Saint James Parish, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
St. James Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state
of Louisiana
. The parish seat is Convent
. As of 2000, its population was 21,216.
, but this was moved in 1869 to what is now Convent
, on the east bank. St. James is part of the Acadian Coast
.
St. James is the only cultivation site in the world for Perique tobacco
, introduced by an Acadian
exile, Pierre Chenet, whose nickname was "Perique." It has been produced by his descendants for nearly two centuries (now covering only a 300 acre (1.2 km²) tract) and is in great demand by large tobacco companies.
of 2000, there were 21,216 people, 6,992 households, and 5,551 families residing in the parish. The population density
was 86 people per square mile (33/km²). There were 7,605 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 49.99% White
, 49.38% Black
, 0.09% Native American
, 0.05% Asian
, 0.12% from other races
, and 0.37% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race. 93.78% of the population spoke only English
at home, while 4.97% spoke French
or Cajun French
http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results.
There were 6,992 households out of which 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were married couples
living together, 19.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.60% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the parish the population was spread out with 29.50% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $35,277, and the median income for a family was $41,751. Males had a median income of $37,487 versus $21,712 for females. The per capita income
for the parish was $14,381. 20.70% of the population and 18.00% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 27.70% are under the age of 18 and 15.10% are 65 or older.
Geology
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...
. The parish seat is Convent
Convent, Louisiana
Convent is an unincorporated community in and the parish seat of St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States.It has been the parish seat since 1869.The town took damage during Hurricane Katrina, disrupting parish government activities for several months....
. As of 2000, its population was 21,216.
History
St. James is one of the state's nineteen original parishes, created by act of the territorial legislature, March 31, 1807. The original seat of government was the community of St. James, on the west bank of the MississippiMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, but this was moved in 1869 to what is now Convent
Convent, Louisiana
Convent is an unincorporated community in and the parish seat of St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States.It has been the parish seat since 1869.The town took damage during Hurricane Katrina, disrupting parish government activities for several months....
, on the east bank. St. James is part of the Acadian Coast
Acadian Coast
The Acadian Coast is a name sometimes applied to the section of Louisiana along the Mississippi River settled by the exiled Acadians beginning in 1764. While applying particularly to the present Saint James Parish, the term is sometimes used to designate the Acadian settlements just up the...
.
St. James is the only cultivation site in the world for Perique tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, introduced by an Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
exile, Pierre Chenet, whose nickname was "Perique." It has been produced by his descendants for nearly two centuries (now covering only a 300 acre (1.2 km²) tract) and is in great demand by large tobacco companies.
Geography
The parish has a total area of 258 square miles (668 km²), of which, 246 square miles (637 km²) of it is land and 12 square miles (30 km²) of it (4.52%) is water.Major highways
Interstate 10
U.S. Highway 90
Louisiana Highway 18Louisiana Highway 18Louisiana Highway 18 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, and Jefferson Parishes. Called the Great River Road, it runs from west to east, parallel to the west bank of the Mississippi River, running from Donaldsonville to Gretna. It...
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 44
Louisiana Highway 70Louisiana Highway 70Louisiana Highway 70 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves St. Mary, St. Martin, Assumption, and Ascension Parishes. It is primarily a two-lane highway that spans .-Route description:...
Adjacent parishes
- Ascension ParishAscension Parish, LouisianaAscension Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the fastest growing parish in the state. Its population is 107,215 which is 39.9% greater than the 2000 census...
(north) - 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...
(east) - Lafourche ParishLafourche Parish, LouisianaLafourche 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...
(south) - 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...
(west)
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 21,216 people, 6,992 households, and 5,551 families residing in the parish. 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 86 people per square mile (33/km²). There were 7,605 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 49.99% 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...
, 49.38% 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...
, 0.09% 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...
, 0.05% 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...
, 0.12% 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 0.37% from two or more races. 0.61% 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. 93.78% of the population spoke only English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
at home, while 4.97% spoke 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....
http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results.
There were 6,992 households out of which 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% 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, 19.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.60% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the parish the population was spread out with 29.50% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $35,277, and the median income for a family was $41,751. Males had a median income of $37,487 versus $21,712 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 $14,381. 20.70% of the population and 18.00% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 27.70% are under the age of 18 and 15.10% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns
|
Lutcher, Louisiana Lutcher is a town in St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the East Bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 3,735 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lutcher is located at .... North Vacherie, Louisiana North Vacherie is a census-designated place in St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,411 at the 2000 census. Vacherie was noted in the 2000 as being the town with the least mobility of all the United States.-Geography:... |
South Vacherie, Louisiana South Vacherie is a census-designated place in St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,543 at the 2000 census. In French the name means a cattle range for grazing.-Geography:... |
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in St. James Parish, LouisianaNational Register of Historic Places listings in St. James Parish, LouisianaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in St. James Parish, Louisiana.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States...
- Oak Alley PlantationOak Alley PlantationOak Alley Plantation is a historic plantation located on the Mississippi River in the community of Vacherie, Louisiana. It is protected as a National Historic Landmark...
External links
- St. James Parish government's website
- St. James High School Wildcats
- Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
Geology
- McCulloh, R. P., P. V. Heinrich, and J. Snead, 2003, Ponchatoula 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle. Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.