Kaplan is a city 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 ...

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 ...

, United States. The population was 4,600 at the 2010 census, and 4,345 at the 2020

population estimates program The Population Estimates Program (PEP) is a program of the U.S. Census Bureau that publishes annual population estimates and estimates of birth, death, and international migration rates for people in the United States. In addition to publishing t ...

. It is part of the

Abbeville Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu. Geography Location A ...

micropolitan statistical area in

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 ...

History

In 1896, the Holy Rosary

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

was established in the growing European-American settlement. Most of the people were

Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...

, so the main language was French. The town was named after Abrom Kaplan, who bought the Jim Todd Plantation in 1901. The town of Kaplan grew quickly and was established in 1902. The following year, residents created the first school.www.vrml.k12.la.us "Kaplan: The Gateway to the Coastal Wetlands"
Vermilion Parish Website On July 14, 1906, the first

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...

Celebration was held. In 1911, the Eleazar Theater was built. In 1916, the Kaplan Telephone Company began. In 1920, the school was rebuilt. The ''Kaplan Herald'' has been in continuous publication since 1956 as the ''Kaplan Journal''. When Conrad Kaplan purchased the newspaper in 1965, he named it the ''Kaplan Herald''. It remained under his ownership until his death in 1992, when Louisiana State Newspaper purchased the ''Kaplan Herald'' from his estate. On September 10, 1961, the town was hit by a destructive F3 tornado spawned by

Hurricane Carla Hurricane Carla was the most intense tropical cyclone landfall in Texas in the 20th century. The third named storm of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, Carla developed from an area of squall, squally weather in the southwestern Caribbean Sea ...

. Most of the town was heavily damaged and one person was killed.

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 14 passes through the city which heads east to

, the

seat, and west to the town of Gueydan.

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 ...

intersects with LA-14 outside the city limits and heads north to the cities of Crowley (26 miles) and Eunice (39 miles). Louisiana Highway 35, which intersects LA-14 as North Cushing Avenue, heads north to Rayne.

Demographics

According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 5,177 people, 2,069 households, and 1,342 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,265 housing units at an average density of . The 2020

determined 4,345 people lived in the city. According to the 2020 United States census, there were 4,352 people, 1,638 households, and 898 families residing in the city. In 2000, the racial makeup of the city was 85.13%

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

, 12.92%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.17% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.21% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

Latino Americans Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spaniards, Spanish or Latin Americans, Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino (demonym), ...

of any race were 1.20% of the population. 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 the racial and ethnic makeup was 84.1% White alone, 14.8% African American, 0.5% Asian alone, and 0.6% two or more races. At the 2000 census, were 2,069 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.06. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. At the 2019 American Community Survey, the median household income was $34,943; males had a median income of $52,747 versus $33,750 for females. An estimated 24.1% of the population lived at or below the poverty line. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $22,535, and the median income for a family was $30,236. Males had a median income of $29,387 versus $19,198 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,340. About 25.0% of families and 33.5% 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 48.3% of those under age 18 and 32.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is within Vermilion Parish School Board.
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Notable people

* Inez Catalon, Creole singer *

Iron Eyes Cody Iron Eyes Cody (born Espera Oscar de Corti, April 3, 1904 – January 4, 1999) was an American actor of Italian descent who portrayed Native Americans in Hollywood films, including the role of Chief Iron Eyes in Bob Hope's '' The Paleface'' ...

, portrayed Native Americans as actor *

Sammy Kershaw Samuel Paul Cashat (born February 24, 1958), known professionally as Sammy Kershaw, is an American country music singer. He has released 16 studio albums, with three RIAA platinum certifications and two gold certifications among them. More than 2 ...

, American

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and Western music singer and songwriter * Jonathan W. Perry, former Kaplan city council member and state representative * Frank Glasgow Tinker,

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

volunteer pilot and flying ace

References

External links

Kaplan City Council
{{authority control Acadiana Cities in Louisiana Cities in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana Populated places established in 1902 Cities in Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area