St. Martinville, Louisiana
Saint Martinville, Louisiana | |
---|---|
CDT) | |
ZIP code | 70582 |
Area code | 337 |
FIPS code | 22-67600 |
Website | http://www.stmartinville.org/ |
St. Martinville (
History
In the 16th century, the area between the
Europeans did not begin to settle there until French explorers claimed and founded the colony of Louisiana in 1699.[8] They referred to the territory between the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Nezpique, where the Eastern Atakapa lived, as the Attakapas Territory, adopting the name from the Choctaw language term for this people. The French colonial government gave land away to French soldiers and settlers.
Poste des Atakapas (Attakapas Post) was founded as a trading post on the banks of the Bayou Teche, and settlers started to arrive. Some came separately from
Gradually groups of more French speakers arrived, such as the first
The Acadians were led by
On April 25, 1766, after the arrival of the first Acadians, the census showed a population of 409 inhabitants for the Attakapas region. In 1767, the Attakapas Post had 150 inhabitants before the arrival of the 15 families from Pointe Coupee.
In 1803, after losing his effort to regain control over Saint-Domingue during its slave revolt,
In 1867, Governor Benjamin Flanders appointed Monroe Baker as mayor who was one of the earliest if not the first African-American mayor to serve in the United States.[12]
Geography
St. Martinville is located at 30°7′30″N 91°49′50″W / 30.12500°N 91.83056°W (30.125053, -91.830593), in Acadiana.[13] The city is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), of which 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) is land and 0.33% is water. Its terrain is mixture of swamp and prairie.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 652 | — | |
1870 | 1,190 | — | |
1880 | 1,606 | 35.0% | |
1890 | 1,814 | 13.0% | |
1900 | 1,926 | 6.2% | |
1910 | 2,318 | 20.4% | |
1920 | 2,465 | 6.3% | |
1930 | 2,455 | −0.4% | |
1940 | 3,501 | 42.6% | |
1950 | 4,614 | 31.8% | |
1960 | 6,468 | 40.2% | |
1970 | 7,153 | 10.6% | |
1980 | 7,965 | 11.4% | |
1990 | 7,137 | −10.4% | |
2000 | 6,989 | −2.1% | |
2010 | 6,114 | −12.5% | |
2020 | 5,379 | −12.0% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[14] |
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
1,853 | 34.45% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
3,240 | 60.23% |
Native American
|
14 | 0.26% |
Asian
|
19 | 0.35% |
Other/Mixed
|
145 | 2.7% |
Latino
|
108 | 2.01% |
At the 2020 United States census, there were 5,379 people, 2,567 households, and 1,366 families residing in the city. At the 2010 United States census,[16] there were 6,114 people, 2,320 households, and 1,533 families residing in the city.
According to the 2019
At the 2010 U.S. census, there were 2,320 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.5% were married couples living together, 28.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 20 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males. By the 2019 census estimates, the population was spread throughout 3,120 housing units and the median age was 47.5; 5.6% of the population were aged 5 and under, and 79.6% were aged 18 and older; 22.4% were aged 65 and older.[19]
In 2019, the median household income was $25,520 and 28.2% of its population lived at or below the poverty line. Males had a median income of $30,505 versus $27,167 for females. In 2010, the median income for a household in the city was $24,246 and the median income for a family was $33,009. Males had a median income of $30,710 versus $33,455 for females. The
Economy
The economy of St. Martinville is fueled by agriculture and tourism.
Education
Public schools in St. Martin Parish are operated by the St. Martin Parish School Board. The city of St. Martinville is zoned to the Early Learning Center (Grades PK-1), St. Martinville Primary School (Grades 1-5), St. Martinville Junior High School (Grades 6-8) and St. Martinville Senior High School (Grades 9-12).[21] The Evangeline campus of Louisiana Technical College is located in St. Martinville.
Culture and arts
St. Martinville is widely considered an important site in the development of
The third oldest town in Louisiana, St. Martinville has many buildings and homes with historic architecture. The historic St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church and La Maison Duchamp on Main Street are part of the legacy of the Acadian people. The church was dedicated to Martin of Tours in France, where a St Martin de Tours church can be found. St. Martinville is the site of the "Evangeline Oak", featured in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem about the Acadian expulsion.
The city houses an African American Museum and is a posted destination on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail, which was established in 2008.[22][23]
St. Martinville is the setting of the 2013 film, Christmas on the Bayou, starring Hilarie Burton as Katherine, a divorced mother and business executive, with Tyler Hilton as Caleb, Katherine's former childhood companion. In the story line, Katherine rekindles romance and discovers where she truly belongs after she comes to St. Martinville to spend Christmas with her mother Lilly (Markie Post), and son Zack (Brody Rose). Randy Travis and Ed Asner are cast, respectively, as Mr. Greenhall and Papa Noel (the bayou Santa Claus).[24]
Notable people
- Clementine Barnabet, serial killer and mass murderer
- Calvin Borel, jockey, three-time Kentucky Derby winner.
- Jefferson J. DeBlanc, World War II ace fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient. Resided in St. Martinville and is buried in the town's Catholic cemetery.
- Early Doucet, wide receiver for the LSU Fighting Tigers (2004–2008) and the Arizona Cardinals (2008–2012).
- Willie Francis, survived the electric chair at age 17.
- Beverly Guirard, microbiologist, expert on vitamin B6
- Paul Jude Hardy, first Republican to be elected Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana (1988–1992).
- Jay Hebert, professional golfer, 1960 PGA Championship winner.
- Attorney General of Louisiana (2016–2024), current Governor of Louisiana
- Darrel Mitchell, professional basketball player.
- Fred H. Mills, Jr., Republican state representative for St. Martin Parish.
- James C. Thibodeaux (1911—2004), African-American photographer painter, stage actor, and educator; born in St. Martinville.[25]
- David Turpeau, minister and state legislator in Ohio
- Nathan Williams, zydeco accordionist and singer.
Sister cities
- Bouctouche, New Brunswick, Canada
- Chaudfontaine, Wallonia, Belgium
- Goree Island, Senegal, West Africa
References
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ Jack A. Reynolds. "St. Martinville" entry in "Louisiana Placenames of Romance Origin." LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses #7852. 1942. p. 480.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Distance between Saint Martinville, LA and Breaux Bridge, LA". www.distance-cities.com. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Distance between Saint Martinville, LA and Lafayette, LA". www.distance-cities.com. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Distance between Saint Martinville, LA and New Iberia, LA". www.distance-cities.com. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "QuickFacts: St. Martinville city, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ "Colonial Louisiana". Louisiana State Museum. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "From Acadian to Cajun - Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Cajuns". 64 Parishes. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Milestones: 1801–1829 - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ^ "2019 Demographic and Housing Estimates". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Data Center Results". Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Geography Profile: St. Martinville city, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "St. Martinville". Louisiana Official Travel and Tourism Information. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ [1] Archived August 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kimberly Quillen, "African American Heritage Trail unveiled in New Orleans this morning", Times Picayune, February 27, 2008, accessed January 17, 2015
- ^ "A Story Like No Other: African American Heritage Trail", website
- ^ "Christmas on the Bayou". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Duncan, Robert J. (February 21, 2013). "Thibodeaux, James C. (1911–2004)". Texas State Historical Association (TSHA).
External links
- City of St. Martinville
- "On The Road To St. Martinville, Louisiana," an on-line photo journal of historic St. Martinville, Louisiana.