Lafourche Parish (french: Paroisse de la Fourche) is a

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 ...

located in the south 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-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

. The parish seat is

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 cit ...

. The parish was formed in 1807. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and

Terrebonne Terrebonne, meaning ''good earth'' in French, is a name of several places in North America: ;Canada *Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal **Terrebonne station, a commuter railway station in Terrebonne, Quebec ** Terrebonne City Council, the go ...

. Lafourche Parish was named after the Bayou Lafourche. City buildings have been featured in television and movies, such as in '' Fletch Lives'', due to its architecture and rich history. At the 2020 census, its population was 97,557. Long a center of sugar cane plantations and sugar production, in November 1887 the parish was the site of the

Thibodaux Massacre The Thibodaux massacre was an episode of racial violence that occurred in Thibodaux, Louisiana on November 23, 1887. It followed a three-week strike during the critical harvest season in which an estimated 10,000 workers protested against the l ...

. After state militia were used to suppress a massive Knights of Labor strike involving 10,000 workers in four parishes, many African Americans retreated to Thibodaux. Local paramilitary forces attacked the men and their families, killing an estimated 50 persons. Hundreds more were missing, wounded, and presumed dead in one of the deadliest incidents of labor suppression and racial terrorism. Lafourche Parish is part of the Houma-Thibodaux

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 as a city or tow ...

. People of the state-recognized Native American Houma Tribe live in both Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes.

History

South Louisiana became known as Sugarland, and Lafourche one of the sugar parishes, where sugar cane plantations were established before and after the Civil War. They required the labor of large numbers of enslaved African Americans. In the postbellum era, they comprised from 50 to 80 percent of the population in most of the sugar parishes. Michael James Pfeifer, ''Rough Justice: Lynching and American Society, 1874-1947'' University of Illinois Press, 2004, pp. 75-77 Particularly after Reconstruction, whites in the parish used violence and intimidation against the large population of

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom ...

to suppress Republican voting and re-establish

white supremacy 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 ...

, but were less successful than in North Louisiana until after disenfranchisement of blacks at the turn of the century. From 1877 through the early 20th century, there were 52 lynchings of African Americans in Lafourche Parish. Most of the deaths were due to white suppression of labor unrest in 1887; blacks were skilled sugar workers and had begun to organize for better wages and conditions. Some 10,000 workers had struck in Lafourche and three other parishes during the critical harvest period. At the request of the planters, the state sent in militia against the workers to break the strike. In what was called the

of November 22, 1887, local whites organized by leaders of the town killed up to 50 blacks who had taken refuge in the African-American quarters after a major Knights of Labor strike was called on sugar plantations. Hundreds more were wounded or missing, and presumed dead.Bell, Ellen Baker
"Thibodaux Massacre (1887)"
KnowLA ''Encyclopedia of Louisiana,'' 15 September 2011, access-date 23 April 2017 The total deaths in this parish due to this racial terrorism were the highest of any parish in the state and nearly twice as high as some others among the six parishes with the highest totals. In general, most of the lynching and racial terrorism took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Port Fourchon at 16:55 UTC as a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Additional reports surveyed by ships in Port Fourchon reported wind gusts up to 194 knots. In Golden Meadow, LA, the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...

recorded storm surge measurements of 10.1 ft. It was the strongest storm on record to make landfall in Lafourche Parish and at the time the 5th costliest hurricane in United States history.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 parish has a total area of , of which is land and (28%) is water. To the south of the parish is the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

Major highways

* Interstate 49 *

U.S. Highway 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 ...

* Louisiana Highway 1 *

Louisiana Highway 20 Louisiana Highway 20 (LA 20) is a state highway that serves Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, and St. James Parish. It spans a total of as a two lane, undivided road. Route description From the south, LA 20 begins at LA 182 in the northwest ...

Louisiana Highway 24 Louisiana Highway 24 (LA 24) is a state highway located in southeastern Louisiana. It runs in a general east–west direction from Louisiana Highway 20, LA 20 in Schriever, Louisiana, Schriever to Louisiana Highway 3235, LA 3235 in ...

* Louisiana Highway 304 * Louisiana Highway 308

Adjacent parishes

* St. James Parish (north) * St. John the Baptist Parish (north) * St. Charles Parish (northeast) *

Jefferson Parish Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian f ...

(east) *

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 109,5 ...

(west) * Assumption Parish (northwest)

National protected area

* Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (part, in

)

Communities

City

(parish seat)

Towns

* Golden Meadow * Lockport

Census-designated places

* Bayou Blue * Bayou Country Club * Chackbay *

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 ...

* Cut Off * Des Allemands * Galliano * Kraemer * Lafourche Crossing * Larose * Lockport Heights * Mathews * Port Fourchon * Raceland

Other areas

* Gheens * Leeville

Demographics

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 off ...

, there were 97,557 people, 36,759 households, and 25,224 families residing in the parish. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.04. In 2000, there were 89,794 people living in the parish. The racial makeup of Lafourche was 82.85%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 12.61% Black or African American, 2.30%

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 ...

, 0.67% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.58% from other races, and 0.97% from

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 cultur ...

; 1.43% of the population were

Hispanic or Latino American Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify a ...

of any race. Among the population, 19.12% reported speaking

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 ...

or Cajun French at home, while 1.51% spoke Spanish. Up from $34,910 in 2000, the median income of a household in the parish was $51,339 according to the 2019 American Community Survey. In 2000, males had a median income of $34,600 versus $19,484 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the parish was $15,809. About 13.20% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 18.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The parish is zoned to

Lafourche Parish Public Schools Lafourche Parish Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The district serves all of Lafourche Parish, including a portion of Des Allemands.See search page/ref>''Engineering News-Record'', Volume 143, Part 1. M ...

. Residents of select portions of Lafourche Parish (particularly in parts of Grand Bois and Bourg) may attend schools in the

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 ...

High schools

* Central Lafourche in Mathews * South Lafourche in Galliano * Thibodaux High in Thibodaux *

Edward Douglas White Catholic High School Edward Douglas White Catholic High School, also known as E. D. White High School, is a private, Roman Catholic junior and senior high school in Thibodaux, Louisiana in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. It is named for Edward Douglass White, nin ...

in Thibodaux

Colleges and universities

Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nicho ...

in Thibodaux The parish is in the service area of Fletcher Technical Community College.

National Guard

D Company 2-156 Infantry Battalion of the 256TH Infantry Brigade Combat Team resides in Thibodaux, Louisiana

Notable people

* Mattie Breaux, cast member of ''

Party Down South ''Party Down South'' (also known as ''The Dirty South'' and ''Dirty South'') is an American reality television series that premiered January 16, 2014, on CMT. The series was created by ''Jersey Shore'' executive producer SallyAnn Salsano and 495 ...

'' *

Jefferson J. DeBlanc Jefferson Joseph DeBlanc (February 15, 1921 – November 22, 2007) was an Americans, American World War II United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps fighter pilot and flying ace, credited with shooting down nine Japanese aircraft during two tours o ...

(1921-2007),

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

fighter pilot and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

; received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

for actions during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

* Dick Guidry (1929-2014), member of

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 rep ...

from 1950–54 and 1964-76. Considered the youngest person ever elected to the Louisiana House. * Bobby Hebert, former NFL quarterback * Harvey Peltier, Jr. * Harvey Peltier, Sr. * Glen Pitre * Loulan Pitre, Jr. * Ed Orgeron, head football coach at LSU, Ole Miss,

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses ** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

; NFL assistant coach

Politics

References

External links

Lafourche Parish

Lafourche Parish Public Library

VisitLafourche.com
- Tourist commission site
DigInLafourche.com
- Events and Attractions {{authority control Acadiana Parishes in Acadiana Louisiana parishes Houma – Thibodaux metropolitan area 1807 establishments in the Territory of Orleans Populated places established in 1807