Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of,
Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish ( ; French: ''Paroisse de Terrebonne'') is a parish located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 census, the population was 111,860, and 110,461 in 2019. In 2020, its population declined to 109,58 ...
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 sover ...
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 ...
. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma–
Bayou Cane–
Thibodaux
Thibodaux ( ) is a city in, and the parish seat of, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 15,948 at the 2020 census. Thibodaux is a principal city ...
metropolitan statistical area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
. The city's government was absorbed by the
parish
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 ...
in 1984, which currently operates as the Terrebonne Parish
Consolidated Government.
The population was 33,727 at the
2010 census, an increase of 1,334 over the
2000 census tabulation of 32,393. In 2020, the
population estimates program The Population Estimates Program (PEP) is a program of the U.S. Census Bureau that publishes annual population estimates and estimates of birth, death, and international migration rates for people in the United States. In addition to publishing tho ...
determined 32,467 people lived in the city.
At the
2020 census, its population rebounded to 33,406.
Many unincorporated areas are adjacent to the city of Houma. The largest,
Bayou Cane, is an urbanized area commonly referred to by locals as being part of Houma, but it is not included in the city's census counts, and is a separate
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
. If the populations of the urbanized census-designated places were included with that of the city of Houma, the total would exceed 60,000 residents.
Houma was rated as an "affordable" city by ''
Demographia
Wendell Cox is an American urban policy analyst and proponent of the use of the private car over rail projects. He is the principal and sole owner of Wendell Cox Consultancy/Demographia, based in the St. Louis metropolitan region and editor of thre ...
s 2013 International Housing Survey.
Etymology
The city was named after the historic Native American tribe of
Houma people
The Houma () are a historic Native American people of Louisiana on the east side of the Red River of the South. Their descendants, the Houma people or organization "The United Houma Nation", have been recognized by the state as a tribe since 1 ...
, believed to be related to the
Choctaw
The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native American people originally based in the Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choctaw people are ...
. The
United Houma Nation
The Houma () are a historic Native American people of Louisiana on the east side of the Red River of the South. Their descendants, the Houma people or organization "The United Houma Nation", have been recognized by the state as a tribe since 1 ...
is recognized by the state of Louisiana, but it has not achieved federal recognition.
History
Settled by the
Chitimacha
The Chitimacha ( ; or ) are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans who live in the U.S. state of Louisiana, mainly on their reservation in St. Mary Parish near Charenton on Bayou Teche. They are the only Indigenous people in the s ...
and then the
Houma Indians prior to
European colonization
The historical phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Turks, and the Arabs.
Colonialism in the modern sense began ...
, Houma was soon named for the Houma Indians who were at Ouiski Point. Land claimed for the Houma Indians by the Spanish was not recognized by the United States after the
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...
.
Present-day Houma was formed in 1832; the city was incorporated in 1848. The area was developed for sugar cane
plantations
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
in the
antebellum years. Plantations were sited along the rivers and bayous in order to have access to water transportation.
Civil War
In 1862, four
Union soldiers
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
traveling by wagon from
to Houma were ambushed by several armed citizens. Two of the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
men were killed, and the other two were seriously wounded. In retaliation, Union officers brought 400 troops into Houma, and began a wholesale arrest of residents. In his 1963 book ''The Civil War in Louisiana'', historian
John D. Winters
John David Winters (December 23, 1916 – December 9, 1997)John D. Winters obituary, '' Ruston Daily Leader'', December 10, 1997 was an American historian at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. He is known for his monograph ''T ...
describes the following events:
The investigation of the murders lasted several days but failed to reveal the guilty parties. To frighten the citizens, the home of a Doctor Jennings was burned, two other houses were torn down, and the home and slave quarters of an outlying plantation were burned. The soldiers next began to seize sheep, cattle, mules, wagons, and saddle horses. Negroes began to desert their masters and to flock to the protection of the troops. The frightened citizens had no means of resistance, and many found it hard to stand by and see their country despoiled by a few hundred troops.
Reconstruction to present
Sugar cane continued to be important after the war and into the 20th century.
On January 24, 1970, an accidental gas explosion killed three people and caused extensive damage downtown. Latour's Jewelry Store was destroyed.
In 1984, the city and parish consolidated their governments.
In 2008 Bill Ellzey, a columnist at ''
Houma Today
Houma can refer to:
*Houma, Louisiana, city in the United States
*Houma, Shanxi, city in China
*Houma people, a Native American group
*Houma language, a Western Muskogean language
*Houma, meaning ''cape'', the name of some capes in Tonga and villa ...
'', wrote that area residents were often unaware of the Houma city boundaries as the city and parish governments had consolidated.
In late August 2021 Houma was struck by the intense eye-wall of category 4
Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida was a deadly and extremely destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2021 that became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana on record, behind Hurricane Katrina in 200 ...
causing widespread damage.
Geography
Houma is located at (29.587614, -90.716108) and has an elevation of above sea level.
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 the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.92%) is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild, sometimes warm winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Houma has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
![The Twin Spans Bridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/The_Twin_Spans_Bridge.jpg)
As of 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 of ...
, there were 33,406 people, 12,612 households, and 7,970 families residing in the city.
According to 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, educati ...
, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 62.1%
non-Hispanic white
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
, 23.3%
Black or African American, 0.3%
Asian alone, 0.1% some other race, 3.9%
two or more races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...
, and 4.3%
Hispanic and Latin American of any race. At the 2010 census, the racial make up of the city was 67.46%
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 ...
, 20.62% Black or African American, 5.45%
American Indian and Alaska Native
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and #Terminology differences, other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States (Indigenous peopl ...
, 1.71% Asian, 0.12%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.68% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.87% from two or more races; Hispanics and Latin Americans of any race were 5.76% of the population.
In 2019, the median age was 36.8. Of the population aged 18 and older, they made 75.9% of the demographic; 8.1% of the population were aged 5 and under; 14.6% were aged 65 and older. The median income for a household at the 2019 American Community Survey was $42,949 and 23.8% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.
Education
Terrebonne Parish School District
Terrebonne Parish School District is a school district headquartered in Bayou Cane, an unincorporated area in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, near Houma. The district serves residents in Terrebonne Parish, including the city of Houma as well as the ...
operates the city and parish public schools. Houma is home to Louisiana's second-oldest high school,
Terrebonne High School
Terrebonne High School is a high school in Houma, Louisiana. It is a part of the Terrebonne Parish School District.
History
In 1969 Southdown High School (originally Houma Colored High School), which educated black students in Terrebonne Parish, ...
.
South Terrebonne High School
South Terrebonne High School is a public secondary school in Bourg, Louisiana, United States. It is a part of the Terrebonne Parish School District.
South Terrebonne High currently serves the coastal communities of Bourg, Chauvin, Montegut, ...
was founded in 1961.
H.L. Bourgeois High School
H. L. Bourgeois High School is a public high school in Gray, Louisiana, United States and one of four traditional high schools in the Terrebonne Parish School District. The school is named after Henry Louis Bourgeois, an educator who served as sup ...
,
Ellender Memorial High School
Ellender Memorial High School, is a public high school located in Houma, Louisiana, United States. It is within the Terrebonne Parish School District and is the fourth public high school to open in that district.
Ellender Memorial High School was ...
and
Vandebilt Catholic High School
Vandebilt Catholic High School is a private diocesan co-educational institution for grades 8-12 located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana and in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. It is located in the unincorporated area of Bayou Cane, ...
are also in Terrebonne Parish.
Southdown High School
Southdown High School was a segregated school for black people in Houma, Louisiana. It was a part of Terrebonne Parish School District
It opened in 1946 as Houma Colored High School, and in 1949 it became South''t''own High School. In 1952 grad ...
(originally Houma Colored High School) was constructed in the mid-20th century as a segregated school for black students, serving them exclusively from 1946 to 1969. After that the school was integrated as a result of 1964 civil rights legislation.
Culture
Houma and the surrounding communities are steeped in the French, Native, Cajun, African and Creole history of the region. Originally the region was colonized by
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
who made their way south through
Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Lafourche ( ), originally called Chetimachas River or La Fourche des Chetimaches, (the fork of the Chitimacha), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 b ...
. In the late 18th century, numerous
Acadians
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the des ...
(later known as
Cajuns
The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
While Cajuns are usually described as ...
) settled in the region. The Acadians had been expelled by the British from Nova Scotia during the Seven Years' War for their unwillingness to take a loyalty oath to the British King. The number expelled was about 15,000 in number, of which 3,000 eventually settled in this region. Others went to France. As the French, Spanish, Acadians and Native American people mixed over the decades, a unique Cajun culture was born.
The swampland around Houma resulted in the area being quite isolated from the rest of Louisiana and the United States well into the 1930. Outside influences such as radio and concomitant popular culture failed to penetrate Cajun culture, so Cajun culture and the use of French language in this region persevered much longer than in cities on the border of Cajun country, such as
Lake Charles or
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of 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-sma ...
. Traditional Cajun culture in Houma includes the French language,
Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine (french: cuisine cadienne , es, cocina acadiense) is a style of cooking developed by the Cajun–Acadians who were deported from Acadia to Louisiana during the 18th century and who incorporated West African, French and Spanish co ...
, and celebration of Catholic festivals such as
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...
. That folk culture remains evident today and attracts many tourists to the region.
In the 1970s, many South Vietnamese refugees emigrated following the reunification of Vietnam. They settled in Southern Louisiana to work as shrimpers, just as they had in Vietnam. A fairly significant portion of them settled in New Orleans, and many settled in Houma as well, in addition to elsewhere along the Gulf Coast. Many ethnic Vietnamese families still work at shrimping, as their families have for several decades.
Downtown Houma has been designated as an
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. It offers a downtown walking tour and attractions such as the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum, the Folklife Culture Center, the Regional Military Museum, Southdown Plantation, the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, monuments to local armed forces, and local eateries.
Although Houma is quickly changing, many residents in the surrounding communities continue to make their living from the Gulf as their ancestors did. They harvest
shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
,
oyster
Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not al ...
,
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
,
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
, and engage in trapping, although more have shifted to work in occupations of the oil industry and shipbuilding. According to the United States Government Patent and Trademark Office, Houma, Louisiana was the site of the deepest oil well in Terrebonne Parish.
Tab Benoit
Tab Benoit (born November 17, 1967) is an American blues guitarist, musician, and singer. His playing combines a number of blues styles, primarily Delta blues.
He plays a stock 1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline electric guitar and writes his own ...
's Voice of the Wetlands Music Festival, established in 2005, takes place in Houma, annually in October.
Media
The local newspaper is ''
The Courier'', founded in 1878 as ''Le Courrier de Houma'' by the French-born Lafayette Bernard Filhucan Bazet. He first published it in four-page, half-French half-English editions. Sold to
The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American mass media company that publishes ''The New York Times''. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, New York City.
History
The company was founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones in New York City. T ...
in 1980, it is now part of GateHouse Media.
The ''Houma Times'' is located in Houma. The newspaper is a weekly publication with a website updated daily. It serves the Terrebonne, Lafourche, and St. Mary parishes. In 2014, Houma-based Rushing Media merged with Guidry Group, Inc., which had owned the publication since its inception in 1997.
The area's only local broadcast TV station,
KFOL-CD
KFOL-CD, virtual and UHF digital channel 30, is a low-power, Class A independent television station licensed to Houma, Louisiana, United States. The station is owned by Folse Communications (owned by station manager and news anchor Martin Fo ...
, is located in Houma. KFOL, also known as HTV, produces a weeknight newscast, followed by local phone calls and guests. Other shows include ''Sportsman's Paradise'' and ''One on One''. KFOL broadcasts in digital on channel 30.1. The statewide TV network
LCN-TV produces original Louisiana programming which showcases Louisiana's entertainment, culture, talent and industry. LCN-TV is delivered to all media distributors. Debuted in 2007, LCN-TV continues to produce Louisiana TV shows for the U.S.
The following radio stations are located in the Houma-Thibodaux metropolitan area:
Transportation
Houma is served by
Houma-Terrebonne Airport, located southeast of the central business district.
Good Earth Transit is Houma's parish bus system. It has five major routes and serves the surrounding suburban areas, including the small bayou communities and the city of
Thibodaux
Thibodaux ( ) is a city in, and the parish seat of, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 15,948 at the 2020 census. Thibodaux is a principal city ...
.
Houma relies mainly on roads and personal vehicles as the main form of transportation. The major roads in Houma are:
*
US Route 90
U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...
(Future
I-49
Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in S ...
)
*
LA HWY 311
* Tunnel Boulevard (
LA 3040)
*
LA 24 (locally called West Park Avenue (westbound) and Main Street (eastbound))
*
LA 182 (New Orleans Boulevard)
* South and North Hollywood Road
* St. Louis Canal Road
* Savanne Road
* Valhi Boulevard
Notable people
*
George Arceneaux
George Arceneaux Jr. (May 17, 1928 – April 6, 1993) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Education and career
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Arceneaux received a Bachel ...
,
U.S. District Court
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
judge from 1979 until his death in office in 1993
*
Tab Benoit
Tab Benoit (born November 17, 1967) is an American blues guitarist, musician, and singer. His playing combines a number of blues styles, primarily Delta blues.
He plays a stock 1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline electric guitar and writes his own ...
, blues musician and co-star of the
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
movie feature ''
Hurricane on the Bayou
''Hurricane on the Bayou'' is an American 2006 documentary film that focuses on the wetlands of Louisiana before and after Hurricane Katrina.
''Hurricane on the Bayou'' is both a documentary of Hurricane Katrina's effects and a call to restore ...
''
*
Sherman A. Bernard
Sherman Albert Bernard Sr. (June 10, 1925 – May 11, 2012) was an American businessman from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish in the New Orleans suburbs, who served from 1972 to 1988 as the Insurance commissioner, Louisiana Commissio ...
,
Louisiana insurance commissioner The Louisiana Insurance Commissioner is a statewide constitutional office that regulates the insurance industry in Louisiana. The Insurance Commissioner serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of Insurance, which consists of ten divisions; Co ...
from 1972 to 1988, graduated from Terrebonne High School in Houma
*
Elward Thomas Brady, Jr., state representative from Terrebonne Parish from 1972 to 1976; businessman
*
Wanda Brister
Wanda Brister (born August 12, 1957) is an American operatic mezzo-soprano and voice teacher.
Biography
Born in Houma, Louisiana, she has appeared throughout the Americas, Europe, and South America. She matriculated at Loyola University of the Sou ...
, operatic mezzo-soprano, presently on the faculty at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
*
Joe Burks, professional athlete
*
Leonard J. Chabert
Leonard Joseph Chabert, I (November 18, 1932 – September 26, 1991), of Houma, Louisiana, was a member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature. He was born in rural Chauvin in
Terrebonne Parish in South Louisiana.
Political caree ...
, member of both houses of Louisiana State Legislature from Terrebonne Parish; namesake of Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma
*
Marty J. Chabert, former state senator from Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes
*
Norby Chabert
Norbert Nolty Chabert, known as Norby Chabert (born November 28, 1975), is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate. Initially elected as a Democrat, Chabert became a Republican in 2011, criticizing the response of Barack Obama to the Deepwa ...
, current Republican member of Louisiana State Senate from Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes
*
Richie Cunningham
Richard J. Cunningham is a fictional character played by Ron Howard in the 1970s TV sitcom ''Happy Days''. He is the second son of Howard and Marion Cunningham, brother of Joanie Cunningham and Chuck Cunningham, and a friend of Fonzie, Ralph Ma ...
, professional athlete
*
Allen J. Ellender
Allen Joseph Ellender (September 24, 1890 – July 27, 1972) was an American politician and lawyer who was a U.S. Senator from Louisiana from 1937 until his death. He was a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who was originally allied ...
(1890–1972), former
president pro tempore
A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...
and Democratic U.S. Senator
*
Anthony Freeman,
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
writer and religious
*
Shane Gibson (musician)
Shane Paul Gibson (February 21, 1979 – April 15, 2014) was an American musician best known for being the touring guitarist for the American metal group Korn, after the departure of Brian "Head" Welch in February 2005. He also played the lea ...
, guitarist for
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
*
Skyler Green
Skyler Levon Green (born September 12, 1984 in Houma, Louisiana) is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and New Orleans Saints. He also was a me ...
,
wide receiver and
return specialist
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...
*
Johnny Hartman
John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer who specialized in ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for hi ...
(1923-1983), jazz singer
*
Hal Haydel
John Harold Haydel (July 9, 1944 - September 12, 2018) was an American professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Haydel signed with the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1962. Later that year, he was drafted ...
, professional athlete
*
Cyril and Libbye Hellier, operatic sopranos
*
Brandon Jacobs
Brandon Christopher Jacobs (born July 6, 1982) is a former American football running back, who spent the majority of his career with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Coffeyville, Auburn, ...
, NFL running back
*
Frank Lewis, professional athlete
*
Morris Lottinger, Jr., former state representative and retired circuit court judge from Houma
*
Morris Lottinger, Sr., state representative from 1936 to 1950,
House Speaker from 1948 to 1950, and state circuit court judge until retirement in 1965
*
Jesse Marcel
Jesse Marcel Sr. (1907 – 1986) was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force who helped administer Operation Crossroads, the 1946 atom bomb tests at the Bikini atoll. He was a key figure in the 1947 Roswell alleged UFO incident, which ...
, lieutenant colonel in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
who helped administer
Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity in July 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices since the ...
*
Elijah McGuire
Elijah Lamont McGuire Jr. (born June 1, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Early years
McGuire attended and played high school football for Van ...
, NFL running back for the New York Jets
*
Jay Pennison
Jay Leslie Pennison (born September 9, 1961 in Houma, Louisiana) is a former professional American football center who played in the United States Football League (USFL) and the National Football League (NFL).
Early years
Pennison is a graduate ...
, professional athlete
*
Audie Pitre
Acid Bath was an American sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana, active from 1991 to 1997. Acid Bath combined doom metal roots with influences from hardcore punk, death metal, gothic rock, and blues to create the band's unique sound. They br ...
, bassist for
Acid Bath
Acid Bath was an American sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana, active from 1991 to 1997. Acid Bath combined doom metal roots with influences from hardcore punk, death metal, gothic rock, and blues to create the band's unique sound. T ...
, killed in a head-on collision in 1997.
*
Lloyd Pye,
ancient astronauts
Ancient astronauts (or ancient aliens) refers to a pseudoscientific hypothesis which holds that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times. Proponents suggest that this ...
proponent
*
Dax Riggs
Dax David Riggs (born October 15, 1973) is an American musician, best known for fronting the sludge metal band Acid Bath in the 1990s. He has been a part of many projects since then, including Agents of Oblivion and Deadboy & the Elephantmen. I ...
, frontman for
Acid Bath
Acid Bath was an American sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana, active from 1991 to 1997. Acid Bath combined doom metal roots with influences from hardcore punk, death metal, gothic rock, and blues to create the band's unique sound. T ...
, Deadboy and the Elephantmen, Agents of Oblivion, others
*
Chloe Suazo, Actress
*
Quvenzhané Wallis
Quvenzhané Wallis ( ; born August 28, 2003) is an American actress and author. In 2012, she starred as Hushpuppy in the drama film ''Beasts of the Southern Wild'' (2012), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becomi ...
, young film actress (''
Beasts of the Southern Wild
''Beasts of the Southern Wild'' is a 2012 American fantasy-drama film directed, co-written, and co-scored by Benh Zeitlin. It was adapted by Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar from Alibar's one-act play ''Juicy and Delicious''. The film stars Quvenzhané W ...
'', 2012)
*
J. Louis Watkins, Jr., judge of
Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal from 1979 to 1997; former attorney in Houma
*
Justin Williams (baseball)
Justin Paul Williams (born August 20, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and St. ...
, MLB Outfielder
*
Tramon Williams
Tramon Vernell Williams Sr. (born March 16, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Louisiana Tech, and was signed by the Houston Texans as an un ...
, professional athlete
Twin towns
*
Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...
,
Nord
Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to:
Acronyms
* National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization
* New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Film and televisi ...
,
Hauts-de-France
Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
*
Datça
Datça is a district of Muğla Province in south-west Turkey, and the center town of the district. The center is situated midway through the peninsula which carries the same name as the district and the town (Datça Peninsula). It was a nahiya of ...
,
Muğla Province
Muğla Province ( tr, , ) is a province of Turkey, at the country's south-western corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its seat is Muğla, about inland, while some of Turkey's largest holiday resorts, such as Bodrum, Ölüdeniz, Marmaris and Fethiye, are ...
, Turkey
*
Bathurst, New Brunswick
Bathurst ( 2021 population; UA 12,157 ) is the largest City in Northern New Brunswick, it overlooks the Nepisiguit Bay, part of Chaleur Bay and is at the estuary of the Nepisiguit River. As part of the New Brunswick local governance reform , e ...
, Canada
* In June 2012, Terrebonne Parish signed a letter of intent to become a sister city with Weihai, China, for economic development purposes.
In popular culture
The 2022 film Where the crawdads sing was filmed in and around Houma.
*Houma and the surrounding area are the setting for the fictional ''
Swamp Thing
The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...
''
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s.
*
V. C. Andrews' novel ''
Ruby
A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sa ...
'' (1994) is also set here.
*The
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...
is based at Belle Reve in Houma.
*The 1999 films ''
Crazy in Alabama
''Crazy in Alabama'' is a 1999 American comedy-drama film directed by Antonio Banderas and based on Mark Childress' 1993 novel of the same name. The film stars Melanie Griffith as an abused housewife who becomes an actress, while her nephew deals ...
'', and ''
A Lesson Before Dying
''A Lesson Before Dying'' is Ernest J. Gaines' eighth novel, published in 1993. It was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The novel is based on the true story of Willie Francis, a young Black Americ ...
'' were filmed partially in Houma.
*The film ''
The Skeleton Key
''The Skeleton Key'' is a 2005 American Southern Gothic supernatural horror film directed by Iain Softley, written by Ehren Kruger, and starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and Joy Bryant. The narrative follows a New O ...
'' (2005) is set in Houma and the nearby area of Bayou Gauche.
* Several scenes from the 2013 film, ''
The Butler
''The Butler'' (full title ''Lee Daniels' The Butler'') is a 2013 American historical drama film directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels and with a screenplay by Danny Strong. It is inspired by Wil Haygood's ''Washington Post'' article "A Butle ...
'', starring
Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Forest Whitaker, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award ...
and
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...
, were filmed in downtown Houma.
"Some scenes from ''The Butler'' shot in Houma, Louisiana"
, ''Daily Comet'', 15 August 2013; accessed August 21, 2014.
* In 1992, ''Unsolved Mysteries
''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl ...
'' profiled the case of Adam John "AJ" Breaux, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, who went missing in 1991.
* The Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
TV series, '' The Act'' included a scene in Houma of a young Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Dee Dee Blanchard.
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Cobb, Thomas Blum and Currie, Mara (2004) ''Houma''. Arcadia Publishing
Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publi ...
External links
Terrebonne Parish-Houma Consolidated Government
Houma Today
(website of ''The Courier'' newspaper)
{{Authority control
Cities in Louisiana
Cities in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Populated places established in 1810
Parish seats in Louisiana
Cities in the Houma – Thibodaux metropolitan area
1834 establishments in Louisiana