COLFAX, LOUISIANA

The town of 'Colfax' (pronounced "Coll-fax") is the parish seat of Grant Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
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The town was founded in 1869, named for President Grant's vice-president, Schuyler Colfax (pronounced "Cole-fax"). Colfax is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population estimate in July 2005 was 1676.
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Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

References

Geography

Colfax is located at (31.519783, -92.708446) and has an elevation of .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²), all land.

History

Both the town and parish were founded in 1869, with the parish named for President Ulysses S. Grant, and the town for his vice president.
The town is of historical importance because of the Colfax Massacre of April 13, 1873. In this Reconstruction-era incident, three white men and some 150 black males were slain. An historical marker says that the massacre "marked the end of carpetbag misrule in the South." However, federal troops remained in Louisiana until 1877. Plans are underway for an interpretive center and an official commemoration of the Grant Parish Courthouse grounds as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the violence. Manie White Johnnson, in her dissertation "The Colfax Riot of April 1873", speculates that there may have been four hundred killed. Her study was published in booklet form in 1994 by Dogwood Press. It is considered to be the most accurate account of the riot to date.^[3]

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,659 people, 600 households, and 408 families residing in the town. The population density was 429.9/km² (1,111.3/mi²). There were 709 housing units at an average density of 183.7/km² (474.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 30.98% White, 67.81% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.
There were 600 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.3% were married couples living together, 32.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town of Colfax, the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $17,500, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $25,313 versus $14,310 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,155. About 36.3% of families and 41.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 59.0% of those under age 18 and 25.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

1.
"Colfax, Louisiana (LA) Detailed Profile" (notes),
''City Data'', 2007, webpage:
C-Colfax.

2.
"Census 2000 Data for the State of Louisiana" (town list),
US Census Bureau, May 2003, webpage:
C2000-LA.

3. http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/NEWS01/701280303