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Morgan City, Louisiana
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Morgan City (previously known as Brashear) 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.
The St. Mary Parish portion of Morgan City is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the small St. Martin Parish portion is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.
an City sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River.
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Encyclopedia
Morgan City (previously known as Brashear) 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.
The St. Mary Parish portion of Morgan City is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the small St. Martin Parish portion is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Morgan City sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River. Morgan City was originally called Tiger Island by surveyors appointed by U.S. Secretary of War John Calhoun because of a particular type of wild cat seen in the area. It was later called Brashear City after Walter Brashear, a prominent Kentucky physician who purchased large tracts of land and acquired numerous sugar mills. It was incorporated in 1860 as Brashear City and in 1876, the community's name was changed to Morgan City in tribute to Charles Morgan, rail and steamship magnate who first dredged the Atchafalaya Bay Ship Channel to accommodate ocean-going vessels.
On August 26, 1992 Hurricane Andrew came ashore 20 miles to the southwest of town. Andrew was the second most destructive hurricane in U.S. History, after having crossed Florida and then regaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico.
Geography
Morgan City is located at (29.700828, -91.197314) and has an elevation of .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 square miles (15.6 kmē), of which, 5.9 square miles (15.2 kmē) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 kmē) of it (2.65%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,703 people, 5,037 households, and 3,394 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,166.5 people per square mile (837.0/kmē). There were 5,627 housing units at an average density of 959.7/sq mi (370.8/kmē). The racial makeup of the city was 71.28% White, 23.90% African American, 0.91% American Indian (U.S. Census), 1.02% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race were 3.37% of the population.
There were 5,037 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.0% 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 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,324, and the median income for a family was $36,196. Males had a median income of $31,712 versus $19,550 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,577. About 17.7% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives and residents
Culture
- Denzel Washington shot a scene in Morgan City for his 2006 film, Deja Vu.
- The Tampico Mexican Restaurant chain was founded here in 1962 and established its headquarters here.
- The 2007 film All the Kings Men was partially shot in Morgan City.
- Morgan City is home to the .
- The Iguanas (New Orleans) recorded a song called "Morgan City" on their album "If You Should Ever Fall on Hard Times".
External links
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