Misplaced Pages

Vermilion Parish
Parish
Museum at Gueydan, Louisiana
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°49′N 92°19′W / 29.81°N 92.31°W / 29.81; -92.31
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	1844
Named for	Vermilion River and Bay
Seat	Abbeville
Largest city	Abbeville
Area
• Total	1,542 sq mi (3,990 km)
• Land	1,173 sq mi (3,040 km)
• Water	369 sq mi (960 km)  24%
Population
• Total	57,359
• Density	37/sq mi (14/km)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Vermilion Parish (French: Paroisse de Vermillion) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, created in 1844. The parish seat is Abbeville. Vermilion Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area, and located in southern Acadiana. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 57,359.

In the past several decades, much of the southern portion of the parish has been swept away by water erosion, especially after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in 2005.

History

Indigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years, from different cultures. By historic times, the Chitimacha and Atakapa inhabited the area and were the American Indians encountered by Spanish and French explorers and settlers. The tribes' numbers were drastically reduced as a result of exposure to European diseases.

French, Spanish, enslaved Africans, and French-Canadians from Acadia expelled after the Seven Years' War won by Great Britain, had all entered the area by the end of the 18th century. As the population became mostly Cajun, the primary language was French for years. In the mid- to late 19th century, they were joined by European Americans; immigrants from Italy, recruited to work on the plantations, as well as Jewish immigrants from Germany and eastern Europe, who tended to settle in towns and become merchants.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 1,542 square miles (3,990 km), of which 1,173 square miles (3,040 km) is land and 369 square miles (960 km) (24%) is water. It is the fifth-largest parish in Louisiana by total area. The Gulf of Mexico is located to the south of the parish.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 167
• Louisiana Highway 13
• Louisiana Highway 14
• Louisiana Highway 82
• Louisiana Highway 89
• Louisiana Highway 91
• Louisiana Highway 92
• Louisiana Highway 330
• Louisiana Highway 331
• Louisiana Highway 338
• Louisiana Highway 339
• Louisiana Highway 343

Adjacent parishes

• Acadia Parish (north)
• Lafayette Parish (northeast)
• Iberia Parish (east)
• Cameron Parish (west)
• Jefferson Davis Parish (northwest)

Communities

Cities

• Abbeville (parish seat and largest municipality)
• Kaplan

Towns

• Delcambre (part)
• Erath
• Gueydan
• Maurice

Unincorporated communities

• Boston
• Bayou Tigre
• Camille
• Charogne
• Forked Island
• Grosse Isle
• Henry
• Leblanc
• Leroy
• Indian Bayou
• Intracoastal City
• Meaux
• Mouton Cove
• Pecan Island
• Perry

Demographics

Home to a number of Cajun peoples, at the 2000 U.S. census, there were 53,807 people, 19,832 households, and 14,457 families residing in the parish. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18 people/km). At the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 59,865 people living in the parish, up from 57,999 at the 2010 U.S. census. By the 2020 United States census, there were 57,359 people, 22,086 households, and 15,143 families residing in the parish.

In 2000, were 22,461 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7.3/km). The racial makeup of the parish was 82.68% White, 14.17% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.82% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races; 1.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latin American of any race; 24.89% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 1.64% speak Vietnamese and 1.02% Spanish. In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup was 81.4% non-Hispanic white, 14.5% Black and African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.4% some other race, and 1.1% from two or more races. An estimated 3.5% of the population were Hispanic and Latin American of any race.

At the 2000 U.S. census, there were 19,832 households, out of which 37.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.16. The 2019 American Community Survey determined there were 22,086 households and 26,586 housing units; there was a home-ownership rate of 77% and the median housing value was $122,200. The median gross rent from 2015 to 2019 was $685.

In 2019, the median income for a household in the parish was $51,945; males had a median income of $53,658 versus $33,327 for females. About 21.3% of the children under 18 lived at or below the poverty line, and 17.6% of the total population was below the poverty line. The median income for a household in the parish was $29,500, and the median income for a family was $36,093 in 2000. Males had a median income of $31,044 versus $18,710 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $14,201. About 17.40% of families and 22.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.00% of those under age 18 and 21.40% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Vermilion Parish School Board has an official territory covering the entire parish. It operates most public schools in the parish. Schools serving Delcambre are located in Vermilion Parish but are operated by the Iberia Parish School System. The Vermilion Parish district pays money to the Iberia parish district to educate Delcambre students in Vermilion Parish.

Schools

Public Schools that are run by the Vermilion Parish School Board include:

• Cecil Picard Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Maurice)
• Dozier Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Erath)
• Eaton Park Elementary (Grades PK-2) (Abbeville)
• Forked Island - E. Broussard Elementary (Grades PK-8) (Abbeville)
• Indian Bayou Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Rayne)
• James A. Herod Elementary (Grades 3–5) (Abbeville)
• Jesse Owens Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Gueydan)
• Kaplan Elementary (Grades PK-4) (Kaplan)
• Leblanc Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Abbeville)
• Meaux Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Abbeville)
• Seventh Ward Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Abbeville)
• Erath Middle (Grades 6–8) (Erath)
• J. H. Williams Middle (Grades 6–8) (Abbeville)
• North Vermilion Middle (Grades 6–8) (Maurice)
• Rene A. Rost Middle (Grades 5–8) (Kaplan)
• Abbeville High (Grades 9–12) (Abbeville)
• Erath High School (Grades 9–12) (Erath)
• Gueydan High (Grades 6–12) (Gueydan)
• Kaplan High (Grades 9–12) (Kaplan)
• North Vermilion High (Grades 9–12) (Maurice)

Vermilion Parish is also served by the Diocese of Lafayette with three schools:

• Maltrait Memorial School (Grades PK-8) (Kaplan)
• Mt. Carmel Catholic School (Grades PK-8) (Abbeville)
• Vermilion Catholic High School (Grades 9–12) (Abbeville)

Additionally, Vermilion Parish is served by two unaffiliated private schools:

• Harvest Time Christian Academy (Grades PK-12) (Abbeville)
• Lighthouse Christian High School (Grades 9–12) (Abbeville)

Vermilion Parish is served by one institution of higher education:

• South Louisiana Community College service area, Gulf Area Campus (Abbeville)

Politics

For most of the 20th Century, Vermillion was a Democratic-leaning parish, voting Republican only in landslide elections such as 1972, 1980, and 1984. However, like other Acadian parishes with large Cajun populations, the county has turned sharply right in the 21st century based on cultural issues and Democrats' discomfort with the oil and gas industry.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana

References

1. "Vermilion Parish". Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Census - Geography Profile: Vermillion Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
5. "Census confirms Maurice's growth". Vermilion Today. August 18, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
11. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. ^ "Geography Profile: Vermilion Parish, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
14. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Vermilion Parish, LA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2024. - Text list
15. "Iberia Parish schools for this district". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
16. "VERMILION PARISH SCHOOL BOARD Abbeville, Louisiana Financial Report Year Ended June 30, 2002" (PDF). Government of Louisiana. p. 31 (PDF p. 34/76).
17. "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
19. Martin, Jonathan (November 16, 2019). "Why the Louisiana Governor's Race Is So Close". The New York Times.

External links

• Heinrich, P. V., 2006, White Lake 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle. Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• Heinrich, P. V., J. Snead, and R. P. McCulloh, 2003, Crowley 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle. Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• Official website
• Vermilion Historical Society
• Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office

v t e Places adjacent to Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Davis Parish Acadia Parish Lafayette Parish Cameron Parish Vermilion Parish, Louisiana Iberia Parish Gulf of Mexico

v t e Municipalities and communities of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States
Parish seat: Abbeville
Cities	Abbeville Kaplan
Town	Delcambre‡ Erath Gueydan
Village	Maurice
CDP	Perry
Other communities	Andrew Bancker Boston Camille Charon Chenier Au Tigre Cossinade Cow Island Esther Forked Island Grosse Isle Henry Indian Bayou Intracoastal City Laurents Point Leleux Leroy Mack Marceaux Meaux Mouton Cove Mulvey Nunez Pecan Island Riceville Rose Hill Theall Woodlawn Wright Youngs
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent parish or parishes
Louisiana portal United States portal

v t e Parishes of Louisiana
Current	Acadia Allen Ascension Assumption Avoyelles Beauregard Bienville Bossier Caddo Calcasieu Caldwell Cameron Catahoula Claiborne Concordia DeSoto East Baton Rouge East Carroll East Feliciana Evangeline Franklin Grant Iberia Iberville Jackson Jefferson Jefferson Davis LaSalle Lafayette Lafourche Lincoln Livingston Madison Morehouse Natchitoches Orleans Ouachita Plaquemines Pointe Coupee Rapides Red River Richland Sabine St. Bernard St. Charles St. Helena St. James St. John the Baptist St. Landry St. Martin St. Mary St. Tammany Tangipahoa Tensas Terrebonne Union Vermilion Vernon Washington Webster West Baton Rouge West Carroll West Feliciana Winn
Former	Counties Acadia Attakapas Biloxi Concordia German Coast Iberville LaFourche Natchitoches Opelousas Orleans Ouachita Pascagoula Pointe Coupée Rapides Warren Split Carroll Feliciana

29°49′N 92°19′W / 29.81°N 92.31°W / 29.81; -92.31

• Louisiana parishes
• Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
• Parishes in Acadiana
• Acadiana
• 1844 establishments in Louisiana
• Populated places established in 1844