Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Lafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state
of Louisiana
. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux
. In 2000, its population was 89,974.
Lafourche Parish is part of the Houma
–Bayou Cane
–Thibodaux
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
of 2000, there were 89,974 people, 32,057 households, and 24,299 families residing in the parish. The latest estimates are at 90,255. The population density
was 83 people per square mile (32/km²). There were 35,045 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 82.85% White
, 12.61% Black
or African American
, 2.30% Native American
, 0.67% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 0.58% from other races
, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.43% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race. 19.12% reported speaking French
or Cajun French
at home, while 1.51% speak Spanish
.
There were 32,057 households out of which 37.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples
living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the parish the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $34,910, and the median income for a family was $40,504. Males had a median income of $34,600 versus $19,484 for females. The per capita income
for the parish was $15,809. About 13.20% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 18.30% of those age 65 or over.
http://lafourche.k12.la.us.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux...
. In 2000, its population was 89,974.
Lafourche Parish is part of the Houma
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
–Bayou Cane
Bayou Cane, Louisiana
Bayou Cane is a census-designated place in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 17,046 at the 2000 census.Bayou Cane is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Terrebonne and Lafourche...
–Thibodaux
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Metropolitan Area
The Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Acadiana region of southern Louisiana that covers two parishes - Lafourche and Terrebonne...
.
Geography
The parish has a total area of 1472 square miles (3,812.5 km²), of which 1085 square miles (2,810.1 km²) is land and 388 square miles (1,004.9 km²) (26.32%) is water.Major highways
U.S. Highway 90
Louisiana Highway 1Louisiana Highway 1Louisiana Highway 1 is a state highway in Louisiana. At 436.20 miles , it is the longest numbered highway of any class in Louisiana. It runs diagonally across the state, connecting the oil and gas fields near the island of Grand Isle with the northwest corner of the state, north of Shreveport.The...- Louisiana Highway 20Louisiana Highway 20Louisiana Highway 20 is a state highway that serves Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, and St. James Parish. It spans a total of as a two lane, undivided road.-Route description:...
Louisiana Highway 24Louisiana Highway 24Louisiana Highway 24 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes. It spans and is bannered east/west.-Route description:...
Louisiana Highway 308
Adjacent parishes
- St. James Parish & St. John the Baptist ParishSt. John the Baptist Parish, LouisianaSt. John the Baptist Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana.The parish seat is Edgard, an unincorporated area and the unofficial parish captial is LaPlace, an unincorporated area. St. John the Baptist is one of the original 19 parishes in Louisiana. In 2010, its population was...
(north) - St. Charles ParishSt. Charles Parish, LouisianaSt. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast, an area along the Mississippi River settled by numerous German pioneers in the...
(northeast) - Jefferson ParishJefferson Parish, LouisianaJefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
(east) - Gulf of MexicoGulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
(south) - Terrebonne ParishTerrebonne Parish, LouisianaTerrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
(west) - Assumption ParishAssumption Parish, LouisianaAssumption Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and was formed in 1807 as an original parish of the Louisiana Territory. Its parish seat is Napoleonville. In 2000, its population was 23,388. Assumption is one of the 22 Acadiana parishes. Its major product is sugarcane...
(northwest)
National protected area
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and PreserveJean Lafitte National Historical Park and PreserveJean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve protects significant examples of the rich natural and cultural resources of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta region. The park, named after Jean Lafitte, seeks to illustrate the influence of environment and history on the development of a unique...
(part, in Thibodaux)
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 89,974 people, 32,057 households, and 24,299 families residing in the parish. The latest estimates are at 90,255. 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 83 people per square mile (32/km²). There were 35,045 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 82.85% White
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...
, 12.61% Black
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...
or African American
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...
, 2.30% Native American
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...
, 0.67% Asian
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...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
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...
, 0.58% 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 0.97% from two or more races. 1.43% of the population were Hispanic
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...
or Latino
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...
of any race. 19.12% reported speaking French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
or Cajun French
Cajun French
Cajun French is a variety or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern and southwestern parishes....
at home, while 1.51% speak Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
There were 32,057 households out of which 37.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% 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, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the parish the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $34,910, and the median income for a family was $40,504. Males had a median income of $34,600 versus $19,484 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 parish was $15,809. About 13.20% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 18.30% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Towns
- Golden MeadowGolden Meadow, LouisianaGolden Meadow is a town along Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,193 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its main source of revenue is revenue from property tax, sales tax, and...
- LockportLockport, LouisianaLockport is a town on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,624 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
- Gheens
Census-designated places
|
Larose, Louisiana Larose is a census-designated place in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,306 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:... Mathews, Louisiana Mathews is a census-designated place on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,003 at the 2000 census... Port Fourchon, Louisiana Port Fourchon is Louisiana’s southernmost port, located on the southern tip of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a sea port, with significant petroleum industry traffic from offshore Gulf oil platforms and drilling rigs as well as the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port pipeline... Raceland, Louisiana Raceland is a census-designated place on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 10,224 at the 2000 census... |
Education
The parish is zoned to Lafourche Parish Public SchoolsLafourche Parish Public Schools
Lafourche Parish Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Thibodaux, Louisiana.The district serves all of Lafourche Parish.-School uniforms:Students are required to wear school uniforms .-High schools:...
http://lafourche.k12.la.us.
High schools
- Central LafourcheCentral Lafourche High School]]]]Central Lafourche High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9 through 12 in Mathews, Louisiana, USA about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans. It is one of three high schools in the Lafourche Parish Public Schools district...
in Mathews. - South LafourcheSouth Lafourche High SchoolSouth Lafourche High School is a public secondary school in Cut Off, Louisiana, United States. It is a part of Lafourche Parish.South Lafourche High currently serves the coastal towns and communities of Larose, Louisiana, Cut Off, Galliano, Louisiana, and Golden Meadow, Louisiana...
in Galliano. - Thibodaux HighThibodaux High SchoolThibodaux High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9–12 in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA about 75 miles southwest of New Orleans. It is one of three high schools in the Lafourche Parish Public Schools district...
in Thibodaux.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lafourche Parish, LouisianaNational Register of Historic Places listings in Lafourche Parish, LouisianaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States...
External links
- Lafourche Parish
- Lafourche Parish Public Library
- VisitLafourche.com - Tourist commission site