St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state
of Louisiana
. The parish seat is Hahnville
. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast
, an area along the Mississippi River
settled by numerous German pioneers in the 1720s.
The legislative branch consists of a nine member council. The parish is divided into 7 districts which are represented by a district council member. In addition to the 7 district seats, there are also 2 at-large seats which are elected on a parish-wide basis. The at-large seats are divided into an "A" seat and a "B" seat. The "A" seat representative must be a resident of the parish's east bank while the "B" seat must be held by a resident of the west bank. The last parish council election was in 2007, when every incumbent who ran for office was ousted. Only one current councilman, Councilman At-Large Division "B" Terry Authement has served on the council before.
Members of the St. Charles Parish Council as of January 2008:
of 2000, there were 48,072 people, 16,422 households, and 13,088 families residing in the parish. The population density
was 170 people per square mile (65/km²). There were 17,430 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile (24/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 72.40% White, 25.23% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races
, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.80% of the population.
There were 16,422 households out of which 43.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples
living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.30% were non-families. 16.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the parish the population was spread out with 30.30% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 31.40% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $45,139, and the median income for a family was $50,562. Males had a median income of $40,651 versus $24,780 for females. The per capita income
for the parish was $19,054. About 9.30% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those age 65 or over.
Geology
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 parish seat is Hahnville
Hahnville, Louisiana
Hahnville is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,792 at the 2000 census...
. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast
German Coast
The German Coast was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans on the Mississippi River – specifically, from east to west, in St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James parishes of present-day Acadiana. The four settlements along the coast were Karlstein, Hoffen,...
, an area along the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
settled by numerous German pioneers in the 1720s.
Geography
The parish has a total area of 410 square miles (1,062 km²), of which, 284 square miles (735 km²) of it is land and 127 square miles (328 km²) of it (30.85%) is water.Major highways
Interstate 10
Interstate 310Interstate 310Interstate 310 is a short spur route of Interstate 10 near New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It runs south from Interstate 10 near the New Orleans International Airport, intersects with U.S. Highway 61 and ends at the junction with U.S...
U.S. Highway 61
U.S. Highway 90
Louisiana Highway 18Louisiana Highway 18Louisiana Highway 18 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, and Jefferson Parishes. Called the Great River Road, it runs from west to east, parallel to the west bank of the Mississippi River, running from Donaldsonville to Gretna. It...- Louisiana Highway 3127Louisiana Highway 3127Louisiana Highway 3127 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and St. Charles Parishes. It spans in a northwest to southeast direction. It parallels LA 18 along the west bank of the Mississippi River, providing a much shorter inland bypass of...
- Louisiana Highway 48Louisiana Highway 48Louisiana Highway 48 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves St. Charles and Jefferson Parishes. It runs from west to east, parallel to the east bank of the Mississippi River, from Norco to Metairie. It spans a total of...
Adjacent parishes
- Jefferson ParishJefferson Parish, LouisianaJefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
(east) - Lafourche ParishLafourche Parish, LouisianaLafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux...
(southwest) - St. John the Baptist ParishSt. John the Baptist Parish, LouisianaSt. John the Baptist Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana.The parish seat is Edgard, an unincorporated area and the unofficial parish captial is LaPlace, an unincorporated area. St. John the Baptist is one of the original 19 parishes in Louisiana. In 2010, its population was...
(northwest)
Government
St. Charles Parish is governed by an executive branch and legislative branch. The executive branch is headed by the Parish President; currently V.J. St. Pierre a retired businessman. Shortly after taking office, St. Pierre reorganized the parish bureaucracy. His office released a new organizational chart which shows the power structure within the parish.The legislative branch consists of a nine member council. The parish is divided into 7 districts which are represented by a district council member. In addition to the 7 district seats, there are also 2 at-large seats which are elected on a parish-wide basis. The at-large seats are divided into an "A" seat and a "B" seat. The "A" seat representative must be a resident of the parish's east bank while the "B" seat must be held by a resident of the west bank. The last parish council election was in 2007, when every incumbent who ran for office was ousted. Only one current councilman, Councilman At-Large Division "B" Terry Authement has served on the council before.
Members of the St. Charles Parish Council as of January 2008:
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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 48,072 people, 16,422 households, and 13,088 families residing in the parish. 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 170 people per square mile (65/km²). There were 17,430 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile (24/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 72.40% White, 25.23% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.64% 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 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.80% of the population.
There were 16,422 households out of which 43.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% 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, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.30% were non-families. 16.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the parish the population was spread out with 30.30% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 31.40% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $45,139, and the median income for a family was $50,562. Males had a median income of $40,651 versus $24,780 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 parish was $19,054. About 9.30% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
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Notable natives and residents
- Dawan LandryDawan LandryDawan Frank Landry is an American football safety of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Landry was a successful college safety for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 2002 to 2005, and was drafted in the 5th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Ravens.-College:While at Georgia Tech, he majored in Management...
, born in Ama, is a professional football player who plays for the Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. - LaRon LandryLaRon LandryLaRon Louis Landry is an American football strong safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Redskins sixth overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State...
, born in Ama, was drafted by the Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
(younger brother of Dawan Landry). - Ed ReedEd ReedEdward Earl Reed Jr. is an American football free safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens 24th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
, born in St. Rose, is a professional football player for the Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. - Valcour Aimé (1798–1867), St. Charles Parish native whose sugarSugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
plantationPlantationA plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
included the first sugar refinerySugar refineryA sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Barbara ColleyBarbara ColleyBarbara Ann Logan Colley is a romance and mystery novelist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her recent work is centered on the fictitious "Charlotte LaRue", the subject of a series of mysteries. She has written more than a dozen novels which have been published in some seventeen languages....
, (1946-) born in Luling, is a mystery and romance novelist - Dana "Pokey" Chatman, Born in Ama, former Louisiana State University women's basketball coach
- Jesse DuplantisJesse DuplantisJesse Duplantis is an Evangelical Charismatic Christian minister based in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., and the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries.-Biography :...
, born in Destrehan, televangelist - Shelley HennigShelley HennigShelley Catherine "Shell" Hennig is a beauty pageant titleholder from Destrehan, Louisiana who held the Miss Teen USA 2004 title. She is also an actress who played Stephanie Johnson on Days of our Lives...
, born in Destrehan, Miss Teen USA 2004, the only person from Louisiana to win this pageant; actress on Days of our Lives - Mike ScifresMike ScifresMichael T. Scifres is a punter for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.-High school:Scifres attended Destrehan High School in Destrehan, Louisiana and lettered in football, soccer, and baseball. In football, he was an All-District selection...
, born in Destrehan, NFL player - Mutt CareyMutt CareyThomas "Papa Mutt" Carey was a New Orleans jazz trumpeter.Carey was born in Hahnville, Louisiana, and moved to New Orleans with his family in his youth. His older brother Jack Carey was a trombone player and bandleader; Mutt was playing cornet in his brother's band by about 1912. Carey toured the...
, born in Hahnville, Jazz trumpeter whose family moved to New Orleans when he was a child
- Laron Byrd, born in Boutte, football player, WR, Miami UniversityMiami UniversityMiami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
(FL) - Darius ReynaudDarius ReynaudDarius Reynaud is an American football running back / wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at West Virginia....
, born in Luling, Football player, WR for the New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
See also
- German CoastGerman CoastThe German Coast was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans on the Mississippi River – specifically, from east to west, in St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James parishes of present-day Acadiana. The four settlements along the coast were Karlstein, Hoffen,...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
External links
Geology
- McCulloh, R. P., P. V. Heinrich, and J. Snead, 2003, Ponchatoula 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle. Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.