Berwick is a
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
in
St. Mary ParishSt. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.- Geography :...
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,418 at the 2000 census. It is part of the
Morgan CityMorgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,703 at the 2000 census....
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The first white settler to trek through the wilderness in this area was
Thomas Berwick, a surveyor from
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
who was working in
Opelousas, LouisianaOpelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the juncture of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
. He settled along the banks of the
Atchafalaya RiverThe Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi and Red rivers, approximately 170 miles long, in south central Louisiana in the United States. It is navigable and provides a significant industrial shipping channel for the state of Louisiana, as well as the cultural heart of the Cajun...
in the late 1700s. Today the town of Berwick is home to several seafood processing plants and numerous boat companies.
Berwick is a
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
in
St. Mary ParishSt. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.- Geography :...
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,418 at the 2000 census. It is part of the
Morgan CityMorgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,703 at the 2000 census....
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The first white settler to trek through the wilderness in this area was
Thomas Berwick, a surveyor from
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
who was working in
Opelousas, LouisianaOpelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the juncture of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
. He settled along the banks of the
Atchafalaya RiverThe Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi and Red rivers, approximately 170 miles long, in south central Louisiana in the United States. It is navigable and provides a significant industrial shipping channel for the state of Louisiana, as well as the cultural heart of the Cajun...
in the late 1700s. Today the town of Berwick is home to several seafood processing plants and numerous boat companies.
Geography
Berwick is located at (29.698148, -91.227052).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.7 km²), of which, 6.0 square miles (15.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.81%) is water.
The Berwick area is known for its high academic standards and high performing bands. Berwick High School ranked as the seventh best public high school in Louisiana for the 2006-2007 school year.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 4,418 people, 1,655 households, and 1,193 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 741.3 people per square mile (286.2/km²). There were 1,825 housing units at an average density of 306.2/sq mi (118.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.65% White, 8.26% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.54% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.45% of the population.
There were 1,655 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,208, and the median income for a family was $40,297. Males had a median income of $33,413 versus $21,620 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the town was $15,099. About 12.1% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.