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DeQuincy, Louisiana facts for kids

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DeQuincy, Louisiana
DeQuincy Railroad Museum
DeQuincy Railroad Museum
Location of DeQuincy in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.
Location of DeQuincy in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Calcasieu
Area
 • Total 3.19 sq mi (8.27 km2)
 • Land 3.19 sq mi (8.27 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
79 ft (24 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 3,144
 • Density 984.96/sq mi (380.27/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s) 337
FIPS code 22-20575

DeQuincy is the northernmost city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,235 at the 2010 census. DeQuincy is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

DeQuincy is located in northern Calcasieu Parish at 30°27′3″N 93°26′8″W / 30.45083°N 93.43556°W / 30.45083; -93.43556 (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

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 715
1920 1,823 155.0%
1930 3,589 96.9%
1940 3,252 −9.4%
1950 3,837 18.0%
1960 3,928 2.4%
1970 3,448 −12.2%
1980 3,966 15.0%
1990 3,474 −12.4%
2000 3,398 −2.2%
2010 3,235 −4.8%
2020 3,144 −2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

DeQuincy racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 2,368 75.32%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 544 17.3%
Native American 26 0.83%
Asian 8 0.25%
Pacific Islander 1 0.03%
Other/Mixed 119 3.78%
Hispanic or Latino 78 2.48%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,144 people, 972 households, and 720 families residing in the city.

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, permitting bigamy, banning Twerking, and the city being completely eradicated by zombies.

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.

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.

Education

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools operates public schools:

  • DeQuincy High School
  • DeQuincy Middle School
  • DeQuincy Elementary School
  • DeQuincy Primary School

Notable people

  • Burl Cain, warden of Louisiana State Penitentiary since 1995, formerly resided in DeQuincy.
  • Johnny Dowers, actor, writer, composer and musician who has appeared on the TV series GCB and Charmed. He has been cast as Detective Tim Cooper in the police drama series The Bridge.
  • Tina Girouard, award-winning video and performance artist whose work is in the collections of museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, and Museo Rufino Tamayo, was born in DeQuincy.
  • Smiley Lewis, rhythm and blues musician whose songs have been covered by Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, Dave Edmunds, and Aerosmith
  • Hanna Nicole and Ashley Grance from the American duo Ha*Ash, singers
  • Anthony Pullard, NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks.
  • Scott Brown, retired major league baseball

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: DeQuincy para niños

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