Vermilion Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vermilion Parish
Parish
Museum at Gueydan, Louisiana
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	1844
Named for	Vermilion River and Bay
Seat	Abbeville
Largest city	Abbeville
Area
• Total	1,542 sq mi (3,990 km2)
• Land	1,173 sq mi (3,040 km2)
• Water	369 sq mi (960 km2)  24%
Population  (2020)
• Total	57,359
• Density	37.198/sq mi (14.362/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Vermilion Parish (which means "Vermillion Parish" in French) is a special kind of county in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was created in 1844. The main town and government center is Abbeville.

Vermilion Parish is located in southern Acadiana, a region known for its unique French-Cajun culture. It is also part of the larger Lafayette metropolitan area. In 2020, about 57,359 people lived here.

Over the last few decades, some parts of the southern parish have been washed away by water. This happened especially after big storms like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in 2005.

History of Vermilion Parish

For thousands of years, different groups of Indigenous peoples lived in this area. By the time European explorers arrived, the Chitimacha and Atakapa tribes were living here. They were the first American Indians that Spanish and French explorers and settlers met. Sadly, many of these tribes' people died because they caught European diseases.

By the late 1700s, people from different backgrounds had moved into the area. These included French and Spanish settlers, and Africans who were brought here as enslaved people. French-Canadians from Acadia also arrived. They had been forced to leave their homes after the Seven Years' War, which Great Britain won.

Over time, many people in the parish became Cajun, and French was the main language spoken for many years. In the mid-to-late 1800s, more people came. These included European Americans and immigrants from Italy who came to work on farms. There were also Jewish immigrants from Germany and eastern Europe who often became merchants in the towns.

Geography of Vermilion Parish

Vermilion Parish covers a total area of about 1,542 square miles. About 1,173 square miles of this is land, and 369 square miles (24%) is water. This makes it the fifth-largest parish in Louisiana by total area. The Gulf of Mexico is located just south of the parish.

Main Roads

• U.S. Highway 167
• Louisiana Highway 13
• Louisiana Highway 14
• Louisiana Highway 82
• Louisiana Highway 89
• Louisiana Highway 91
• Louisiana Highway 92
• Louisiana Highway 330
• Louisiana Highway 331
• Louisiana Highway 338
• Louisiana Highway 339
• Louisiana Highway 343

Neighboring Parishes

• Acadia Parish (north)
• Lafayette Parish (northeast)
• Iberia Parish (east)
• Cameron Parish (west)
• Jefferson Davis Parish (northwest)

Towns and Communities

Vermilion Parish has several towns and communities.

Cities

• Abbeville (This is the main town and where the parish government is located.)
• Kaplan

Towns

• Delcambre (part of this town is in Vermilion Parish)
• Erath
• Gueydan
• Maurice

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially cities or towns.

People of Vermilion Parish

Vermilion Parish is home to many Cajun people. The population has grown quite a bit over the years. In 1850, there were just over 3,400 people. By 2020, the population had grown to 57,359 people.

The parish is very diverse. Here's a look at the different groups of people living in Vermilion Parish as of 2020:

In 2000, about 24.89% of people spoke French or Cajun French at home. A smaller number spoke Vietnamese (1.64%) or Spanish (1.02%). By 2019, about 3.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latin American.

In 2000, about 37.10% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many families were married couples living together (55.50%). The average household had 2.67 people. In 2019, about 77% of people owned their homes. The typical value for a home was $122,200.

Education in Vermilion Parish

The Vermilion Parish School Board is in charge of most public schools in the parish. However, some schools that serve the town of Delcambre are run by the Iberia Parish School System. The Vermilion Parish district pays the Iberia parish district to educate students from Delcambre who live in Vermilion Parish.

Public Schools (Vermilion Parish School Board)

• Cecil Picard Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Maurice)
• Dozier Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Erath)
• Eaton Park Elementary (Grades PK-2) (Abbeville)
• Forked Island - E. Broussard Elementary (Grades PK-8) (Abbeville)
• Indian Bayou Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Rayne)
• James A. Herod Elementary (Grades 3–5) (Abbeville)
• Jesse Owens Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Gueydan)
• Kaplan Elementary (Grades PK-4) (Kaplan)
• Leblanc Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Abbeville)
• Meaux Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Abbeville)
• Seventh Ward Elementary (Grades PK-5) (Abbeville)
• Erath Middle (Grades 6–8) (Erath)
• J. H. Williams Middle (Grades 6–8) (Abbeville)
• North Vermilion Middle (Grades 6–8) (Maurice)
• Rene A. Rost Middle (Grades 5–8) (Kaplan)
• Abbeville High (Grades 9–12) (Abbeville)
• Erath High School (Grades 9–12) (Erath)
• Gueydan High (Grades 6–12) (Gueydan)
• Kaplan High (Grades 9–12) (Kaplan)
• North Vermilion High (Grades 9–12) (Maurice)

Catholic Schools (Diocese of Lafayette)

The Diocese of Lafayette also runs three schools in Vermilion Parish:

• Maltrait Memorial School (Grades PK-8) (Kaplan)
• Mt. Carmel Catholic School (Grades PK-8) (Abbeville)
• Vermilion Catholic High School (Grades 9–12) (Abbeville)

Other Private Schools

There are two other private schools in the parish:

• Harvest Time Christian Academy (Grades PK-12) (Abbeville)
• Lighthouse Christian High School (Grades 9–12) (Abbeville)

Higher Education

For students looking to continue their education after high school, Vermilion Parish has one college:

• South Louisiana Community College Gulf Area Campus (Abbeville)

See also

In Spanish: Parroquia de Vermilion para niños