Bogalusa, Louisiana

Bogalusa, Louisiana
Great Southern Lumber Company in Bogalusa, 1930s
Great Southern Lumber Company in Bogalusa, 1930s
Map of Bogalusa, Washington Parish, Louisiana
Bogalusa boundary map
Bogalusa, Louisiana is located in Louisiana
Bogalusa, Louisiana
Bogalusa, Louisiana
Bogalusa, Louisiana is located in the United States
Bogalusa, Louisiana
Bogalusa, Louisiana
Coordinates: 30°46′50″N 89°51′50″W / 30.78056°N 89.86389°W / 30.78056; -89.86389[1]
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishWashington
IncorporatedJuly 4, 1914
Area
 • Total9.55 sq mi (24.74 km2)
 • Land9.51 sq mi (24.62 km2)
 • Water0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation102 ft (31 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total10,659
 • Density1,121.41/sq mi (432.98/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
70427[3]
Area code985
FIPS code22-08150
GNIS feature ID2403888[1]
Websitehttp://www.bogalusa.org

Bogalusa (/ˌbɡəˈlsə/ BOH-gə-LOO-sə) is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In the 2020 census the city reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Washington Parish and is also part of the larger New Orleans–Metairie–Hammond combined statistical area.

The name of the city derives from the Choctaw language term bogue lusa, which translates into English as "dark water[4] or "smoky water".[5] Located in an area of pine forests, in the early 20th century, this industrial city was developed as a company town, to provide worker housing and services in association with a Great Southern Lumber Company sawmill.[6] In the late 1930s, this operation was replaced with paper mills and chemical operations.

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bogalusa, Louisiana
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  3. ^ "Bogalusa LA ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Leeper, Clare D'Artois (October 19, 2012). Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries. LSU Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-8071-4740-5.
  5. ^ Rony, Vera. "Bogalusa: The Economics of Tragedy". Dissent May–June 1966. p 235.
  6. ^ Curtis, Michael (1973). "Early Development and Operations of the Great Southern Lumber Company". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. 14 (4): 347–368. JSTOR 4231349. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.