kids encyclopedia robot

Acadia Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Acadia Parish
Parish
Acadia Parish Courthouse
Acadia Parish Courthouse
Map of Louisiana highlighting Acadia Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Map of the United States highlighting Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Louisiana
Founded June 30, 1886
Named for The Acadians
Seat Crowley
Largest city Crowley
Area
 • Total 657 sq mi (1,700 km2)
 • Land 655 sq mi (1,700 km2)
 • Water 2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 57,576
 • Density 87.63/sq mi (33.836/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 3rd

Acadia Parish (French: Paroisse de l'Acadie) is a special type of county called a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. In 2020, about 57,576 people lived here. The main town and biggest city is Crowley.

Acadia Parish was created in 1886 from parts of St. Landry Parish. Later, the people voted to choose their main town. Crowley won against Rayne and Prairie Hayes. Acadia Parish is part of the larger Lafayette city area.

History of Acadia Parish

The name "Acadia" comes from a former French colony in Canada. This colony included places like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick today. After Britain won a war against France, they took over these lands. The British asked the French-speaking people, called Acadians, to promise loyalty. Many Acadians were then forced to leave their homes.

Some of these Acadians moved to the French colony of Louisiana. This big move was known as the Great Upheaval. These Acadians became known as Cajuns.

Acadia Parish was formed from the southwestern part of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. On May 19, 1886, a bill was introduced to create a new parish. Father Joseph Anthonioz suggested the name "Acadia Parish." The bill passed and was approved by Governor Samuel D. McEnery on June 30, 1886.

On October 6, the people voted to confirm the new parish. Most votes were in favor of creating it. The new parish had about 10,000 to 12,000 people. By 1890, the population grew to 13,231.

On March 1, 1887, Crowley was chosen as the parish seat. It received more votes than Rayne and Prairie Hayes. The first leaders of the parish were also chosen then. The first courthouse in Crowley was finished on June 30, 1888. It was used until 1902 when a new building was built.

Geography of Acadia Parish

Acadia Parish covers about 657 square miles. Most of this area, about 655 square miles, is land. A small part, about 2.3 square miles, is water.

Main Roads

  • I-10.svg Interstate 10
  • US 90.svg U.S. Highway 90
  • US 190.svg U.S. Highway 190
  • Louisiana 13 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 13
  • Louisiana 35 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 35
  • Louisiana 91 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 91
  • Louisiana 92 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 92
  • Louisiana 95 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 95
  • Louisiana 97 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 97
  • Louisiana 98 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 98
  • Louisiana 365 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 365
  • Louisiana 370 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 370
  • Louisiana 1111 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 1111

Neighboring Parishes

Communities in Acadia Parish

Map of Acadia Parish Louisiana With Municipal Labels
Map of Acadia Parish, with municipal labels

Cities

Towns

Villages

Other Areas

Some areas are not officially cities, towns, or villages. These include:

  • Arceneaux
  • Bates
  • Bluff
  • Castile
  • Deshotel
  • Ebenezer
  • Ellis
  • Evangeline
  • Frey
  • Gatte's Cove
  • Gumpoint
  • Hundley
  • Judd
  • Keystone
  • LeJeune Cove
  • Link
  • Little Japan
  • Lyons Point
  • Maxie
  • Mermentau Cove
  • Millerville
  • Mire
  • Mowata
  • Peach Bloom
  • Pitreville
  • Pointe Noire
  • Prairie Hayes
  • Prudhomme
  • Richard
  • Ritchie
  • Robert's Cove
  • Rork
  • Shortbread
  • Tepetate
  • Tortue
  • Tee Mamou
  • Whitehouse
  • Williams

People of Acadia Parish

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890 13,231 —
1900 23,483 77.5%
1910 31,847 35.6%
1920 34,820 9.3%
1930 39,326 12.9%
1940 46,260 17.6%
1950 47,050 1.7%
1960 49,931 6.1%
1970 52,109 4.4%
1980 56,427 8.3%
1990 55,882 −1.0%
2000 58,861 5.3%
2010 61,773 4.9%
2020 57,576 −6.8%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2013
Acadia Parish racial composition as of 2020
Race Number Percentage
White (not Hispanic) 44,115 76.62%
Black or African American (not Hispanic) 9,946 17.27%
Native American 145 0.25%
Asian 163 0.28%
Pacific Islander 2 0.0%
Other/Mixed 1,564 2.72%
Hispanic or Latino 1,641 2.85%

In 2020, there were 57,576 people living in Acadia Parish. There were 22,236 households, which are groups of people living together.

Most people in the parish are white (76.62%). About 17.27% are Black or African American. A small number of people are Native American, Asian, or Pacific Islander. About 2.85% of people are Hispanic or Latino.

Many people in Acadia Parish have French heritage (about 27.4%). Other common backgrounds include German, English, and Irish. About 10% of people in the parish speak a language other than English at home.

Most homes in Acadia Parish are owned by the people living in them (71.1%). The average household has about 3.31 people. About 26.2% of households have children under 18. The average home value was $118,000.

Arts and Culture

Acadia Parish is known for its many festivals and cultural events. These include the International Rice Festival in Crowley and the Frog Festival in Rayne. You can enjoy delicious Cajun food and lively Cajun music at these events.

Some communities in Acadia Parish celebrate Courir de Mardi Gras. During this tradition, people wear masks and costumes. They travel through rural areas, singing and dancing, and asking for ingredients to make gumbo. The gumbo is then shared at a big community meal and dance.

Education in Acadia Parish

Acadia Parish has many schools run by the Acadia Parish Schools.

  • Acadia Parish Head Start - Church Point
  • Church Point Elementary (grades PK-5) (Church Point)
  • Church Point Middle (grades 6–8) (Church Point)
  • Church Point High (grades 9–12) (Church Point)
  • Acadia Parish Head Start - Rayne
  • Central Rayne Kindergarten (grades PK-1) (Rayne)
  • Martin Petitjean Elementary (grades 1–3) (Rayne)
  • South Rayne Elementary (grades 4–5) (Rayne)
  • Armstrong Middle (grades 6–8) (Rayne)
  • Rayne High (grades 9–12) (Rayne)
  • Acadia Parish Head Start - Crowley
  • Crowley Kindergarten (grades PK-K) (Crowley)
  • North Crowley Elementary (grades K-5) (Crowley)
  • Ross Elementary (grades K-5) (Crowley)
  • South Crowley Elementary (grades K-5) (Crowley)
  • Crowley Middle (grades 6–8) (Crowley)
  • Iota Elementary (grades PK-5) (Iota)
  • Iota Middle (grades 6–8) (Iota)
  • Iota High (grades 9–12) (Iota)
  • Acadia Parish Head Start - Estherwood
  • Branch Elementary (grades PK-8) (Branch)
  • Egan Elementary (grades PK-8) (Egan)
  • Estherwood Elementary (grades PK-7) (Estherwood)
  • Evangeline Elementary (grades PK-8) (Evangeline)
  • Mermentau Elementary (grades PK-7) (Mermentau)
  • Mire Elementary (grades PK-8) (unincorporated Rayne)
  • Morse Elementary (grades PK-7) (Morse)
  • Richard Elementary (grades PK-8) (unincorporated Church Point)
  • Crowley High (grades 9–12) (unincorporated Crowley)
  • Midland High (grades 8–12) (unincorporated Midland)

There are also five Catholic schools in Acadia Parish:

  • St. Francis School (grades PK-8) (Iota)
  • Rayne Catholic Elementary School (grades PK-8) (Rayne)
  • St. Michael Elementary School (grades PK-8) (Crowley)
  • Our Mother of Peace Elementary School (grades PK-8) (Church Point)
  • Notre Dame High School (grades 9–12) (Crowley)

One private school also serves the parish:

  • Northside Christian School (grades PK-12) (Crowley)

For higher education, Acadia Parish has:

  • Louisiana State University, Eunice (Eunice)
  • South Louisiana Community College (Acadian Campus in Crowley)

The Acadia Parish Library has branches throughout the parish.

National Guard

C Company 3-156TH Infantry Battalion is located in Crowley, Louisiana. This unit has been deployed to Iraq twice.

Notable People

Many interesting people have come from Acadia Parish:

  • Tommy Casanova (born 1950), a former professional football player.
  • Wayne Toups (born 1958), a popular Cajun musician and singer.
  • Jo-El Sonnier (1946–2024), a country and Cajun singer and accordion player.
  • George Stanley (1903–1970), a sculptor who helped design the famous Oscar statue.
  • Rosie Ledet (born 1971), a Creole and zydeco musician and singer.
  • Taylor Ri'chard (born 1980), a film director and screenwriter.
  • Mary Alice Fontenot (1910–2003), a journalist and author of children's books.
  • Johnnie Allan (born 1938), a musician and singer who helped create the swamp pop music style.
  • Edwin Edwards (1927–2021), a former Governor of Louisiana.
  • Tony Robichaux (1961–2019), a successful college baseball coach.
  • Chris John (born 1960), a former U.S. Representative.
  • John Breaux (born 1944), a former U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Parroquia de Acadia para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Acadia Parish, Louisiana Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.