Crowley (Local pronunciation: ) is a city in, and the parish seat of,
Acadia Parish
Acadia Parish (french: link=no, Paroisse de l'Acadie) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 57,576. The parish seat is Crowley. The parish was founded from parts of St. Landry Parish ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
combined statistical area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
.
History
Crowley was founded in 1886 by C.C. Duson and W.W. Duson. Incorporated in 1887, W.W. Duson, General Manager of Southwest Louisiana Land Company, plotted and developed Crowley. W.W. Duson's daughter, Maime Duson, married Percy Lee Lawrence, who founded the First National Bank of Crowley. The 7-story building was once the tallest building between
Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Louisiana Highway 13
Louisiana Highway 13 (LA 13) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in a north–south direction from LA 14 west of Kaplan to US 167 in Turkey Creek.
The route connects several small population centers in the ...
passes through the city with Kaplan, which is located in Vermilion Parish, being located 19 miles southeast and
Eunice
Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia.
Pe ...
, located in both
Acadia
Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early ...
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
, is located 20 miles north. The city of Rayne is located 9 miles east of Crowley via U.S. Highway 90 and
I-10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...
I-10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...
White American
White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...
, 30.98% Black or African American, 0.15%
American Indian and Alaska Native
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States (Indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Alaska and territories of the United States are ...
, 0.29% Asian, 0.01%
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawai ...
or other Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latin Americans were 1.10% of the population.
There were 4,807 households, and 33.5% were married couples living together, 18.5% male households with no female present, and 41.8% female households with no male present. The average family size was 3.34.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 5.4% aged 5 and under, 72.4% aged 18 and older, and 17.2% aged 65 and older. The median age was 37.7 years, up from 35 years at the 2000 United States census.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,972. Family households had a median income of $31,168, married couples had a median income of $50,066, and non-family households had a median income of $19,138. An estimated 37.1% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.
Arts and culture
Crowley is noted for its annual
International Rice Festival
The International Rice Festival is an annual festival held during the third weekend in October in Crowley, Louisiana, celebrating rice. The event is Louisiana, Louisiana's the oldest agricultural festival, and one of the state's largest. The fir ...
. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of the World", because at one time it was a major center for rice harvesting and milling. Today, Crowley still has a number of rice mills and rice is the main crop of many local farmers.
Education
The Crowley High School "Fighting Gents" were State Division 3A champions in the 1989 football season and had an 8-2 regular season.
Crowley is also the home of Notre Dame High School. Notre Dame is an Acadia Parish-wide Catholic high school whose football program has won six state championships and numerous District Champion titles, in addition to numerous state championships in other sports, such as men's baseball, women's softball, men's tennis, men's track & field, and women's volleyball.
Notable people
*
John Breaux
John Berlinger Breaux (; born March 1, 1944) is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician who was a member of the United States Senate from Louisiana from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives ...
, member of
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and ...
and
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
*
Jack Brooks Jack Brooks may refer to:
* Jack Brooks (cricketer) (born 1984), English cricketer
*Jack Brooks (footballer) (1904–1973), English footballer
*Jack Brooks (lyricist) (1912–1971), British-American lyricist
*Jack Brooks (American politician) (1922� ...
, member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...
from
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
from 1953 to 1995 and Chairman of the
House Judiciary Committee
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, ...
from 1989 to 1995, born in Crowley
*
Pimp C
Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK).
S ...
, deceased record producer and rapper
* Tommy Casanova, Three-time all American LSU football 1969,70,71. A four-time All-Pro
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
defensive back/punt returner from 1972 to 1977, former Louisiana State Senator.
* Bill Cleveland, Crowley real estate developer and member of both houses of Louisiana state legislature from 1944 to 1964; defeated for third term in state Senate in 1964 by Edwin Edwards
*
Denis Reggie
Denis Reggie is an American photographer who popularized the genre of wedding photojournalism.Edwin Edwards
Edwin Washington Edwards (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the U.S. representative for from 1965 to 1972 and as the 50th governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972� ...
, former governor of Louisiana, U.S. representative, and state senator
*
Jim Gueno
Jim Gueno is a former linebacker in the National Football League.
Biography
Gueno was born James Andre Gueno on January 15, 1954 in Crowley, Louisiana.
Career
Gueno was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the ninth round of the 1976 NFL Draft a ...
, Green Bay Packers linebacker from 1976 to 1980
* Winsor Harmon, soap opera actor born on the day of the
John F. Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle w ...
*
Eric Hetzel
Eric Paul Hetzel (born September 25, 1963) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played between 1989 and 1990 for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at 6' 3", 175 lb., Hetzel batted and threw right-handed. He was selected by Bosto ...
, former pitcher for the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...
Edward M. Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
Find a Grave
Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present f ...
* J. D. "Jay" Miller, composer, musician, recording engineer
* Phil Phillips, American singer and songwriter
* Orlando Thomas, Minnesota Vikings defensive back from 1995 to 2001
*Clifford Joseph Trahan, recorded
white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...
Godfrey Zaunbrecher
Godfrey William Zaunbrecher (born December 17, 1946) is a former American football center who played three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the eleventh round of ...
Cities
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...