St. Mary Parish (french: Paroisse de Sainte-Marie) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 54,650. The parish seat is

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

. The parish was created in 1811. St. Mary Parish comprises the Morgan City, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Lafayette- Opelousas-Morgan City, LA Combined Statistical Area.

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 (50%) is water.

Cypremort Point State Park Cypremort Point State Park is a public recreation area located on Vermilion Bay, Louisiana near the end of La. Hwy. 319. It is named for nearby Cypremort Point. Cypremort means "dead cypress" in French. The park, set against a backdrop of coas ...

is located in the parish on Vermilion Bay.

Major highways

* Future 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 83 * Louisiana Highway 87 *

Louisiana Highway 182 Louisiana Highway 182 (LA 182) is a state highway located in central and southeastern Louisiana. It runs in a northwest to southeast direction from Louisiana Highway 29, LA 29 in Whiteville, Louisiana, Whiteville to U.S. Route 90 in Lo ...

Louisiana Highway 317 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 ...

* Louisiana Highway 318

Adjacent parishes

Iberia Parish Iberia Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ibérie, es, Parroquia de Iberia) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 69,929; the parish seat is New Iberia. The parish was formed in 1868 during ...

(north) *

St. Martin Parish St. Martin Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Martin) is a parish (administrative division), parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, founded in 1811. Its parish seat is St. Martinville, Louisiana, St. Martinville, and the largest city is B ...

(east) * Assumption Parish (southeast) *

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 ...

(south)

Protected areas

The parish has both national and state protected areas within its borders.

National protected area

* Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge

State protected areas

Part of the

Attakapas Wildlife Management Area Attakapas Wildlife Management Area, also known as Attakapas Island Wildlife Management Area, is a 27,962-acre tract of protected area located in St. Mary, St. Martin, and Iberia Parishes, Louisiana. The property was acquired in 1976 and is unde ...

is located within St. Mary Parish as well as in St. Martin and Iberia Parishes.

Communities

Cities

(parish seat) * Morgan City *

Patterson Patterson may refer to: People * Patterson (surname) Places ;Canada * Pattersons Corners, Ontario * Patterson Township, Ontario *Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta. ;United States of America * Patterson, Arkansas * Patterson ...

Towns

Baldwin Baldwin is a Germanic name, composed of the elements ''bald'' "bold" and ''win'' "friend". People * Baldwin (name) Places Canada * Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario * Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District * Baldwin's Mills, Qu ...

* Berwick

Census-designated places

* Amelia * Bayou Vista * Charenton * Glencoe * Siracusaville *

Sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ('dock' being a common name for the genus '' ...

Other unincorporated areas

* Centerville * Florence * Garden City

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 of ...

, there were 49,406 people, 19,856 households, and 11,354 families residing in the parish. As of the census of 2000, there were 53,500 people, 19,317 households, and 14,082 families residing in the parish. The population density was 87 people per square mile (34/km²). There were 21,650 housing units at an average density of 35 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 62.79% White, 31.79% Black or African American, 1.39% Native American, 1.64%

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 ...

, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 2.15% of the population were Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 5.43% 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 2.45% speak Spanish and 1.59% Vietnamese. There were 19,317 households, out of which 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 16.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.23. In the parish the population was spread out, with 29.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males. The median income for a household in the parish was $28,072, and the median income for a family was $33,064. Males had a median income of $31,570 versus $18,341 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,399. About 20.60% of families and 23.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.30% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

St. Mary Parish School Board operates local public schools. Th
Chitimacha Day School
affiliated with the

Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), headquartered in the Main Interior Building in Washington, D.C., and formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP), is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant S ...

(BIE), is in the Charenton community of unincorporated St. Mary Parish. It is in the service area of

Fletcher Technical Community College L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College is a community college in Schriever, Louisiana in Terrebonne Parish. The school was founded on June 23, 1948. Its service area includes Iberia, Lafourche, St. Mary, and Terrebonne Terrebonne, meaning ...

Media

St. Mary Parish has two daily newspapers, the ''Morgan City Daily Review'' (circulation under 6,000) and the '' Franklin Banner-Tribune'' in Franklin (circulation 3,350).

National Guard

B Company 2-156TH Infantry Battalion of the

256TH IBCT The 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Louisiana Brigade") is a modular infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the Louisiana Army National Guard. It is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. Currently the brigade is part of the 36th Infantry D ...

resides in Franklin, Louisiana. This unit has deployed to Iraq twice, 2004-5 and 2010.

Politics

Notable people

* Bret Allain (born c. 1958), sugar cane farmer and the current District 21

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

from St. Mary Parish * Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock (1915–1987), state

House Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...

from 1952 to 1956 and

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 1960 to 1972 *

Carl W. Bauer Carl Wiegmann Bauer (October 4, 1933 – June 11, 2013) was a lawyer and businessman who served as a Democrat in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from 1966 to 1976 and capped his career as the chief lobbyist, specifically the "Coo ...

(1933-2013), attorney-lobbyist; former member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature *

Ralph Norman Bauer Ralph Norman Bauer, sometimes known as R. Norman Bauer (May 1899 - March 13, 1963), was a lawyer from Franklin in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1928 to 1936 and aga ...

(1899-1963), attorney; former Speaker of the Louisiana House; a leader of the

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

forces against Governor

Huey P. Long, Jr. Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...

, in 1929 * V.J. Bella (born 1927), former state representative (1972–1990) and state fire marshal (1990–1992; 1996–2004) *

Elizabeth Bisland Elizabeth Bisland Wetmore (February 11, 1861 – January 6, 1929) was an American journalist and author, perhaps now best known for her 1889–1890 race around the world against Nellie Bly, which drew worldwide attention. The majority of her wri ...

(1861–1929), noted journalist and authorMarks, Jason. ''Around the World in 72 Days: The race between Pulitzer's Nellie Bly and Cosmopolitan's Elizabeth Bisland'' (Gemittarius Press 1993) () *

Sally Clausen Sally Clausen (born July 4, 1945) is executive director of the Ingram Center for Public Trusteeship and Governance, an affiliate of the American Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. She earlier, in 2010, retired as Louisi ...

, former president of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammoned and Louisiana commissioner of higher education; reared in St. Mary Parish * Thomas G. Clausen, Louisiana education superintendent from 1984 to 1988; reared in St. Mary Parish * Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. (born 1930),

governor of Louisiana A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

from 1996 to 2004 * Sam S. Jones, state representative for St. Mary Parish since 2008 * Geronimo Pratt, Vietnam War veteran who served twenty-seven years in prison wrongfully accused of murder *

William Joseph Seymour William Joseph Seymour (May 2, 1870 – September 28, 1922) was an African-American holiness preacher who initiated the Azusa Street Revival, an influential event in the rise of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. He was the second of ei ...

(born 1870), considered to be the most influential African American minister of the twentieth century and pastor of the famous Azusa Street Revival *

Lester Vetter Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon surname and given name. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name * Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic * Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American arti ...

, reared in St. Mary Parish; mayor of Coushatta prior to 1952 and state representative for

Red River Parish Red River Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de la Rivière-Rouge'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,091, making it the fourth-least populous parish in Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. ...

from 1952 until his death in office in 1960 * Warren Wells, Pro football player for the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders * Dale Hawkins, (born 1936, died 2010) pioneer of swamp rock boogie

References

External links

St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office
{{Coord, 29.64, -91.47, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-LA_source:UScensus1990 Parishes in Acadiana Saint Mary Parish, Louisiana Saint Mary Parish, Louisiana 1811 establishments in the Territory of Orleans Populated places established in 1811