St. Martin Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
 St. Martin Parish Courthouse, St. Martinville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofLouisiana | |
| Coordinates:30°08′N91°37′W / 30.13°N 91.61°W /30.13; -91.61 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Founded | 1811 |
| Named after | St. Martin |
| Seat | St. Martinville |
| Largest city | Breaux Bridge |
| Area | |
• Total | 816 sq mi (2,110 km2) |
| • Land | 738 sq mi (1,910 km2) |
| • Water | 79 sq mi (200 km2) 9.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 51,767 |
| • Density | 70.1/sq mi (27.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
St. Martin Parish (French:Paroisse de Saint-Martin) is aparish located in theU.S. state ofLouisiana, founded in 1811. Its parish seat isSt. Martinville, and the largest city isBreaux Bridge.[1] At the2020 census, the population was 51,767.[2] St. Martin Parish is part of theLafayette metropolitan area in the region ofAcadiana, along theGulf Coast.
In 1811, parts ofAttakapas Parish were taken out to create St. Martin andSt. Mary parishes. In 1824, theLouisiana State Legislature divided St. Martin Parish, resulting in the creation also ofLafayette Parish. In 1844, St. Martin Parish was again divided, yieldingVermilion 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 andAcadia.[3] Their descendants have maintained the use of French and form a large concentration of French-speakers in the 21st century.
TheAcadians brought the tale of Evangeline, a young woman said to have been separated from her mortally wounded betrothed during theirexpulsion by the British from their territory in easternCanada. 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. PoetHenry 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.[4]
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 onenslaved African Americans as labor on their plantations. By 1860, there were more than 7,000 enslaved African Americans in the parish. There were also numerousAnglo-American slaves brought to the parish.[3]
Ayellow 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 theAmerican Civil War andReconstruction, 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.
The parish of St. Martin is split into two non-contiguous parts because of a surveying error dating to 1868, whenIberia Parish was created by theLouisiana Legislature. Iberia Parish divides St. Martin Parish into two separate areas, Upper and Lower St. Martin. According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 816 square miles (2,110 km2), of which 738 square miles (1,910 km2) is land and 79 square miles (200 km2) (9.7%) is water.[5] St. Martin Parish is in theAtchafalaya Basin, withBayou Teche running through it. The bayou was used to ship products toNew Orleans.
St. Martin Parish has a wealth ofoak andmagnolia trees.
The parish has both national and state protected areas within its borders.
Part of theAttakapas Wildlife Management Area is located within St. Martin Parish as well as inSt. Mary and Iberia parishes.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 7,205 | — | |
| 1840 | 8,674 | 20.4% | |
| 1850 | 11,761 | 35.6% | |
| 1860 | 12,674 | 7.8% | |
| 1870 | 9,370 | −26.1% | |
| 1880 | 12,663 | 35.1% | |
| 1890 | 14,884 | 17.5% | |
| 1900 | 18,940 | 27.3% | |
| 1910 | 23,070 | 21.8% | |
| 1920 | 21,990 | −4.7% | |
| 1930 | 21,767 | −1.0% | |
| 1940 | 26,394 | 21.3% | |
| 1950 | 26,353 | −0.2% | |
| 1960 | 29,063 | 10.3% | |
| 1970 | 32,453 | 11.7% | |
| 1980 | 40,214 | 23.9% | |
| 1990 | 43,978 | 9.4% | |
| 2000 | 48,583 | 10.5% | |
| 2010 | 52,160 | 7.4% | |
| 2020 | 51,767 | −0.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010[11] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[12] | Pop 1990[13] | Pop 2000[14] | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 26,322 | 28,460 | 31,813 | 33,831 | 32,919 | 65.45% | 64.71% | 65.48% | 64.86% | 63.59% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 13,070 | 14,443 | 15,464 | 15,956 | 15,050 | 32.50% | 32.84% | 31.83% | 30.59% | 29.07% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 26 | 78 | 136 | 214 | 177 | 0.06% | 0.18% | 0.28% | 0.41% | 0.34% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 131 | 310 | 440 | 393 | 440 | 0.33% | 0.70% | 0.91% | 0.75% | 0.85% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[17] | x[18] | 2 | 3 | 3 | x | x | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 34 | 185 | 41 | 68 | 170 | 0.08% | 0.42% | 0.08% | 0.13% | 0.33% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[19] | x[20] | 282 | 624 | 1,329 | x | x | 0.58% | 1.20% | 2.57% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 631 | 502 | 405 | 1,071 | 1,679 | 1.57% | 1.14% | 0.83% | 2.05% | 3.24% |
| Total | 40,214 | 43,978 | 48,583 | 52,160 | 51,767 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
At the2000 United States census,[21] there were 48,583 people, 17,164 households, and 12,975 families residing in the parish. The population density was 66 inhabitants per square mile (25/km2). There were 20,245 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km2). The 2019American Community Survey determined 53,732 people lived in St. Martin Parish.[22] The median age of its population was 37.7, and 6.9% of its population were under 5 years of age; of the population aged 18 and older, they made up 75.7% of the population, and people aged 65 and older were 14.7% of the total population. By the2020 United States census, there were 51,767 people, 19,749 households, and 13,960 families residing in the parish.
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 (69.5%) speak onlyEnglish at home, 27.44% reported speakingFrench (Colonial French also known asPlantation Society French) orCajun French at home, while 1.52% speakLouisiana Creole French.[23] St. Martin has the highest percentage of French-speaking residents of any county or parish in the United States.
In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of St. Martin was 66.8%non-Hispanic white, 29.1%Black and African American, 0.6%American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Asian, 0.5% some other race, 2.1%multiracial, and 3.0%Hispanic and Latino American of any race. An estimated 1.0% of the parish were foreign-born from 2014 to 2019. At the 2020 census, non-Hispanic whites declined to 63.59% of the population; Black or African Americans were 29.07% of the population, and Hispanic and Latino Americans made up 3.24% of the population.[24]
In 2000 there were 17,164 households, out of which 39.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% weremarried 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. Theper capita income for the parish was $13,619. About 18.40% of families and 21.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.70% of those under age 18 and 22.10% of those age 65 or over. There were 19,749 households at the 2019 U.S. census estimates, and 4,800 businesses operating in the parish.[22] The parish had an employment rate of 53.8%, and its population lived in 23,384 housing units. There was a median gross rent of $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.
Public schools in St. Martin Parish are operated by theSt. Martin Parish School Board.South Louisiana Community College's service area includes the northern part andFletcher Technical Community College's service area includes the southern part.[25]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 68 | 11.68% | 375 | 64.43% | 139 | 23.88% |
| 1916 | 36 | 2.57% | 971 | 69.41% | 392 | 28.02% |
| 1920 | 419 | 56.78% | 319 | 43.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 172 | 26.22% | 461 | 70.27% | 23 | 3.51% |
| 1928 | 242 | 11.34% | 1,892 | 88.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 107 | 7.01% | 1,420 | 92.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 100 | 3.65% | 2,638 | 96.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 602 | 15.62% | 3,252 | 84.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 153 | 6.03% | 2,384 | 93.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 688 | 17.99% | 307 | 8.03% | 2,829 | 73.98% |
| 1952 | 1,554 | 43.58% | 2,012 | 56.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,615 | 42.72% | 2,069 | 54.74% | 96 | 2.54% |
| 1960 | 858 | 12.15% | 5,506 | 77.96% | 699 | 9.90% |
| 1964 | 2,793 | 37.40% | 4,675 | 62.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,625 | 16.74% | 3,321 | 34.22% | 4,759 | 49.04% |
| 1972 | 6,337 | 62.00% | 3,202 | 31.33% | 682 | 6.67% |
| 1976 | 4,112 | 33.07% | 7,992 | 64.28% | 329 | 2.65% |
| 1980 | 6,701 | 44.55% | 7,760 | 51.60% | 579 | 3.85% |
| 1984 | 9,698 | 52.17% | 8,589 | 46.20% | 304 | 1.64% |
| 1988 | 7,541 | 41.60% | 10,148 | 55.98% | 440 | 2.43% |
| 1992 | 5,909 | 28.93% | 11,252 | 55.09% | 3,265 | 15.98% |
| 1996 | 6,296 | 30.36% | 12,492 | 60.24% | 1,948 | 9.39% |
| 2000 | 9,961 | 47.94% | 9,853 | 47.42% | 964 | 4.64% |
| 2004 | 12,095 | 52.99% | 10,321 | 45.22% | 408 | 1.79% |
| 2008 | 14,443 | 59.55% | 9,419 | 38.84% | 390 | 1.61% |
| 2012 | 15,653 | 61.55% | 9,422 | 37.05% | 358 | 1.41% |
| 2016 | 16,873 | 65.53% | 8,266 | 32.10% | 611 | 2.37% |
| 2020 | 18,203 | 67.32% | 8,439 | 31.21% | 396 | 1.46% |
| 2024 | 17,466 | 69.85% | 7,284 | 29.13% | 256 | 1.02% |
Interstate 10.svg)
Future Interstate 49
U.S. Highway 90.svg)
Louisiana Highway 31.svg)
Louisiana Highway 70.svg)
Louisiana Highway 94.svg)
Louisiana Highway 96.svg)
Louisiana Highway 182.svg)
Louisiana Highway 328.svg)
Louisiana Highway 347.svg)
Louisiana Highway 353
Geology
Places adjacent to St. Martin Parish, Louisiana | |
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Municipalities and communities ofSt. Martin Parish, Louisiana,United States | ||
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| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent parish or parishes | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
