Maurice is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Vermilion Parish, Louisiana Vermilion Parish (french: Paroisse de Vermillion) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, created in 1844. The parish seat is Abbeville. Vermilion Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area, and located in southern ...

, United States. The population was 964 at the 2010 census and 2,118 for the 2020 Census. It is part of the

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

micropolitan statistical area.

History

The village, originally called ''"Mauriceville"'', derives its name from its founder Maurice Villien. Villien, a native of Savoy, France, came to America in 1855 and sold goods in New Orleans, New Iberia and Milton. His wife had land holdings there and they established a home and grocery store.www.carencrohighschool.org "Maurice was early commercial center"
/ref> On May 29, 1889, the site, on which the church and rectory in Maurice were to be built, was donated by Villien. The town was incorporated on December 27, 1911 and Joseph Villien, Maurice's son, became mayor until 1928. Today, Joseph Street leads to the old home. The community's first church was ''La Chapelle a Maurice'' and Sunday services were held in a small schoolhouse on the Villien property until the St. Alphonsus Church was built in January 1893. The Broussard Cove School was the first school built on land donated by Joseph Clark in 1885 and moved to Maurice in July 1899 to land donated by Maurice Villien. It was located on Maurice Avenue and the Indian Bayou Road until 1914 when it burned down.

Geography

Maurice is located at (30.107171, -92.123977), along the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

in southern Acadiana. 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 village has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km), all land. The northeastern border of the village is the

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It i ...

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� ...

parish line. U.S. Route 167 passes through the village heading northeast to

, 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 st ...

of Lafayette Parish and south to

, the

of Vermilion Parish. The communities of Youngsville ( and Milton ( are both located east of the village via

Louisiana Highway 92 Louisiana Highway 92 (LA 92) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in an east–west direction from U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) east of Mermentau to LA 339 in Youngsville. The route passes through several smal ...

which intersects with U.S. 167.

Demographics

At the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, there were 642 people, 257 households, and 177 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 315.0 inhabitants per square mile (121.5/km). There were 276 housing units at an average density of 135.4 per square mile (52.2/km). At the 2020 population estimates program, there were 1,857 people living in the village, up from 964 at the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

. 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 village was 89.6% non-Hispanic white, 5.9% Black and African American, 0.2%

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 ...

, 1.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

alone, and 0.6%

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 ...

; 2.2% of the population was Hispanic and Latin American of any race. At the 2000 U.S. census, the racial makeup of the village was 79.13%

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 o ...

, 19.63% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.78% Asian, and 0.31% from two or more races; Hispanic and Latin Americans of any race were 1.40% of the population. In 2005, 74.8% of the population over the age of five spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at home, and 25.2% of the population spoke French or

Cajun 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 ...

. In 2000, the median income for a household in the village was $29,306, and the median income for a family was $32,841. Males had a median income of $28,571 versus $21,250 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 village was $15,051. About 16.6% of families and 19.3% 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 t ...

, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over. From 2015 to 2019, the median household income was $67,143. Males had a median income of $54,141 versus $40,139 for females; an estimated 7.8% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Notable people

Denise Boutte Denise Boutte (born January 19, 1982) is an American actress and model, who has appeared in the films ''Why Did I Get Married? ''Why Did I Get Married?'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film adaptation written, produced, directed, and starring ...

, actress *

Inez Catalon Inez Catalon ( September 23, 1913 – November 23, 1994) was an American Louisiana Creole people, Creole ballad singer, who was one of the most well-known performers of the genre known as Louisiana "home music". These are a cappella versions of ...

, Creole singer * J. Keith Desormeaux,

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

Kent Desormeaux Kent Jason Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year with 598 wins in 1989. He has won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

* Ezola B. Foster,

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

and author *

Jesse Hernandez Jesse Lizarraga (born August 25, 1950), known by the ring name Jesse Hernandez, is an American professional wrestler, referee, trainer, and actor. He is the owner of the independent wrestling organization Empire Wrestling Federation, based in Sa ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

cheerleader * Jeremy Stephens, chef

References

External links

National Geographic Magazine's November 2005 article featuring Maurice, Louisiana

Vermilion Historical Society

Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission
{{authority control Acadiana Villages in Louisiana Villages in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana Populated places established in 1889