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Saint Mary Parish, Louisiana
Main street in Franklin
Main street in Franklin.
Map of Louisiana highlighting Saint Mary Parish
Location in the state of Louisiana
Map of the U.S
Louisiana's location in the U.S.
Founded 1811
Named for Saint Mary
Seat Franklin
Largest city Morgan City
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

1,119 sq mi (2,898 km²)
555 sq mi (1,437 km²)
564 sq mi (1,461 km²), 50
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

49,406
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website http://www.stmaryparishla.gov/

St. Mary Parish (French: Paroisse de Sainte-Marie) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,406.[1] The parish seat is Franklin.[2] The parish was created in 1811.[3]

St. Mary Parish comprises the Morgan City, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Lafayette-Opelousas-Morgan City, LA Combined Statistical Area.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 1,119 square miles (2,900 km2), of which 555 square miles (1,440 km2) is land and 564 square miles (1,460 km2) (50%) is water.[4] Cypremort Point State Park is located in the parish on Vermilion Bay.

Major highways[]

  • I-49 (Future) Future Interstate 49
  • US 90 U.S. Highway 90
  • Louisiana 83 Louisiana Highway 83
  • Louisiana 87 Louisiana Highway 87
  • Louisiana 182 Louisiana Highway 182
  • Louisiana 317 Louisiana Highway 317
  • Louisiana 318 Louisiana Highway 318

Adjacent parishes[]

Protected areas[]

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

National protected area[]

  • Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge

State protected areas[]

Part of the Attakapas Wildlife Management Area is located within St. Mary Parish as well as in St. Martin and Iberia Parishes.[5]

Communities[]

Map of St

Map of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana With Municipal Labels

Cities[]

  • Franklin (parish seat)
  • Morgan City
  • Patterson

Towns[]

  • Baldwin
  • Berwick

Census-designated places[]

  • Amelia
  • Bayou Vista
  • Charenton
  • Glencoe
  • Siracusaville
  • Sorrel

Other unincorporated areas[]

  • Centerville
  • Florence
  • Garden City

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 6,442
1840 8,950 38.9%
1850 13,697 53.0%
1860 16,816 22.8%
1870 13,860 −17.6%
1880 19,891 43.5%
1890 22,416 12.7%
1900 34,145 52.3%
1910 39,368 15.3%
1920 30,754 −21.9%
1930 29,397 −4.4%
1940 31,458 7.0%
1950 35,848 14.0%
1960 48,833 36.2%
1970 60,752 24.4%
1980 64,253 5.8%
1990 58,086 −9.6%
2000 53,500 −7.9%
2010 54,650 2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[1]
St. Mary Parish racial composition as of 2020[10]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 26,334 53.3%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 14,950 30.26%
Native American 911 1.84%
Asian 647 1.31%
Pacific Islander 13 0.03%
Other/Mixed 2,027 4.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4,524 9.16%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 49,406 people, 19,856 households, and 11,354 families residing in the parish. As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 53,500 people, 19,317 households, and 14,082 families residing in the parish. The population density was 87 people per square mile (34/km2). There were 21,650 housing units at an average density of 35 per square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the parish was 62.79% White, 31.79% Black or African American, 1.39% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 2.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 5.43% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 2.45% speak Spanish and 1.59% Vietnamese.

There were 19,317 households, out of which 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 16.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the parish the population was spread out, with 29.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $28,072, and the median income for a family was $33,064. Males had a median income of $31,570 versus $18,341 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,399. About 20.60% of families and 23.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.30% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education[]

St. Mary Parish School Board operates local public schools.

The Chitimacha Day School, affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), is in the Charenton community of unincorporated St. Mary Parish.[12]

It is in the service area of Fletcher Technical Community College.[13]

Media[]

St. Mary Parish has two daily newspapers, the Morgan City Daily Review (circulation under 6,000) and the Franklin Banner-Tribune in Franklin (circulation 3,350).

National Guard[]

B Company 2-156TH Infantry Battalion of the 256TH IBCT resides in Franklin, Louisiana. This unit has deployed to Iraq twice, 2004-5 and 2010.

Politics[]

United States presidential election results for St. Mary Parish, Louisiana[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 14,811 63.88% 8,055 34.74% 320 1.38%
2016 14,359 62.77% 8,050 35.19% 468 2.05%
2012 13,885 58.74% 9,450 39.97% 305 1.29%
2008 13,183 57.56% 9,345 40.80% 375 1.64%
2004 12,877 56.74% 9,547 42.07% 270 1.19%
2000 11,325 51.93% 9,851 45.17% 634 2.91%
1996 8,018 35.53% 12,402 54.95% 2,149 9.52%
1992 8,792 37.51% 10,648 45.43% 4,000 17.06%
1988 11,540 51.71% 10,364 46.44% 414 1.86%
1984 15,275 61.16% 9,411 37.68% 288 1.15%
1980 10,378 48.03% 10,506 48.63% 722 3.34%
1976 8,919 47.67% 9,401 50.25% 388 2.07%
1972 11,117 68.44% 4,435 27.30% 691 4.25%
1968 4,586 27.53% 5,312 31.89% 6,761 40.58%
1964 5,530 43.01% 7,327 56.99% 0 0.00%
1960 2,992 27.62% 6,671 61.59% 1,169 10.79%
1956 4,097 61.49% 2,395 35.94% 171 2.57%
1952 4,417 50.97% 4,249 49.03% 0 0.00%
1948 824 23.52% 918 26.21% 1,761 50.27%
1944 538 13.03% 3,591 86.97% 0 0.00%
1940 739 16.70% 3,686 83.30% 0 0.00%
1936 487 20.05% 1,942 79.95% 0 0.00%
1932 473 18.59% 2,072 81.41% 0 0.00%
1928 605 25.65% 1,754 74.35% 0 0.00%
1924 633 48.69% 639 49.15% 28 2.15%
1920 788 59.38% 539 40.62% 0 0.00%
1916 162 11.42% 652 45.95% 605 42.64%
1912 147 13.89% 652 61.63% 259 24.48%



Notable people[]

  • Bret Allain (born c. 1958), sugar cane farmer and the current District 21 state senator from St. Mary Parish
  • Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock (1915–1987), state House Speaker from 1952 to 1956 and lieutenant governor from 1960 to 1972
  • Carl W. Bauer (1933-2013), attorney-lobbyist; former member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
  • Ralph Norman Bauer (1899-1963), attorney; former Speaker of the Louisiana House; a leader of the impeachment forces against Governor Huey P. Long, Jr., in 1929
  • V.J. Bella (born 1927), former state representative (1972–1990) and state fire marshal (1990–1992; 1996–2004)
  • Elizabeth Bisland (1861–1929), noted journalist and author[15]
  • Sally Clausen, former president of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammoned and Louisiana commissioner of higher education; reared in St. Mary Parish[16]
  • Thomas G. Clausen, Louisiana education superintendent from 1984 to 1988; reared in St. Mary Parish[17]
  • Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. (born 1930), governor of Louisiana from 1996 to 2004
  • Sam S. Jones, state representative for St. Mary Parish since 2008
  • Geronimo Pratt, Vietnam War veteran who served twenty-seven years in prison wrongfully accused of murder
  • William Joseph Seymour (born 1870), considered to be the most influential African American minister of the twentieth century and pastor of the famous Azusa Street Revival
  • Lester Vetter, reared in St. Mary Parish; mayor of Coushatta prior to 1952 and state representative for Red River Parish from 1952 until his death in office in 1960
  • Warren Wells, Pro football player for the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders
  • Dale Hawkins, (born 1936, died 2010) pioneer of swamp rock boogie

See also[]

Commons-logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22101.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ "St. Mary Parish". Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism. http://ccet.louisiana.edu/tourism/parishes/Acadiana_Parishes/saintmary.html. 
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_22.txt. 
  5. ^ Attakapas WMA- Retrieved 2017-02-19
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/la190090.txt. 
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  10. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US22101&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  12. ^ "Archived copy". http://www.bia.edu/bie/contact_bie/school_directory.cfm. 
  13. ^ "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. https://www.lctcs.edu/our-colleges. Retrieved 2021-06-03. 
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  15. ^ Marks, Jason. Around the World in 72 Days: The race between Pulitzer's Nellie Bly and Cosmopolitan's Elizabeth Bisland (Gemittarius Press 1993) (ISBN 978-0963369628)
  16. ^ "Dr. Sally Clausen". regents.ohio.gov. http://regents.ohio.gov/search/pdfs/OH27Resume.pdf. 
  17. ^ "Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 32, 2002". lanewsbureau.com. http://www.lanewsbureau.com/inst/2002SS1/SCR/00/SCR32_EN.PDF. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 29°38′N 91°28′W / 29.64, -91.47



This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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