St. Martin Parish, Louisiana


St. Martin Parish Louisiana Creole Parwès St. Martin is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, founded in 1811. Its parish seat is St. Martinville, and the largest city is Breaux Bridge. At the 2020 census, the population was 51,767. St. Martin Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan area in the region of Acadiana, along the Gulf Coast of [the United States|Gulf Coast].

History

In 1811, parts of Attakapas Parish were taken out to create St. Martin and St. Mary parishes. In 1824, the Louisiana State Legislature divided St. Martin Parish, resulting in the creation also of Lafayette Parish. In 1844, St. Martin Parish was again divided, yielding Vermilion Parish. In 1868, Iberia Parish was formed from parts of St. Martin Parish and St. Mary Parish. St. Martin Parish was divided into two, as part of Iberia Parish runs between the two non-contiguous parts of St. Martin Parish.
St. Martin Parish was largely colonized in the late 1700s by people from France and Acadia. Their descendants have maintained the use of French and form a large concentration of French-speakers in the 21st century.
The Acadians brought the tale of Evangeline, a young woman said to have been separated from her mortally wounded betrothed during their expulsion by the British from their territory in eastern Canada. According to the tale, Evangeline later met her betrothed again in St. Martin Parish, but he had already committed to a new love. Evangeline never recovered from the shock of both finding and losing him again. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's work, Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie, was based on this story.
Evangeline was and remains an icon of Acadian and American culture. The historical Evangeline, who is believed by some to have been an orphan girl named Emmeline Labiche, was purportedly buried on the grounds of St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville.
St. Martin became a very prosperous parish, growing rapidly in the early 1800s. Most of the revenue at that time was being made by raising cattle. Planters also had profitable commodity crops such as cotton, sugar, corn, rice, and tobacco. These were sold to the New Orleans market. Wealthy planters depended on enslaved African Americans as labor on their plantations. By 1860, there were more than 7,000 enslaved African Americans in the parish. There were also numerous Anglo-American slaves brought to the parish.
A yellow fever epidemic in 1855, followed by a deadly fire and a destructive hurricane, ended an era of unbridled prosperity for elite whites. Combined with the effects of the American Civil War and Reconstruction, the parish elite struggled in the postwar years. The transition to freedom for African Americans was uneven, as whites soon tried to reimpose supremacy and effectively denying them the franchise.

Geography

The parish of St. Martin is split into two non-contiguous parts because of a surveying error dating to 1868, when Iberia Parish was created by the Louisiana Legislature. Iberia Parish divides St. Martin Parish into two separate areas, Upper and Lower St. Martin. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which is land and is water. St. Martin Parish is in the Atchafalaya Basin, with Bayou Teche running through it. The bayou was used to ship products to New Orleans.
St. Martin Parish has a wealth of oak and magnolia trees.

Protected areas

The parish has both national and state protected areas within its borders.

National protected area

State protected areas

Part of the Attakapas Wildlife Management Area is located within St. Martin Parish as well as in St. Mary and Iberia parishes.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Village

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 51,767, a median age of 40.2 years, and 23.9% of residents under the age of 18 while 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.1 males.
There were 20,238 households in the parish, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them; 45.0% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The census counted 13,960 families residing in the parish.
There were 23,515 housing units, of which 13.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.0% were owner-occupied and 21.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.2%.
The racial makeup of the parish was 64.2% White, 29.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.2% of the population. Non-Hispanic whites made up 63.59% of the population, Black or African Americans were 29.07%, and Hispanic and Latino Americans comprised 3.24% at the 2020 census.
47.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 52.2% lived in rural areas.

2019 [American Community Survey]

An estimated 1.0% of the parish were foreign-born from 2014 to 2019.
The parish had 4,800 businesses operating, an employment rate of 53.8%, and its population lived in 23,384 housing units. The median gross rent was $658 and the median household income was $48,656. Approximately 18.9% of the parish lived at or below the poverty line, and males earned $51,609 versus $32,748 for females from 2015 to 2019.

2000 census

At the 2000 United States census, there were 48,583 people, 17,164 households, and 12,975 families residing in the parish. The population density was. There were 20,245 housing units at an average density of.
In 2000 the racial makeup of the parish was 65.95% White, 31.98% Black or African American, 0.92% Asian, 0.29% Native American, 0.20% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latino Americans of any race made up 0.83% of the population.
The 2000 U.S. census counted 44,915 people in the parish who are at least five years old of whom 31,229 speak only English at home, 27.44% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 1.52% speak Louisiana Creole French. St. Martin has the highest percentage of French-speaking residents of any county or parish in the United States.
In 2000 there were 17,164 households, out of which 39.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% were married couples living together, 15.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.40% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.22. The median income for a household in the parish was $30,701, and the median income for a family was $36,316. Males had a median income of $30,701 versus $18,365 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,619. About 18.40% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.70% of those under age 18 and 22.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in St. Martin Parish are operated by the St. Martin Parish School Board. South [Louisiana Community College]'s service area includes the northern part and Fletcher Technical Community College's service area includes the southern part.

Transportation

Major highways

Notable people