Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana


Pointe Coupee Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,758. The parish seat is New Roads.
Pointe Coupee Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2010, the center of population of Louisiana was located in Pointe Coupee Parish, in the city of New Roads.

History

Pointe Coupee is the oldest settlement on the lower Mississippi, having been made by some wandering Canadian trappers as early as 1708. Bienville established this place as a military post, before the commencement of New Orleans. Settlers arrived in 1719, making it the third oldest settlement in Louisiana. The fort was moved in 1722 to an area near the present St. Francisville Ferry landing.
After several floods, Governor Luis de Unzaga in 1772 moved the European settlement to a new post, the so-called Post Unzaga. Recently, historians Cazorla and Polo, from the Louis de Unzaga Historical Society research team, using satellite remote sensing techniques and comparative plans from the General Archive of the Indies, have managed to locate the position of the Unzaga post, which included, along with it, a parish. After the slave rebellion of 1795 this settlement was left uninhabited.
Pointe Coupee Parish was organized by European Americans in 1805 as part of the Territory of Orleans. It was originally called Pointe Coupee County, and was one of the original 12 counties of the Territory of Orleans. It was renamed as Pointe Coupee Parish in 1816. The original Pointe Coupee Parish included parts of present-day Iberville and West Baton Rouge Parishes. There were minor boundary adjustments with neighboring parishes up through 1852, when its boundaries stabilized.
In 2008, Pointe Coupee was one of the communities that suffered the most damage by Hurricane Gustav.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The land consists mainly of prairies and backswamp.

Major highways

Pointe Coupee Parish has 498.98 miles of highways within its borders.

City

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Pointe Coupee Parish had a population of 20,758, a median age of 44.2 years, 21.7% of residents under the age of 18, and 21.5% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.3 males age 18 and over.
As of the 2020 census, there were 8,645 households, including 5,625 families, residing in the parish.
The racial makeup of the parish was 59.7% White, 34.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.3% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.0% of the population.
32.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 67.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 10,923 housing units, of which 20.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.2% were owner-occupied and 23.8% were renter-occupied, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 1.7% and a rental vacancy rate of 15.2%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,763 people, 8,397 households, and 6,171 families residing in the parish. The population density was. There were 10,297 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the parish was 68.91% White, 29.61% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 1.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 93.61% of the population spoke only English at home, while 4.89% spoke French or Cajun French, 0.96% spoke Spanish, and 0.73% spoke Louisiana Creole French.
Religiously, Christianity is the dominant religion being part of the Bible Belt. The largest denomination by membership as of 2020 has been the Catholic Church. Southern Baptists were the second largest denomination by membership.

Economy

Nan Ya Plastics Corporation America has a large plant near Batchelor. Another large employer is NRG / Big Cajun 1 & 2 power plants near New Roads. The parish's economy is heavily reliant upon agriculture, with sugar cane being one of the main cash crops.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

The Pointe Coupee Parish School Board serves the parish. As of 2014 the sole secondary school operated by the parish school board is Livonia High School, serving grades 7 through 12. Pointe Coupee Central High School was closed down in 2014. Current public schools include Stem Magnet Academy, Valverda Elementary, Rougon, Rosenwald, and Upper Pointe Coupee Elementary.
; Private
The parish is in the service area of South Louisiana Community College.
Additionally, Pointe Coupee Parish is home to one of the satellite campuses of Baton Rouge Community College. This campus, located in New Roads, offers several technical, academic, and other courses.

National Guard

A Co of the 769th BEB is an Engineer Company that resides in New Roads, Louisiana. This unit is part of the 256TH IBCT and deployed to Iraq in 2004-5 and 2010.

Law enforcement

The Pointe Coupee Sheriff's Office is the chief law enforcement agency in Pointe Coupee Parish. The sheriff's office is responsible for routine law enforcement patrols in the parish. There are several divisions besides the road patrol, including the parish prison, a water patrol, a mounted horse patrol, an aviation unit, a criminal investigations division, and bailiffs for the courthouse. This department employs over 100 full-time deputies, as well as several part-time deputies. The department's main office is located in the parish courthouse in New Roads.

Notable residents