St. Mary Parish, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saint Mary Parish
|
|
|---|---|
|
Parish
|
|
Main street in Franklin.
|
|
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
|
|
 Louisiana's location within the U.S. |
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Founded | 1811 |
| Named for | Saint Mary |
| Seat | Franklin |
| Largest city | Morgan City |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,119 sq mi (2,900 km2) |
| • Land | 555 sq mi (1,440 km2) |
| • Water | 564 sq mi (1,460 km2) 50% |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 49,406 |
| • Density | 44.152/sq mi (17.047/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
St. Mary Parish (which is Paroisse de Sainte-Marie in French) is a special kind of county in the state of Louisiana. It's located in the southern part of the state. In 2020, about 49,406 people lived there. The main town and government center of the parish is Franklin. St. Mary Parish was officially created way back in 1811.
This parish is part of the Morgan City area. It's also included in a larger region that connects Lafayette, Opelousas, and Morgan City.
Contents
Exploring St. Mary Parish Geography
St. Mary Parish covers a total area of about 1,119 square miles. Interestingly, almost half of this area is water! About 555 square miles are land, and 564 square miles (which is 50%) are water. You can find Cypremort Point State Park here, right on Vermilion Bay. It's a great spot for outdoor fun.
Main Roads in the Parish
Getting around St. Mary Parish is easy with these important roads:
Future Interstate 49
U.S. Highway 90
Louisiana Highway 83
Louisiana Highway 87
Louisiana Highway 182
Louisiana Highway 317
Louisiana Highway 318
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
Neighboring Parishes
St. Mary Parish shares its borders with a few other parishes:
- Iberia Parish to the north
- St. Martin Parish to the east
- Assumption Parish to the southeast
- Terrebonne Parish to the south
Protected Natural Areas
St. Mary Parish has special areas set aside to protect nature. These include both national and state parks or refuges.
National Protected Area
- Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge is a place where wildlife is protected.
State Protected Areas
Part of the Attakapas Wildlife Management Area is located in St. Mary Parish. This area is also shared with St. Martin and Iberia Parishes.
Communities in St. Mary Parish
Here are the different towns and cities you can find in St. Mary Parish:
Cities in the Parish
- Franklin (This is the main town where the parish government is located)
- Morgan City
- Patterson
Towns in the Parish
Census-Designated Places
These are areas that are like towns but don't have their own local government:
Other Unincorporated Areas
These are smaller communities that are not officially cities or towns:
- Centerville
- Florence
- Garden City
People of St. Mary Parish
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 49,406 | −9.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010 |
|||
| 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% |
In 2020, there were 49,406 people living in St. Mary Parish. This included 19,856 households and 11,354 families. The population density was about 87 people per square mile.
Looking back at the year 2000, there were 53,500 people. Many different groups of people live here. About 62.79% of the people were White, and 31.79% were Black or African American. Other groups included Native American, Asian, and people of two or more races. About 2.15% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Many people in the parish speak more than one language. About 5.43% speak French or Cajun French at home. Also, 2.45% speak Spanish, and 1.59% speak Vietnamese.
In 2000, about 36.70% of households had children under 18 living there. The average household had 2.74 people. The average family had 3.23 people.
The median age of people in the parish was 34 years old. This means half the people were younger than 34, and half were older. About 29.70% of the population was under 18.
The median income for a household was $28,072. For a family, it was $33,064. This means half of the households earned more than this amount, and half earned less. About 23.60% of the people in the parish lived below the poverty line.
Education in St. Mary Parish
The St. Mary Parish School Board is in charge of running the public schools in the area. There's also a special school called the Chitimacha Day School. This school is for children from the Chitimacha tribe and is located in Charenton. For older students, the parish is served by Fletcher Technical Community College.
News and Media
St. Mary Parish has two daily newspapers that keep people informed. These are the Morgan City Daily Review and the Franklin Banner-Tribune, which is published in Franklin.
National Guard Presence
A unit of the National Guard, called B Company 2-156TH Infantry Battalion, is based in Franklin, Louisiana. This unit has served in Iraq twice, in 2004-2005 and again in 2010.
Famous People from St. Mary Parish
Many interesting people have come from St. Mary Parish:
- Alexander Allain (1920–1994) was a lawyer who loved libraries. He was considered one of the most important library leaders of the 20th century.
- Bret Allain (born around 1958) is a sugar cane farmer. He is currently a state senator for District 21, representing St. Mary Parish.
- Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock (1915–1987) was a very important politician. He was the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives and later the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana.
- Carl W. Bauer (1933-2013) was a lawyer and lobbyist. He served in both parts of the Louisiana State Legislature.
- Ralph Norman Bauer (1899-1963) was also a lawyer and a former Speaker of the Louisiana House.
- V.J. Bella (born 1927) served as a state representative and later as the state fire marshal.
- Elizabeth Bisland (1861–1929) was a well-known journalist and writer.
- Sally Clausen used to be the president of Southeastern Louisiana University. She was also Louisiana's commissioner of higher education and grew up in St. Mary Parish.
- Thomas G. Clausen was the Louisiana education superintendent from 1984 to 1988. He also grew up in St. Mary Parish.
- Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. (1930-2020) was the governor of Louisiana from 1996 to 2004.
- Elizabeth Francis (1909-2024) was a supercentenarian, meaning she lived to be over 110 years old. She was one of the oldest people in the world before she passed away.
- Sam S. Jones has been a state representative for St. Mary Parish since 2008.
- William Joseph Seymour (born 1870) was a very important African American minister in the 20th century.
- Warren Wells was a professional football player for the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders.
- Dale Hawkins (1936-2010) was a music pioneer known for his "swamp rock boogie" style.
See also
In Spanish: Parroquia de St. Mary para niños
