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About Walker
Walker is one of those rare places where you can live the charm of a small town, but still enjoy all the conveniences of a city. A place where neighbors still know each other by name, where the baseball park is the spot to be on a Saturday, where flags line the main road on the Fourth of July and Veterans' Day, and where your children can attend some of the highest-performing public schools in the state. But it's also a place where you can enjoy a steak or an enchillada, shop for clothes, antiques or appliances, listen to some of the best musical performers in the South, and even recycle. It's not surprising Walker is one of the fastest growing communities in Louisiana.
Location
Walker is centrally located in South Louisiana, just a short drive to the conveniences of our metropolitan areas, but far enough away to maintain our quaint quality of life. The town is about a 20-minute drive to Baton Rouge or Hammond, and an hour's drive to New Orleans. Both U.S. Highway 190 and Interstate 12 provide easy access to and from the community.
Quality of life
Our town is noted for its quality of life, namely its friendly atmosphere, highly ranked public schools, low crime rate, affordable homes, ubiquitous trees, parks and playgrounds, and recreation programs for children and teens. As a community, we celebrate the big holidays together - whether it be with a Fourth of July Parade or Santa in the park at Christmas. Our Pine Tree Festival is a don't-miss event, and in the fall, families enjoy our Movies Under the Stars in Punk Smith Park. The larger region offers a myriad of cultural and entertainment attractions, including performing arts, galleries, festivals, movie theaters, shopping centers and world-famous cuisine.
Demographics
The U.S. Census puts Walker's current population at 6,138, a 65% increase since 1990. However, the area immediately surrounding Walker [zip code 70785] has an estimated population of 19,275. Claritas Inc. projects an annualized growth rate of 1.8% for the community and 2.5% for the surrounding area through 2013.
Young families make up a significant portion of our people. The median age of residents is about 28. Walker and the surrounding area have higher proportions of children under the age of 17 and adults ages 25 to 44 than the rest of Louisiana and the nation as a whole.
Our residents are increasingly well educated. When compared to the rest of the nation, 14% more of our residents hold a high school diploma. Also, nearly 40% of our residents have pursued advanced education - an increase of nearly 15% since 1990.
Walker's residents are also more affluent than Louisianans as a whole. The city's estimated median income is $47,887 - up 25% since 1999. Nearly half of our households now have incomes above $50,000 [the national average is $50,007]; almost a quarter of them earn more than $75,000.
A higher percentage of the town's residents also work. Nearly 62% of our citizens are employed, compared to 56% of all Louisiana residents and 61% of U.S. residents. An estimated 2% are unemployed and 36% are not in the labor force. About 30% of our residents hold sales and office positions; 23% hold construction, extraction and maintenance jobs; 16% are in professional occupations; 12% work in production, transportation and material moving; 10% are in service occupations; and 8% are in management, business and finance. Four out of five of our citizens commute to work outside of Livingston Parish, approximately half of them in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Major employers
| Employer | Employees |
| Shaw Sunland Fabricators Inc. | 600 |
| Livingston Parish School Board | 317 |
| Walmart Supercenter | 300 |
| Waste Management Inc. | 300 |
| Winn Dixie | 150 |
| Custom Ecology Inc. [CEI] | 135 |
| City of Walker | 100 |
| Pharma Safe Industrial Services | 88 |
| Stine Lumber | 80 |
| Jack B. Harper Electrical | 60 |
| McDonald's | 50 |
History
In 1825, Michael Milton and his wife, Martha Clark, along with several slaves, blazed a trail from the Amite River near Benton Ferry Landing and founded Walker. The resulting village that grew up was first named Milton Old Field.
A post office was first established in the area in 1856 and named in honor of Dr. William E. Walker of Springfield, a state legislator respresenting the area. He died of disease during the Civil War while serving as an officer in the Confederate States Army. The post office was discontinued in 1860, then reopened in 1876 - first as Milton Old Field then Ralley Hill Post Office. It was finally renamed Walker in 1890.
The Town of Walker was incorporated in 1909, and its corporate limits now include the former incorporated village of Corbin, which was annexed in 1971 after a municipal merger election. Walker unofficially became a city in 2002, when its population first exceeded 5,000. The change became official in August 2011, when Gov. Bobby Jindal formally proclaimed Walker a city. To see the official proclamation, click here. For more about Walker's history, click here.