Parks is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in St. Martin Parish,

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 653 at the 2010 census, and 696 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 Lafayette metropolitan statistical area.

History

The exact origin of the name "Parks" is somewhat of a mystery. Although some residents seem to think that it had something to do with the railroad, one story states the first train to pass through the community arrived on

Easter Sunday Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...

. When the train engineer, who apparently did not speak or understand French, inquired about the name of the settlement, the residents replied ''"C'est Pacques"'' (it's

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

). The train engineer thought he understood the word Parks, and the name apparently stuck. Parks, originally called Potier, lies in the area previously known as ''La Pointe District'', which existed in 1765. It was also called La Pointe de Repose, supposedly because the cowhands in the early 19th century drove their

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

into the

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a ''cul-de-sac'' (; , ), a no-through road or a no-exit road, is a street with only one combined inlet and outlet. Dead ends are added to roads in urban planning designs to limit traffic in residential areas. Some d ...

formed by the sharp bend of the

bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

on round up time. Settlement began in the Parks village shortly after 1900. Around that time, Paul Melancon purchased a large tract of land in the vicinity of what is now Parks in order to establish a

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

farm. But, shortly after buying the property, he decided to divide a portion into town lots and the community took shape. In 1908, the village of 330

acres The acre ( ) is a unit of land area used in the British imperial and the United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, ...

was incorporated. Since that time, Parks has remained approximately the same size.

Geography

Parks is located at (30.215675, -91.829472), 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 ...

in southern Louisiana. Highways 31 and 347, which both parallel the

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 ...

, pass through the village with the cities of Breaux Bridge being located northwest and St. Martinville, the parish seat, located to the south. 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 village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

At the 2020

, 696 people lived in the village. 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 57.0% of its population were

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 ...

, 42.1% Black and African American, and 0.9%

multiracial The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races (human categorization), races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicity, ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used ...

. The median household income was $45,568 and 10.2% of the population lived at or below the poverty line. At the 2000 United States census, there were 533 people, 207 households, and 150 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 240 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 51.97%

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 ...

, 47.47% African American, 0.38% Native American, and 0.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latin Americans of any race were 1.13% of the population. There were 207 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% 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, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.09. In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $33,958, and the median income for a family was $36,042. Males had a median income of $30,909 versus $22,500 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 village was $16,191. About 13.1% of families and 15.7% 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 17.6% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in St. Martin Parish are operated by the St. Martin Parish School Board. The village of Parks is zoned t
Parks Primary School
(Grades PK-4)
Parks Middle School
(Grades 5-8), and

Breaux Bridge High School Breaux Bridge High School (BBHS or BBSH) is a public senior high school located in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, serving a diverse student body within a community known as the "Crawfish Capital of the World." It is part of the St. Martin Parish Schoo ...

or St. Martinville High School (Grades 9-12).

Notable people

* Fred Mills, Republican member of the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (; ) is the upper house of Louisiana’s legislature. Senators serve four-year terms and participate in various committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate has 39 members elected from single-member districts ...

References

{{authority control Villages in Louisiana Villages in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana Lafayette metropolitan area, Louisiana Acadiana