Crowley (Local pronunciation: ) is a city in, and 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 five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equivalent term, shire town, is used in ...

of,

Acadia Parish Acadia Parish () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 57,576. The parish seat and the most populous municipality is Crowley. The parish was founded from parts of St. Landry Parish in ...

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 ...

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 ...

. At the 2020 United States census, Crowley had a population of 11,710. Crowley is the principal city of the Crowley micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Acadia Parish. It is also part of the larger Lafayette–

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 ...

combined statistical area.

History

Crowley was founded in 1886 by C.C. Duson and W.W. Duson. Incorporated in 1887, W.W. Duson, General Manager of Southwest Louisiana Land Company, plotted and developed Crowley. W.W. Duson's daughter, Maime Duson, married Percy Lee Lawrence, who founded the First National Bank of Crowley. The 7-story building was once the tallest building between

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. They lived with their three children, P.L. Jr., Pattee, and Jack at 219 East 2nd Street. The house was burned down in a fire a few years later. The town was named after Pat Crowley, an Irish railroad owner who brought the railroad depot to W.W. Duson's land. Descendants of founder W.W. Duson continue to live in Crowley.

Geography

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 city has a total area of , all land.

Louisiana Highway 13 Louisiana Highway 13 (LA 13) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in a north–south direction from LA 14 west of Kaplan to US 167 in Turkey Creek. The route connects several small population centers in ...

passes through the city with Kaplan, which is located in

Vermilion Parish Vermilion Parish () 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 Acadiana. At the 2020 U.S ...

, being located 19 miles southeast and Eunice, located in both

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

and St. Landry

parishes 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 ...

, is located 20 miles north. The city of Rayne is located 9 miles east of Crowley via

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. It generally travels near Int ...

and

I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the originall ...

. The city of

Jennings Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...

is located 17 miles west via

and

Climate

Demographics

At the 2020 United States census, there were 11,710 people, 4,807 households, and 2,934 families residing in the city. At the 2019

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 ...

, there were 4,807 households. In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 58.5% non-Hispanic or Latino white, 34.8% Black or African American, <0.0% Asian, 0.4% some other race, 1.9%

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

, and 4.4% Hispanic and Latin American of any race. At the 2000 U.S. census, the racial and ethic makeup was 67.83%

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 ...

, 30.98% Black or African American, 0.15%

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 ...

, 0.29% Asian, 0.01%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

or other Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latin Americans were 1.10% of the population. There were 4,807 households, and 33.5% were married couples living together, 18.5% male households with no female present, and 41.8% female households with no male present. The average family size was 3.34. In the city, the population was spread out, with 5.4% aged 5 and under, 72.4% aged 18 and older, and 17.2% aged 65 and older. The median age was 37.7 years, up from 35 years at the 2000 United States census. The median income for a household in the city was $26,972. Family households had a median income of $31,168, married couples had a median income of $50,066, and non-family households had a median income of $19,138. An estimated 37.1% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Arts and culture

Crowley is noted for its annual

International Rice Festival The International Rice Festival is an annual festival held during the third weekend in October in Crowley, Louisiana, celebrating rice. The event is Louisiana, Louisiana's oldest agricultural festival, and one of the state's largest. The first f ...

. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of the World", because at one time it was a major center for rice harvesting and milling. Today, Crowley still has a number of rice mills and rice is the main crop of many local farmers.

Education

The Crowley High School "Fighting Gents" were State Division 3A champions in the 1989 football season and had an 8–2 regular season. Crowley is also the home of Notre Dame High School. Notre Dame is an Acadia Parish-wide

Catholic high school Catholic schools are parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school system. In 201 ...

whose football program has won six state championships and numerous District Champion titles, in addition to numerous state championships in other sports, such as men's baseball, women's softball, men's tennis, men's track & field, and women's volleyball.

Notable people

John Breaux John Berlinger Breaux (; born March 1, 1944) is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician from Louisiana. He served in the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987 and as a United State ...

, member of

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

and

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

Jack Brooks Jack Brooks may refer to: *Jack Brooks (cricketer) (born 1984), English cricketer *Jack Brooks (footballer) (1904–1973), English footballer *Jack Brooks (lyricist) (1912–1971), British-American lyricist *Jack Brooks (American politician) (1922� ...

, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Pimp C Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK). ...

, record producer and rapper * Tommy Casanova, football player and former Louisiana State Senator. * Bill Cleveland, Crowley real estate developer and member of Louisiana state legislature * Denis Reggie, wedding photographer *

Edwin Edwards Edwin Washington Edwards (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1965 to 1972 and as the 50th governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972–1980, 1984–1988, and 1992–1996 ...

, former governor of Louisiana, U.S. representative, and state senator * Jim Gueno, Green Bay Packers linebacker *

Winsor Harmon Winsor Harmon (born November 22, 1963) is an American actor best known for his role as Thorne Forrester on the American soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. He took over the role from Jeff Trachta in December 1996 and stayed with the show ...

, soap opera actor *

Eric Hetzel Eric Paul Hetzel (born September 25, 1963) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played between 1989 and 1990 for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at 6' 3", 175 lb., Hetzel batted and threw right-handed. He was selected by Bost ...

, former pitcher for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

* Chris John, Democratic member of the

* Edward "Kidd" Jordan, jazz saxophonist *

Victoria Reggie Kennedy Victoria Anne Kennedy (née Reggie; born February 26, 1954) is an American diplomat, attorney, and activist who served as the United States Ambassador to Austria from 2022 to 2025. She is the widow and the second wife of longtime U.S. senator T ...

, second wife of Senator Edward M. Kennedy *

Rose Wilder Lane Rose Wilder Lane (December 5, 1886 – October 30, 1968) was an American writer and daughter of American writer Laura Ingalls Wilder. Along with two other female writers, Ayn Rand and Isabel Paterson, Lane is one of the more influential advoca ...

, author * J. D. "Jay" Miller, composer, musician, recording engineer *

Phil Phillips John Philip Baptiste (March 14, 1926 – March 14, 2020), known as Phil Phillips, was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1959 song, " Sea of Love". Biography Baptiste was encouraged to pursue a career as a singer after a scho ...

, American singer and songwriter *

Orlando Thomas Orlando Thomas (October 21, 1972 – November 9, 2014) was an American professional football player who was a defensive back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 until 2001. He played college football for the ...

, Minnesota Vikings defensive back * Clifford Joseph "Pee Wee" Trahan, singer * Godfrey Zaunbrecher, American football player

References

External links

City of CrowleyCrowley Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Acadiana Cities in Louisiana

Cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Cities in Acadia Parish, Louisiana Populated places established in 1887 1887 establishments in Louisiana Cities in Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area