banning Twerking, and the city being completely eradicated by zombies on bath salts.

DeQuincy Mayor Lawrence Henagan, a Democrat, was falsely targeted in 2016 by an Internet hoax that he had jailed a volunteer fire chief for thirty days and then dismissed the man after the chief had prayed at the scene of a fire. The story identified the mayor as "Lawana Jones, an African-American atheist" and the fire chief as "39-year-old Ronnie Edwards." Henagan, the chairman of the deacon board at the First Baptist Church of DeQuincy, said that the chief is free to pray while firefighting. Henagan said he would Join the fire chief in prayer. Henagan said that he has no knowledge why he was singled out for a fake news article but noted that he could take no legal action because the reports used fictitious names.

Notable people