Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, USA. As of the 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 56,461. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier metropolitan area is the center of the region known as the Ark-La-Tex.

Geography

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Bossier City is located at (32.517651, -93.691397).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 107.8 km² (41.6 mi²). 105.8 km² (40.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (1.90%) is water.

Demographics

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As of the census of 2000, there were 56,461 people, 21,197 households, and 14,901 families residing in the city. The population density was 533.8/km² (1,382.6/mi²). There were 23,026 housing units at an average density of 217.7/km² (563.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.44% White, 22.74% African American, 0.57% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.95% of the population.

There were 21,197 households out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,561, and the median income for a family was $42,642. Males had a median income of $30,632 versus $22,174 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,032. About 11.4% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

History

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The area of Bossier City dates back to the 1830s when it was the Elysian Groves Plantation of James and Mary Cane. Steamboat loads of cotton, corn, and sweet potatoes were shipped to markets in the south and east, from the plantation port known to many as "Cane's Landing."

During the American Civil War, several companies of local Confederate soldiers left Cane's Landing aboard steamboats for the distant battlefields. During the war, the riverfront was protected from Union invasion by the artillery embankments of Battery's Price, Walker and Ewell. The Confederate Fort Smith stood near what is now Bossier High School and protected the area from an eastern invasion.

Many, many early settlers passed through the region...