New Iberia, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Iberia Parish, Louisiana
Iberia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Iberia. As of 2000, the population was 73,266.Iberia Parish is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area.Iberia, along with...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 30 miles (48 km) southeast of 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...
. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747. The population was 32,623 at the 2000 census.
New Iberia is the principal city of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Iberia Parish.
History
The town of New Iberia dates from spring 1779, when a group of 500 MalaguenianMálaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
colonists and the actual founder Bernardo de Galvez
came up Bayou Teche
Bayou Teche
The Bayou Teche is a waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago...
and settled around Spanish Lake
Spanish Lake (Iberia Parish)
Spanish Lake, originally called Lake Flamand and then Lake Tasse, is located off of LA Hwy 182 in Iberia Parish and St. Martin Parish, Louisiana....
. The Spanish settler
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
s called the town "Nueva Iberia" in honor of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
referred to the town as "Nouvelle Ibérie" while the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
settlers called it "New Town" after the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
.
In 1814, the federal government opened a post office, and it was officially known as "New Iberia," but postmarks shortly thereafter reveal that the town was being called "Nova Iberia" (with Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "new"). The town was incorporated as "Iberia" in 1839, but the state legislature resolved the situation in 1847, naming the town New Iberia.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, New Iberia was occupied by Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
forces under General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Nathaniel P. Banks. The soldiers spent the winter of 1862-1863 at New Iberia and, according to historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
John D. Winters
John D. Winters
John David Winters was a historian at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, best known for his definitive and award-winning study, The Civil War in Louisiana, still in print, published in 1963 and released in paperback in 1991.-Background:Winters was born to John David Winters, Sr...
of Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in his The Civil War in Louisiana, "found the weather each day more and more severe. The dreary days dragged by, and the men grumbled as they plowed through the freezing rain and deep mud in performing the regular routines of camp life." Banks' men from New Iberia forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
d for supplies in the swamps near the city.
In 1868, Iberia Parish (county) was established, and New Iberia became the seat of parish government. At first, only rented space served for the courthouse, but by 1884 a new courthouse stood on a landscaped lot in downtown New Iberia, at the present-day site of Bouligny Plaza. That courthouse served Iberia Parish until 1940, when the current courthouse was built along Iberia Street, two blocks from the New Iberia downtown commercial district.
Geography
New Iberia is located at 30°0′13"N 91°49′6"W (30.003577, -91.818454) and has an elevation of 20 feet (6.1 m).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 city has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27.4 km²), all land.
New Iberia enjoys a sub-tropical climate with above average rainfall. Among the lakes is Lake Peigneur
Lake Peigneur
Lake Peigneur is located in the U.S. State of Louisiana north of Delcambre and west of New Iberia, near the northernmost tip of Vermilion Bay.-History:...
, which was formerly a 10 feet (3 m) deep freshwater lake until a 1980 disaster involving oil drilling and a salt mine. The lake is now a 1300 feet (396.2 m) deep salt water lake, having been refilled by the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
via the Delcambre Canal
Delcambre Canal
The Delcambre Canal, also known as Bayou Carlin, runs from Lake Peigneur in Louisiana to Vermilion Bay near Weeks Island. It serves to connect the shrimping center of Delcambre to the Gulf of Mexico. It also has a spur connection to Avery Island and crosses the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway...
. There is also Lake Tasse, better known as Spanish Lake
Spanish Lake (Iberia Parish)
Spanish Lake, originally called Lake Flamand and then Lake Tasse, is located off of LA Hwy 182 in Iberia Parish and St. Martin Parish, Louisiana....
.
This region has many natural features of interest, such as Avery Island, famous for its Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce is the brand name for a hot sauce produced by US-based McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. Tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers , vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor...
factory, deposits of rock salt, and Jungle Gardens
Jungle Gardens
Jungle Gardens is a botanical garden and bird sanctuary located on Avery Island, Louisiana . The gardens are open daily except for major holidays; an admission fee is charged....
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 32,623 people, 11,756 households, and 8,335 families residing in the city. 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 3,088.8 people per square mile (1,192.8/km²). There were 12,880 housing units at an average density of 1,219.5 per square mile (470.9/km²). 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, 0.51% 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 1.20% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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
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, 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 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
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 city was $13,084. About 24.9% of families and 29.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
- Shadows-on-the-TecheShadows-on-the-TecheShadows-on-the-Teche is an historic house and garden owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It was built in 1831-1834 for sugarcane planter David Weeks and his wife Mary C. Weeks...
historic residence, owned by the National Trust for Historic PreservationNational Trust for Historic PreservationThe National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation... - Avery Island, home of Tabasco sauceTabasco sauceTabasco sauce is the brand name for a hot sauce produced by US-based McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. Tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers , vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor...
and the oldest salt mine in North America. - Annual Bunk Johnson/New Iberia Jazz, Arts & Heritage Festival, also known as the BunkFest.
- Jungle GardensJungle GardensJungle Gardens is a botanical garden and bird sanctuary located on Avery Island, Louisiana . The gardens are open daily except for major holidays; an admission fee is charged....
, botanical garden and bird sanctuary. - The Iberia Community Band hosts four public concerts throughout the year and is open to amateur, student, and professional band instrumentalists of all ages and skill levels.
- The Iberia Performing Arts League, also known as IPAL, is a community theater organization. It generally presents five major productions per year and a summer youth play or activity.
- The city used to hold a statue of RomanAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
emperor HadrianHadrianHadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
(117-138 AD). It was located on the corner of Weeks and St. Peter Streets. - New Iberia is home to fictional detective Dave RobicheauxDave RobicheauxDave Robicheaux is a fictional character in a series of mystery novels by American crime writer James Lee Burke.-About Robicheaux:Once an officer for the New Orleans police department, Robicheaux constantly breaches the ethical code over the course of just about every case he works on - seemingly...
and his creator, author James Lee BurkeJames Lee BurkeJames Lee Burke is an American author of mysteries, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won an Edgar Award for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose . The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones...
.
Festivals
- New Iberia hosts the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival in September. Sugar Cane Festival, celebrates the commencement of the sugar cane harvest, locally referred to as grinding. Sugar cane is a principal crop grown by New Iberia farmers.
- World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off on the first full weekend in October.
- Cajun Hot Sauce Festival
- Great Gator Race http://www.southernmutualhelp.org/TheGreatGatorRace.cfm
Notable natives and residents
Natives
- Taylor BarrasTaylor BarrasTaylor Francis Barras is an accountant and banker from New Iberia, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 48, based in Iberia Parish....
, state representativeLouisiana State LegislatureThe Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from District 48 - Kathleen BlancoKathleen BlancoKathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
, former Governor of Louisiana - Jon Emminger, professional wrestler working for WWE as Lucky Cannon
- Howie FergusonHowie FergusonHowie Ferguson was a former professional American football player who played running back for six seasons for the National Football League's Green Bay Packers and one season for the American Football League's Los Angeles Chargers.-See also:*Other American Football League players...
, NFL player for the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... - Johnny HectorJohnny HectorJohnny Lyndell Hector , was a former professional American football player who was selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 1983 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 200 lb. running back from Texas A&M, Hector played 10 NFL seasons for the New York Jets from 1983-1992...
, running back for the New York Jets - Kerry JosephKerry JosephKerry Tremaine Joseph is a quarterback who is currently playing for the Edmonton Eskimos. He was born in New Iberia, Louisiana....
, CFL quarterback - Yvonne Levy KushnerYvonne Levy KushnerYvonne Kushner was an American actress and fund raiser for women's and Jewish causes.-Early life:Yvonne Levy was born on October 12, 1906 at New Iberia, Louisiana, to Leopold and Blanche Levy. Her father was...
, actress and fund raiser for women's and Jewish causes - Bryan LourdBryan LourdBryan William Lourd is a talent agent. He has served as Partner, Managing Director and Co-Chairman of Creative Artists Agency since October 1995.-Career:...
, Partner, Managing Director and Co-Chairman of Creative Artists Agency - Jared MitchellJared Mitchell (baseball)Jared Christopher Mitchell is a baseball outfielder for the Chicago White Sox organization.-Biography:Mitchell attended Westgate High School, where Baseball America picked him as the No...
, outfielder for the Chicago White Sox - George RodrigueGeorge RodrigueGeorge Rodrigue is a Cajun artist who grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. Rodrigue began painting outdoor family gatherings framed by moss-clad oak trees in an area of French Louisiana known as Acadiana.-Biography:...
, well known Southern artist - Mark RomanMark RomanMark Emery Roman is an American Football defensive back who is currently a free agent. While playing at LSU he was the freshman SEC Defensive player of the year. He was drafted out of LSU in the 2000 NFL Draft in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals...
, NFL defensive back - Vivien ThomasVivien ThomasVivien Theodore Thomas was an African-American surgical technician who developed the procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome in the 1940s...
, cardiac surgery pioneer, first African American to operate at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and the first to have his portrait commissioned and displayed at the medical school, medical researcher who was essential to the development of the Blalock-Taussig shunt for the treatment of Tetralogy of Fallot, instructor of several world-renowned surgeons, arguably the most famous African American cardiac surgeon whose work may have saved more lives worldwide than any other New Iberia native. - Herschel Harrington, Impressionist artist & designer of New Iberias flag & emblem, ca. 1967
- William Eckhardt Tony winning stage designer
- Brian Schexnayder Baritone with the Metropolitan Opera
- Rachel C. Falgout, Senior Director, Teen Services and National Keystone Advisor for over a million teens with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
- Robert Pete, Command Chaplain, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, LA
- [ Robert Clarence Lawson] Founder, Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Apostolic Faith, 1919.
Notable residents
- Robert AngersRobert AngersRobert John Angers, Jr. , was an American journalist, businessman, and conservative politician. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography describes Angers as "a tireless and unselfish promoter of good government, the Acadiana region, and free enterprise."-Early years, education, military:Angers was born...
(1919–1988), journalist, founder of Acadiana ProfileAcadiana ProfileAcadiana Profile is a bi-monthly magazine published in the American state of Louisiana. It is the longest-running magazine in the state's history, and one of the most enduring regional publications in the United States...
magazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
; grew up in New Iberia, leaving in 1950 - Scott Bernard, guitarist with Kenny LogginsKenny LogginsDuring the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
. - James Lee BurkeJames Lee BurkeJames Lee Burke is an American author of mysteries, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won an Edgar Award for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose . The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones...
, mystery writer - Patrick T. CafferyPatrick T. CafferyPatrick Thomson Caffery is a retired Louisiana politician and former United States Representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district....
, Attorney. Former U.S. Representative. - W. Eugene DavisW. Eugene DavisW. Eugene Davis is a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His chambers are in Lafayette, Louisiana.Born in Winfield, Alabama, Davis attended the University of Alabama and Samford University. After three years at Samford, he received a scholarship to Tulane University...
, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge - John Duhe, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
- John N. Pharr, 1896 Republican-Populist nominee for governor
- Bunk JohnsonBunk JohnsonWillie Gary "Bunk" Johnson was a prominent early New Orleans jazz trumpet player in the early years of the 20th century who enjoyed a revived career in the 1940s....
, jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician - Jeff LandryJeff LandryJeffrey Martin "Jeff" Landry is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education, and military service:...
, attorney and Republican congressional nominee (2010) - Billy HewesWilliam Gardner HewesWilliam Gardner "Billy" Hewes III is a Republican politician. He is the President pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate. He was born in New Iberia, Louisiana and currently lives in Gulfport, Mississippi.-Education and Personal Life:...
, Mississippi politician
Sister city
Belgium Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Spain FuengirolaFuengirola
Fuengirola, in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga, autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches, and home to a mediæval Moorish fortress...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Early Modern France Saint-Jean-d'AngélySaint-Jean-d'Angély
Saint-Jean-d'Angély is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.The commune has its historical origins in the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély.-Royal abbey:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Spain Alhaurín de la TorreAlhaurín de la Torre
Alhaurín de la Torre is a town in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, Southern Spain. The town is part of Málaga Metropolitan Area and of the Comarca of Valle del Guadalhorce....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...