Bogalusa

Bogalusa (/ˌboʊɡəˈluːsə/ 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–Slidell combined statistical area.

The name of the city derives from the Choctaw language term bogue lusa, which translates into English as "dark water" or "smoky water". 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. In the late 1930s, this operation was replaced with paper mills and chemical operations.