| Abbeville, Louisiana |
Article Index for Abbeville |
Website Links For Abbeville |
Information AboutAbbeville, Louisiana |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ABBEVILLE, LOUISIANA | |
| cities in louisiana | |
| vermilion parish, louisiana | |
| acadiana | |
| parish seats in louisiana | |
| settlements established in 1843 | |
|
Abbeville is in the heart of “ Cajun Country”, and is home to many restaurants which specialize in the taste of the region. HISTORY The land that was to become Abbeville was purchased by founding Father A. D. Megret , Capuchin missionary, on July 25, 1843 for $900. Megret named the town after his home in France. There were two people living on the land at that time, Joseph LeBlanc and his wife Isabelle Broussard, whose former home Father Megret converted into a chapel. The chapel burned in 1854 and St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church now stands at the same location. Father Megret modeled his original plan for the village after a French Provincial village. In a map he made in 1846, the town was 38 to 40 acres in size. It was bounded on the north by St. Victor Boulevard, on the south by Lafayette Boulevard, on the east by "the sisters of Charity," and on the west by Bayou Vermilion. At this point in time the town was called “Abbville”. It is not clear exactly when or why the transition to "Abbeville" took place. At the center of downtown is Magdalen Square , which is a beautiful town square accented by huge oak trees, a fountain, and gazebo. Today, a statue stands in Magdalen Square in memorial to Father Megret. Modern Abbeville is a trade center for agricultural products, especially Rice , and Seafood . It also provides services for the important Oil and Natural Gas fields of the Gulf Of Mexico . GEOGRAPHY Abbeville is located at 29°58'21" North, 92°7'45" West (29.972489, -92.129056). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 14.7 Km&2 (5.7 Mi&2 ). 14.6 km&2 (5.7 mi&2) of it is land and 0.1 km&2 (0.04 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 0.53% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 11,887 people, 4,499 households, and 3,014 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 812.3/km&2 (2,104.3/mi&2). There were 5,125 housing units at an average density of 350.2/km&2 (907.3/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 54.29% White , 38.56% African American , 0.19% Native American , 5.50% Asian , 0.00% Pacific Islander , 0.39% from Other Races , and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,499 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were Married Couples living together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.23. In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,714, and the median income for a family was $21,400. Males had a median income of $27,766 versus $16,073 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $11,680. 37.7% of the population and 33.3% of families were below the Poverty Line . 53.8% of those under the age of 18 and 23.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. FESTIVALS
EDUCATION
TRANSPORTATION Abbeville is the southern terminus of U.S. Highway 167 and Louisiana Highway 14 . Abbeville Municipal Airport is in the eastern part of the city. The Vermilion River runs through downtown Abbeville, and numerous canals and coulies go through other parts of the city. NOTABLE RESTAURANTS
LARGE FOOD DISTRIBUTORS
FILMS The 1988 remake of The Blob Movie was filmed in Abbeville. Robert J. Flaherty , chose Abbeville in 1948 as his base of operations during the filming of "The Louisiana Story ." Renting a house in the current downtown area for 15 months over 1946-47. NOTABLE RESIDENTS
REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|