Broussard, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Broussard is a small city in Lafayette
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Lafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. According to the 2010 Census, its population was recorded as 221,578....

 and St. Martin
St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
St. Martin Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Martinville. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,583.St...

 parishes in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Louisiana
Louisiana
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 in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

. The population was 6,754 from the 2005 Census Est.http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-04-22.csv

Broussard is part of the Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...

 Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Originally named Côte Gelée (Frozen Hills) because of its hilly ridge area and the severe winter of 1784. Broussard was founded in 1884. It was named after Valsin Broussard, a prominent local merchant, who formed the first Vigilante Committee when his own store was robbed. He was also a direct descendant of Joseph Gaurhept Broussard de Beau Soleil
Joseph Broussard
Joseph Gaurhept Broussard , also known as Beausoleil, was a leader of the Acadian people in Acadia; later Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Broussard organized a resistance movement against the forced Expulsion of the Acadians...

, one of the first 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana on February 27, 1765 aboard the Santo Domingo.

Primary agricultural resources include sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...

, soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

 and hay production as well as horse and cattle farming. Principal industries consist of oil and gas service companies, food distributors, real estate developments and manufacturing.

Broussard has gone from a horse and buggy community, with large sugarcane plantation homes, to a current day industrial community with over 300 businesses. It was designated a city in November 2002. Yet, one still experiences its charm though the atmosphere of elegant Creole
Louisiana Creole cuisine
Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana which blends French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Asian Indian, Native American, and African influences, as well as general Southern cuisine...

 home cooking and cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...

 food at the local restaurants.

Historic places

Although the town of Broussard dates back to the 1870s, its most conspicuous
development took place between about 1890 and 1910. This turn-of-the-century growth spurt replaced most of what existed before and created the town's present architectural heritage. In many ways this growth reflected a contemporaneous boom in the production of sugar which affected much of southern Louisiana. The products of this economic boom can be seen today in
and seen through the town in its historic buildings.

Properties on the National Historic Register:
  • Alesia House
  • Andre' Billeaud House
  • Martial Billeaud, Jr. House
  • Valsin Broussard House
  • Comeaux House
  • Ducrest Building
  • Janin Store
  • Roy-Leblanc House
  • St. Cecilia School
  • St. Julien House
  • Main Street Historic District
  • Charles Billeaud Jr. House

Geography

Broussard is located at 30°8′32"N 91°57′49"W (30.142329, -91.963644).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The 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...

, the town has a total area of 11.4 square miles (29.6 km²), of which, 11.4 square miles (29.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.18%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A 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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 5,874 people, 2,197 households, and 1,619 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 515.7 people per square mile (199.1/km²). There were 2,346 housing units at an average density of 205.9 per square mile (79.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.31% White, 16.70% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.39% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population. In 2005, 84.9% of the population over the age of five spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 at home, and 13.4% of the population spoke French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

.

There were 2,197 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% 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 3.11.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,676, and the median income for a family was $45,668. Males had a median income of $36,368 versus $21,833 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $18,441. About 9.5% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education


External links

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