Cameron, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Cameron is a census-designated place
(CDP) in and the parish seat of Cameron Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. The population was 1,965 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lake Charles
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. After sustaining extreme damage from Hurricane Rita
in 2005 and Hurricane Ike
in 2008, the 2010 Census showed a population of just 406.
. A storm surge of 12 feet (3.6 m) and 150 mile per hour (240 km/h) winds caused the death of more than 300 residents of the town.
Nearly fifty years later, in late September 2005, Hurricane Rita
hit the town. This time, however, virtually everyone evacuated, and only one man was reported killed in the town. He is said to have been sick and decided to stay in town for the storm. His body was found in Lake Charles, LA.
On September 14, 2008, Hurricane Ike
again leveled Cameron with a 22 feet (6.7 m) storm surge just as it was recovering from Rita in 2005. Ike destroyed over 90 percent of the homes in the parish seat and caused catastrophic flooding in every part of the entire parish. Damage due to storm surge and winds was far worse than what was seen with Hurricane Rita. A 2010 report on the damage sustained from the effects of Rita and Ike states that few people returned to the town after the hurricanes, due to stricter building codes and high insurance costs that increased the cost of living dramatically. None of the stores have been rebuilt - only a gas station, bank, post office, and a restaurant remain (the latter two of which are still housed in trailers) and most of the residents still live in mobile homes. The First Baptist Church in the city wasn't rebuilt until 2010.
, one of the National Scenic Byway
s.
Cameron is home to the Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival which is held in January. January 2008 will be the 51st Fur Festival. http://www.furfestival.com/
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 29.4 square miles (76.1 km²), of which, 27.9 square miles (72.3 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it (5.17%) is water.
of 2000, there were 1,965 people, 695 households, and 510 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 70.5 people per square mile (27.2/km²). There were 800 housing units at an average density of 28.7 per square mile (11.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.49% White, 11.86% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.36% from other races
, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.55% of the population.
There were 695 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples
living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,370, and the median income for a family was $33,661. Males had a median income of $24,762 versus $26,406 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $13,499. About 17.0% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.
Cameron Post Office is located at 144 Adam Roux Street in the CDP.
serves the town. South Cameron High School
, a consolidated primary and secondary school, serves the community.
Prior to Hurricane Rita
's impact in September 2005, South Cameron High School served area high schoolers while Cameron Elementary School, within Cameron, served grades Pre-Kindergarten through 7. In September 2005 Hurricane Rita
swept through Cameron Parish, damaging South Cameron Elementary, Cameron Elementary, and South Cameron High. The South Cameron Elementary, Cameron Elementary, and South Cameron High students shared Grand Lake High School
's campus with Grand Lake for almost an entire year. In fall 2006 the three schools consolidated with all students going to the South Cameron High School campus.
Three years after Rita, Hurricane Ike
came ashore and brought a 22 feet (6.7 m) storm surge, which was far worse than Rita's 10 feet (3 m) surge. Nearly every square inch of the coastline in that area was flooded heavily, with surge and floodwaters reaching 60 miles inland, as far north as Lake Charles
. In Cameron Parish
the communities of Holly Beach
, Hackberry
, Creole, Grand Chenier, and of course, Cameron itself were essentially destroyed. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from atop rooftops, including 363 people who were rescued by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Search and Rescue teams in conjunction with the Louisiana National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard. Ike caused varying degrees of damage to every school and library in Cameron Parish
and the surrounding parishes. Most were heavily flooded by storm surge and moderately damaged by winds, and as a result all schools were closed and a slow recovery process began.
Cameron Parish Public Library operates the main Cameron Parish Library at 469 Marshall Street in the Cameron CDP.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in and the parish seat of Cameron Parish
Cameron Parish, Louisiana
Cameron Parish is the parish with the most land area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Cameron and as of 2010, the population was 6,839...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,965 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Lake Charles metropolitan area
The Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Acadiana region of southwest Louisiana that covers two parishes - Calcasieu and Cameron. According to a 2009 Census estimate, the MSA had a population of 194,138. It is also part of the larger Lake Charles-Jennings...
. After sustaining extreme damage from Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
in 2005 and Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
in 2008, the 2010 Census showed a population of just 406.
History
In 1957, Cameron was nearly destroyed by Hurricane AudreyHurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey was the first major hurricane of the 1957 Atlantic hurricane season. Audrey was the only storm to reach Category 4 status in June. A powerful hurricane, Audrey caused catastrophic damage across eastern Texas and western Louisiana. It then affected the South Central United States as...
. A storm surge of 12 feet (3.6 m) and 150 mile per hour (240 km/h) winds caused the death of more than 300 residents of the town.
Nearly fifty years later, in late September 2005, Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
hit the town. This time, however, virtually everyone evacuated, and only one man was reported killed in the town. He is said to have been sick and decided to stay in town for the storm. His body was found in Lake Charles, LA.
On September 14, 2008, Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
again leveled Cameron with a 22 feet (6.7 m) storm surge just as it was recovering from Rita in 2005. Ike destroyed over 90 percent of the homes in the parish seat and caused catastrophic flooding in every part of the entire parish. Damage due to storm surge and winds was far worse than what was seen with Hurricane Rita. A 2010 report on the damage sustained from the effects of Rita and Ike states that few people returned to the town after the hurricanes, due to stricter building codes and high insurance costs that increased the cost of living dramatically. None of the stores have been rebuilt - only a gas station, bank, post office, and a restaurant remain (the latter two of which are still housed in trailers) and most of the residents still live in mobile homes. The First Baptist Church in the city wasn't rebuilt until 2010.
Culture
Cameron is on the Creole Nature TrailCreole Nature Trail
The Creole Nature Trail, part of Louisiana's Outback, is an All-American Road comprising more than of highway including portions of Louisiana state highways 14, 82, 27, 384, and 385 in southwest Louisiana. The Creole Nature Trail was one of the first National Scenic Byways designated by the U.S....
, one of the National Scenic Byway
National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...
s.
Cameron is home to the Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival which is held in January. January 2008 will be the 51st Fur Festival. http://www.furfestival.com/
Geography
Cameron is located at 29°47′17"N 93°18′42"W (29.788055, -93.311764).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 29.4 square miles (76.1 km²), of which, 27.9 square miles (72.3 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it (5.17%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,965 people, 695 households, and 510 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 70.5 people per square mile (27.2/km²). There were 800 housing units at an average density of 28.7 per square mile (11.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.49% White, 11.86% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.36% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.55% of the population.
There were 695 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,370, and the median income for a family was $33,661. Males had a median income of $24,762 versus $26,406 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $13,499. About 17.0% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
Cameron Post Office is located at 144 Adam Roux Street in the CDP.
Education
Cameron Parish School BoardCameron Parish School Board
Cameron Parish School Board is a school district headquartered in unincorporated Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The district serves Cameron Parish.The district has its temporary headquarters at 1027 Highway 384 in the Grand Lake area....
serves the town. South Cameron High School
South Cameron High School
South Cameron High School is a public primary and secondary school in unincorporated Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The school, a part of the Cameron Parish School Board, has grades Kindergarten through 12....
, a consolidated primary and secondary school, serves the community.
Prior to Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
's impact in September 2005, South Cameron High School served area high schoolers while Cameron Elementary School, within Cameron, served grades Pre-Kindergarten through 7. In September 2005 Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
swept through Cameron Parish, damaging South Cameron Elementary, Cameron Elementary, and South Cameron High. The South Cameron Elementary, Cameron Elementary, and South Cameron High students shared Grand Lake High School
Grand Lake High School
Grand Lake High School is a public primary and secondary school in unincorporated Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The school, a part of the Cameron Parish School Board, has grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12.and is finished!-History:...
's campus with Grand Lake for almost an entire year. In fall 2006 the three schools consolidated with all students going to the South Cameron High School campus.
Three years after Rita, Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
came ashore and brought a 22 feet (6.7 m) storm surge, which was far worse than Rita's 10 feet (3 m) surge. Nearly every square inch of the coastline in that area was flooded heavily, with surge and floodwaters reaching 60 miles inland, as far north as Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
. In Cameron Parish
Cameron Parish, Louisiana
Cameron Parish is the parish with the most land area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Cameron and as of 2010, the population was 6,839...
the communities of Holly Beach
Holly Beach, Louisiana
Holly Beach , also known as the "Cajun Riviera" , is a coastal community in unincorporated Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States.Known for crabbing and a drive on the beach, this small Southwest Louisiana community mainly consisted of beach-front cabins called "camps" which, due to the threat of...
, Hackberry
Hackberry, Louisiana
Hackberry is a census-designated place in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,699 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Hackberry is located at ....
, Creole, Grand Chenier, and of course, Cameron itself were essentially destroyed. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from atop rooftops, including 363 people who were rescued by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Search and Rescue teams in conjunction with the Louisiana National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard. Ike caused varying degrees of damage to every school and library in Cameron Parish
Cameron Parish, Louisiana
Cameron Parish is the parish with the most land area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Cameron and as of 2010, the population was 6,839...
and the surrounding parishes. Most were heavily flooded by storm surge and moderately damaged by winds, and as a result all schools were closed and a slow recovery process began.
Cameron Parish Public Library operates the main Cameron Parish Library at 469 Marshall Street in the Cameron CDP.