Crowley (Local pronunciation: ) is a city in, and the
parish seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
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 ...
in the
U.S. state of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
.
At the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...
, Crowley had a population of 11,710. Crowley is the principal city of the Crowley
micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Acadia Parish. It is also part of the larger
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...
–
Acadiana
Acadiana ( French and Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane''), also known as the Cajun Country ( Louisiana French: ''Le Pays Cadjin'', es, País Cajún), is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained ...
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 ...
and
. They lived with their three children, P.L. Jr., Pattee, and Jack at 219 East 2nd Street. The house was burned down in a fire a few years later.
The town was named after Pat Crowley, an Irish railroad owner who brought the railroad depot to W.W. Duson's land. Descendants of founder W.W. Duson continue to live in Crowley.
Geography
According to the
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. The Census Bureau is part 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 th ...
passes through the city with
Kaplan, which is located in
Vermilion Parish, being located 19 miles southeast and
Eunice, 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 18t ...
and
St. Landry 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 ...
. The city of
Jennings is located 17 miles west 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 ...
.
Climate
Demographics
At the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...
, there were 11,710 people, 4,807 households, and 2,934 families residing in the city. At the 2019
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educat ...
, there were 4,807 households.
In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 58.5%
non-Hispanic or Latino white, 34.8%
Black or African American, <0.0%
Asian, 0.4% some other race, 1.9%
two or more races, and 4.4%
Hispanic and Latin American of any race. At the
2000 U.S. census, the racial and ethic makeup was 67.83%
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.
Hawa ...
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. 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 fr ...
, 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 pow ...
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 ca ...
*
Jack Brooks, 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
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, a ...
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
Thomas Henry Casanova III (born July 29, 1950) is a former American football player and politician. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals for six seasons and was invited to three Pro Bowls, as ...
, 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, regarded as the world's preeminent wedding photographer and pioneer of the quiet documentary style known as wedding photojournalism.
*
Edwin Edwards, former governor of Louisiana, U.S. representative, and state senator
*
Jim Gueno, Green Bay Packers linebacker from 1976 to 1980
*
Winsor Harmon
Winsor Dewey Harmon III (born November 22, 1963) is an American actor best known for his role as Thorne Forrester on the American soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. He took over the role from Jeff Trachta in December 1996 and stayed wit ...
, soap opera actor born on the day of the
John F. Kennedy assassination
*
Eric Hetzel, 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 ei ...
*
Chris John, former Democratic 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
and the Louisiana House of Representatives
*
Edward "Kidd" Jordan,
jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator
*
Victoria Reggie Kennedy
Victoria Anne Kennedy (née Reggie; born February 26, 1954) is an American diplomat, attorney and activist who has served as the United States Ambassador to Austria since 2022. She is the widow and the second wife of longtime U.S. Senator Ted ...
, native of Crowley, second wife of the late Senator
Edward M. Kennedy
*
Rose Wilder Lane
Rose Wilder Lane (December 5, 1886 – October 30, 1968) was an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, political theorist and daughter of American writer Laura Ingalls Wilder. Along with two other female writers, Ayn Rand and Isabel P ...
, author James, Angelina and Laura are buried in the local cemetery.
''Laura Ann Wilder Howard''
on 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 fi ...
* J. D. "Jay" Miller, composer, musician, recording engineer
*Phil Phillips
John Philip Baptiste (March 14, 1926 – March 14, 2020), known as Phil Phillips, was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1959 song, " Sea of Love".
Biography
Baptiste was encouraged to pursue a career as a singer after a scho ...
, 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 ...
songs under the name Johnny Rebel
* Godfrey Zaunbrecher, American football player
References
External links
City of Crowley
Crowley Chamber of Commerce
International Rice Festival
held every third weekend in October
Acadia Parish Library
{{Authority control
Acadiana
Cities in Louisiana
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 ...
Cities in Acadia Parish, Louisiana
Populated places established in 1887
1887 establishments in Louisiana
Cities in Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area