Cecilia, Louisiana
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Cecilia is a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...
(CDP) in St. Martin Parish, 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 so ...
of
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. The community lies within the region of
Acadiana Acadiana (; French language, French and Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane'' or ''Acadiane''), also known as Cajun Country (Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''Pays des Cadiens''), is the official name given to the ...
, and the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area. It had a population of 1,505 at the 2000 U.S. census, estimated to have grown to 1,917 in 2019 at the
American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
's 5-year estimates.


History

Cecilia sits on land that was historically inhabited by the Atakapa Tribe. The Atakapa lived in what is now Southwest Louisiana and
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and had a trading post at St. Martinville, before French settlers took over the land. Cecilia was originally known by the Spanish as ''La Punta.'' It was translated by the French into ''La Grande Pointe'', a name that was used by many people until contemporary times when it was then called Cecilia, named after the first postal clerk. Pierre Guidry, the first settler of Cecilia, acquired three tracts of land from Mrs. Joseph Alexander Declouet in 1791. Joseph Angelle settled nearby soon after. Both men apparently settled on lands that had been given to Declouet by a Spanish land grant dated May 16, 1772, that included some of land. During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, the settlement was also known as ''La Place''. This name was dropped when postal authorities began to confuse it with the
LaPlace Pierre-Simon, Marquis de Laplace (; ; 23 March 1749 – 5 March 1827) was a French polymath, a scholar whose work has been instrumental in the fields of physics, astronomy, mathematics, engineering, statistics, and philosophy. He summariz ...
in St. John the Baptist Parish. Cecilia is the birthplace of several Louisiana political figures:
state Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...
and House Speaker Robert Joseph "Bob" Angelle (1896–1979), former
Secretary of State of Louisiana The secretary of state of Louisiana () is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of State. The position was created by Article 4, Section 7 of the Louisiana Con ...
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 ...
Paul J. Hardy (born 1942), and former state Representatives J. Burton Angelle and Jesse J. Guidry, who became secretary of the
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is a state agency of Louisiana that maintains state wildlife and fishery areas. The agency is headquartered in the capital city of Baton Rouge. Mission The Louisiana Department of Wildlife ...
; Angelle from 1972 to 1980 and 1984 to 1988 and Guidry from 1981 to 1984. Former
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
player Ramsey Dardar was also born in Cecilia. Cecilia is the burial site of Louis Hebert, a
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
. On April 19, 1964, dedication ceremonies were held in a grove of live oaks on the banks of Bayou Teche about from Cecilia on Highway 328 to mark Hebert's grave. The marker reads as follows: "Approximately to the west is the probable resting place of General Louis Hebert, C. S. A. Born in Iberville Parish in 1820, Hebert graduated from
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
in 1845 third in his class. After an army service of two years, he resigned to manage his family's sugar interests. Before the war he was a member of the State Senate and Chief Engineer of Louisiana. He fought at Wilson's Creek, Elkhorn,
Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
, Vicksburg, and Port Fisher. He was an editor and teacher in Iberville and St. Martin parishes and lived until 1901." General Hebert taught at Huron Plantation near Cecilia and tutored children of Vincent Barras in St. Martinville. Cecilia became one of the last remaining strongholds of the
Cajun French Louisiana French (Louisiana French: ''français louisianais''; ) includes the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisiana French is primarily use ...
language in Louisiana and 42.60% of the total population used the language for daily communication, including 20.25% of the children according to a study in 2013.


Geography

Cecilia is located at (30.336379, -91.847867), in south central Louisiana; it lies within
Acadiana Acadiana (; French language, French and Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane'' or ''Acadiane''), also known as Cajun Country (Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''Pays des Cadiens''), is the official name given to the ...
, and the Lafayette metropolitan area. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of , all land.


Demographics

Cecilia has experienced relative population growth in St. Martin Parish. From the 2000 United States census, its population was 1,505; at the 2010 U.S. census, its population was 1,980. In 2019, the
American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
estimated that 1,917 people lived in the census-designated place. Among its population at the 2019 American Community Survey's 5 year estimates program, there were 955 males and 962 females living in the community; for every 100 females, there was an average of 99.3 males. The median age of the population was 34.2, with the majority being from 16 to 21 years and older. The racial and ethnic makeup of Cecilia was 61.1%
non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...
and 38.9% Black and African American in 2019. In 2000, its racial and ethnic makeup was 57.34%
White American White Americans (sometimes also called Caucasian Americans) are Americans who identify as white people. In a more official sense, the United States Census Bureau, which collects demographic data on Americans, defines "white" as " person having ...
, 41.53% Black and African American, 0.53%
American Indian and Alaska Native Native Americans (also called American Indians, First Americans, or Indigenous Americans) are the Indigenous peoples of the United States, particularly of the lower 48 states and Alaska. They may also include any Americans whose origins lie ...
, 0.3% Asian alone, 0.27% from two or more races, and 1.6% Hispanic or Latin American of any race. Spread throughout the total area of Cecilia, there were 471 family households, 116 other family households, and 229 non-family households. Approximately 27 households were male with no spouse present, and 89 female with no spouse present. Of the 825 housing units in the community, 700 were occupied; 467 were 1-unit detached homes, and 358 were
mobile home A mobile home (also known as a house trailer, park home, trailer, or trailer home) is a prefabrication, prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or ...
s. An estimated 24.1% were renter-occupied, and 75.9% were owner-occupied units. The average household size of owner-occupied units was 2.95, and renter-occupied units had an average of 2.08 people. Home-owners had a median mortgage of $1,078 versus $344 without a mortgage; the median gross rent was $830. The median income for a household in 2019 was $49,063, and males had a median income of $52,439 versus $25,987 for females. About 18.3% of the CDP's population lived at or below the poverty line, down from 31.4% at the 2000 United States census.


Education

Public schools in St. Martin Parish are operated by the St. Martin Parish School Board. The community of Cecilia is zoned to Cecilia Primary School (Grades PK-2), Teche Elementary School (Grades 3–5), Cecilia Junior High School (Grades 6–8), and Cecilia High School (Grades 9–12).


References

The History of St. Martin- an Overview 1987 by Kenneth P. Delcambre. Official Report Relative to the Conduct of Federal Troops in Western Louisiana, During the Invasions of 1863 and 1864 – Compiled and Sworn Testimony Under the Direction of Gov. Henry W. Allen, Shreveport, La., April, 1865, by Kenneth P. Delcambre. First Facts about Breaux Bridge, Louisiana – March 1988 by Kenneth P. Delcambre and Claude J. Kenneson. {{authority control Census-designated places in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana Census-designated places in Louisiana Census-designated places in Lafayette metropolitan area, Louisiana Acadiana Populated places established in 1791