New Iberia (; ) is the largest 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 ...

Iberia Parish Iberia Parish (, ) 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 the Reconstruction era and named for Iberia. It is p ...

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 ...

. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, and forms part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area in 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 ...

. The 2020 United States census tabulated a population of 28,555. New Iberia is served by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

’s ''

Sunset Limited The ''Sunset Limited'' is a long-distance passenger train run by Amtrak, operating on a route between New Orleans and Los Angeles. Major stops include Houston, San Antonio and El Paso in Texas, as well as Tucson, Arizona. Opening in 1894 thr ...

'', operating between

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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 ...

. New Iberia has a major four lane highway, being U.S. 90 (future

Interstate 49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...

), and has its own general aviation airfield, Acadiana Regional Airport. Scheduled passenger and cargo airline service is available via the nearby Lafayette Regional Airport located adjacent to U.S. 90 in Lafayette.

History

New Iberia dates its founding to the spring of 1779, when a group of some 500 colonists ('' Malagueños'') from Spain, led by Lieutenant Colonel Don

Francisco Bouligny Brigadier general, Brigadier General Don (honorific), Don Francisco Domingo Joseph Bouligny y Paret (4 September 1736 – 25 November 1800) was a Spanish Army officer and colonial administrator who served as an Acting (law), acting List of col ...

, came up

Bayou Teche Bayou Teche (Louisiana French: ''Bayou Têche'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 waterway in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche ...

and settled around what became known as Spanish Lake. Hurricane Ike New Iberia

The Spanish settlers called the town "Nueva Iberia" in honor of the Iberian Peninsula; French-speakers referred to the town as "Nouvelle Ibérie" while the English settlers arriving after the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

called it "New Town." In 1814, the U.S. government opened a post office in the town, officially recognizing the name as New Iberia, but postmarks from 1802 show the town being called “Nova Iberia” (Latin for "new"). The town was incorporated in 1839 as the "Town of Iberia", but the state legislature amended the town's charter in 1847, recognizing New Iberia as the town's name. In 1868, Iberia Parish was established, and New Iberia became the seat of parish government. At first, only rented space served for the courthouse. By 1884 a new courthouse was completed on a landscaped lot in downtown New Iberia, at the present-day site of Bouligny Plaza. In 1889, the Wakefield family, an African-American family from New Iberia fled to New Orleans after their son was lynched by a white mob; and days after the lynching, the family patriarch and former state senator Samuel Wakefield committed suicide on Howard Street. That courthouse served Iberia Parish until 1940. That year the current courthouse was built along Iberia Street, two blocks from the New Iberia downtown commercial district. In September 2008, New Iberia was struck by

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...

. The lakes overflowed and filled the city, flooding it under several feet of dirty, brown water. On December 14, 2022, the southeastern part of the city was heavily damaged by a high-end EF2 tornado, injuring 16 people.

Geography

New Iberia is located in southern Louisiana, in the

region. The city of New Iberia is a part of 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 city has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27.4 km²), all land. In 2000, the population density was . There were 12,880 housing units at an average density of . New Iberia lies approximately 16 to 20 feet above sea level. Among the lakes near the city is Lake Peigneur, which was formerly a deep freshwater lake until a 1980 disaster involving oil drilling and a salt mine. The lake is now a deep salt water lake, having been refilled by the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

via the Delcambre Canal. There is also Lake Tasse, better known as Spanish Lake. This region has many natural features of interest, such as Avery Island, famous for its Tabasco sauce factory, deposits of

rock salt Halite ( ), commonly known as rock salt, is a type of salt, the mineral (natural) form of sodium chloride ( Na Cl). Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pi ...

, and Jungle Gardens.

Climate

New Iberia enjoys a sub-tropical climate with above average rainfall. As of 2021, annual average high temperature is and the annual low is .

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,555 people, 11,030 households, and 7,338 families residing in the city. 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 ...

estimated 29,456 people resided in the city limits. At the 2010 U.S. census, the population of New Iberia was 30,617. At the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 32,623 people, 11,756 households, and 8,335 families residing in the city. Of the population in 2019, New Iberians lived in 13,455 housing units; there were 11,030 households. New Iberia's population had a sex ratio of 96.2 males per 100 females. The city had a median age of 36.2 and 7,671 were under 18 years of age, 2,609 under 5 years, and 21,785 aged 18 and older. An estimated 4,268 households were married-couples living together, 784 cohabiting households, 2,273 male households with no female present, and 3,705 female households with no male present. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.24. In 2000, there were 11,756 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males. The 2019 census estimates determined New Iberia a median income of $38,221 and mean income of $54,126. At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $26,079, and the median income for a family was $30,828. Males had a median income of $30,289 versus $16,980 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 $13,084. About 24.9% of families and 29.5% 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 40.8% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.

Race and ethnicity

New Iberia had a racial and ethnic makeup of 51.6%

non-Hispanic whites 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 ...

, 40.7% Blacks or African Americans, 0.1% American Indians and Alaska Natives, 1.4% Asian, 2.1% some other race, and 2.1%

multiracial Americans Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more Race and ethnicity in the United States, races. The term may also include Americans of multiracial people, mixed-race ancestry who ethn ...

. Hispanics or Latino Americans of any race made up 3.8% of the total population in 2019. After the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 44.47% non-Hispanic white, 44.04% Black or African American, 0.26% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8% Asian, <0.0 Pacific Islander, 3.37% two or more races, and 5.06% Hispanic or Latino American of any race. At the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the city was 56.99% White, 38.42% African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.64% 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 ...

, 0.51% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races; 1.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino American of any race.

Religion

In common with most of Louisiana, the majority of New Iberians profess a religion. New Iberia is dominated by

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, and the single largest Christian denomination in the city is the Roman

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 ...

, owing in part to the Spanish and French heritage of its residents. Catholics in New Iberia and the surrounding area are served by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. Of the religious population, 0.1% each practice

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

or an

eastern religion The Eastern religions are the religions which originated in East Asia, East, South Asia, South and Southeast Asia and thus have dissimilarities with Western religions, Western and Traditional African religions, African religions. Eastern religions i ...

Economy

The city of New Iberia was the founding headquarters for Bruce Foods before their relocation to Lafayette; it was also the birthplace of Trappey's Hot Sauce. Currently, the economy is stimulated by small businesses, agriculture, New Iberia station, Louisiana Hot Sauce, and Acadiana Regional Airport.

Arts and culture

Places of interest

* Shadows-on-the-Teche historic former residence and

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

, now owned by the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

. *The Bayou Teche Museum has exhibits on the history, culture, artists and industries of the

region. Location of artist George Rodrigue's last studio. * Avery Island, home of Tabasco sauce and claims to be the oldest salt mine in North America. In operation since 1862. * Jungle Gardens, botanical garden and bird sanctuary located in Avery Island. *Jefferson Island is a former salt mine, botanical garden, rookery, nursery, as well as the historic Victorian Joseph Jefferson House. *

Conrad Rice Mill The Conrad Rice Mill is an independently owned and operated rice mill located in New Iberia, Louisiana, and produces the Konriko brand of rice varieties. Established in 1912, it is the oldest independently owned rice mill in the United States sti ...

is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, oldest rice mill in operation since 1912, offering public tours. *The city used to hold a statue of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

emperor,

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

. It was located on the corner of Weeks and St. Peter Streets, until approx. 2008 when it was sold.

Festivals

New Iberia hosts the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival in September. The Sugar Cane Festival celebrates the commencement of the sugar cane harvest, locally referred to as ''grinding.''

Sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

is a principal crop grown by New Iberia farmers. The city also hosts El Festival Español de Nueva Iberia, which honors the area's Spanish heritage. Other notable festivals include the World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off, on the second full weekend in October; and the Books Along the Teche Literary Festival, in April, which celebrates James Lee Burke and South Louisiana literature.

Popular culture

New Iberia is home to fictional detective Dave Robicheaux; and home to his creator, author James Lee Burke. '' The Air-Conditioned Nightmare'' (1945) travelogue book mentions Henry Miller's stay in New Iberia''.'' '' In the Electric Mist'', a movie based on one of Burke's novels, was filmed in New Iberia in 2009 and starred

Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Tommy Lee Jones, various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Scre ...

Education

Public schools

Iberia Parish School System The Iberia Parish School System is a school district headquartered in New Iberia, Louisiana, New Iberia, Louisiana, United States. The district serves all of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia Parish. The city of Delcambre, Louisiana, Delcambre h ...

serves the city and parish area.

High schools

Middle schools

Elementary schools

Private schools

Colleges and universities

Iberia Parish is in the service area of Fletcher Technical Community College and of South Louisiana Community College.

Notable people

This is a list of notable people from New Iberia, Louisiana. It includes people who were born/raised in, lived in, or spent portions of their lives in New Iberia, or for whom New Iberia is a significant part of their identity. This list is in order by career and in alphabetical order by last name.

Actors

* Joseph Jefferson, artist and actor who portrayed Rip Van Winkle on the stage. * Yvonne Levy Kushner, French-Jewish American actress, born in New Iberia. * Peter Renaday, voice actor * Christian J. Simon, child actor and voice actor, born in New Iberia

Authors and journalists

* James Lee Burke, novelist, mystery writer. * Glenn R. Conrad, author, professor, and historian of south

culture, a native of New Iberia. * Pableaux Johnson, New Orleans–based writer, photographer, and cook * Louis Lautier, the first African-American journalist admitted in 1955 to the White House Correspondents' Association,

Artists and designers

* Jamie Baldridge, artist, photographer, arts educator, writer. Born and raised in New Iberia * Rosa Lee Brooks, artist, blues singer; born in New Iberia and raised in Los Angeles, California * William Eckart, set designer for film, stage and television, born in New Iberia * Alyce Frank, southwestern landscapes painter born in New Iberia * William Weeks Hall, painter and photographer * George Rodrigue, artist and creator of the Blue Dog series of paintings * Owen Southwell, architect, and native of New Iberia

Business

* William Dore, businessman,founder of Global Industries, Ltd., born and raised in New Iberia. * Paul Fleming, restaurateur, born in New Iberia. * Bryan Lourd, Partner, managing director and co-chairperson of CAA

Politics and civil service

* Taylor Barras, state representative and Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2016 * Kathleen Blanco, former

Governor of Louisiana The governor of Louisiana (; ) is the chief executive of the U.S. state government of Louisiana. The governor also serves as the commander in chief of the Louisiana National Guard. Republican Jeff Landry has held the office since January 8, ...

from 2004 to 2008 * Edwin S. Broussard, U.S. senator from 1921 to 1933 * Robert F. Broussard, U.S. representative from 1897 to 1915 and U.S. senator from 1915 to 1918 * Patrick T. Caffery, attorney, member of the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

and U.S. Representative * W. Eugene Davis, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge from 1983 until present * John Duhe, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge from 1988 to 2011 * Ted Haik, state representative from Iberia, St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes (1976–96) * Billy Hewes, Mississippi politician *

Jeff Landry Jeffrey Martin Landry ( ; born December 23, 1970) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 57th governor of Louisiana since 2024. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th attorney general of Louisiana from 201 ...

, attorney and Governor of Louisiana since 2024. * Wilbert J. Le Melle, American diplomat, author and academician. Born in New Iberia.

Music

* Bunk Johnson,

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

jazz musician and trumpet player * Soko Richardson,

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

Sports

* Kermit Alexander, defensive back (San Francisco 49ers, 1963–1969) * Alton Alexis, wide receiver (Cincinnati Bengals, 1980) (CFL Calgary Stampeders, 1981–1982) * Jon Emminger, professional wrestler working for WWE as

Lucky Cannon Jonathon David Emminger (born November 8, 1983) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring names Johnny Prime and Lucky Cannon. He is best known for his appearances for WWE, where he performed o ...

* Howie Ferguson, NFL player (Green Bay Packers, 1953–1958) * Damon Harrison, NFL player, former

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

player, currently with

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

* Johnny Hector, running back (New York Jets, 1983–1992) *

Willie Hector Willie Hector, Jr. (born December 23, 1939) is an American former professional American football, football offensive guard who played one season with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Rams in the f ...

, NFL player * Kerry Joseph, CFL quarterback * Jared Mitchell, outfielder for the Chicago White Sox * Corey Raymond, cornerback for the NY Giants and coach. * Mark Roman, NFL defensive back,

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

* Diontae Spencer, CFL wide receiver and return specialist, born in New Iberia. * Tyrunn Walker, NFL defensive lineman, former

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

player.

Science

* Norman F. Carnahan, chemical engineer * Viola Mary Johnson Coleman, African-American female physician

Sister cities

Notes

References

External links

City of New Iberia
{{Authority control 1779 establishments in New Spain Acadiana Cities in Louisiana Parish seats in Louisiana Cities in Iberia Parish, Louisiana Populated places established in 1779 Spanish-American culture in Louisiana Cities in Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area