Ville Platte, Louisiana

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Ville Platte
City
Name origin: Ville Platte, French ('Ville' being the French word for 'city' and 'platte' meaning 'flat')
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Evangeline
Elevation 72 ft (21.9 m)
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Area 3.1 sq mi (8 km2)
 - land 3.1 sq mi (8 km2)
 - water 0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population 7,430 (2013)
Density 2,665.4 / sq mi (1,029.1 / km2)
Mayor Jennifer Vidrine (D)
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code 70586
Area code 337
Location of Ville Platte in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: http://www.vpla.com

Ville Platte, Louisiana is a city in the state of Louisiana and the parish seat of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States.[1] The population was 8,145 at the 2000 census, with a 2013 estimate of 7,430. The city's name is French roughly translating to "flat city", in reference to its relatively flat geography in contrast to the more hilly terrain north of the area.

History

Marcellin Garand.jpg

The area around Ville Platte appears to have been first settled during the last half of the eighteenth century, when Louisiana was under Spanish rule. The earliest record of settlement in the immediate area of Ville Platte was in the 1780s.

Popular legend states the founder of Ville Platte was Marcellin Garand, an adjutant major in the Army of the French Empire, during the reign of Napoleon. In 1824, Garand obtained one of the first two lots that were platted in what is now Ville Platte, with the second being obtained by a Doctor Robert Windex. Those lots were obtained from the estate of William O'Donegan. This appears to be the actual beginning of, or the founding of the present town of Ville Platte.

The first post office in Ville Platte was established in 1842 with Marcellin Garand as postmaster from 1842 to 1848.

Ville Platte is also the home of Chicot State Park, Louisiana’s largest state park, visited by thousands of people annually from all parts of the U.S. The park covers 6,400 acres (26 km2) of rolling hills and water in South Central Louisiana and has large numbers of deer, raccoon, and other wildlife.

Geography

Ville Platte is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (30.689140, -92.277534).[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (7.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1870 135 —
1880 149 10.4%
1900 163 —
1910 603 269.9%
1920 1,364 126.2%
1930 1,722 26.2%
1940 3,721 116.1%
1950 6,633 78.3%
1960 7,512 13.3%
1970 9,692 29.0%
1980 9,201 −5.1%
1990 9,037 −1.8%
2000 8,145 −9.9%
2010 7,430 −8.8%
Est. 2014 7,287 [3] −1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 8,145 people, 3,169 households, and 2,047 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,665.4 people per square mile (1,027.7/km²). There were 3,513 housing units at an average density of 1,149.6 per square mile (443.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 40.53% White, 58.67% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population.

There were 3,169 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 24.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% 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 3.17.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $12,917, and the median income for a family was $18,056. Males had a median income of $29,798 versus $16,563 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,672. About 43.5% of families and 50.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 68.9% of those under age 18 and 32.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in Evangeline Parish are operated by the Evangeline Parish School Board. Three campuses are located in Ville Platte - James Stephens Montessori School (Grades PK-4), Ville Platte Elementary School (Grades PK-4), and Ville Platte High School (Grades 5-12).

There is also a private Roman Catholic school, Sacred Heart High School, serving grades 9-12, as well as Sacred Heart Elementary serving grades K-8.

The famous St. Landry Parish Sheriff Cat Doucet was educated in Ville Platte.[6]

Culture

Ville Platte has significant Creole and Cajun cultural associations (cuisine, music, language etc.). It lies at the northern point of the "French Triangle" with a significant francophone population residing in the city as well as the parish. It is one of the birthplaces of the Afro-creole Zydeco music that has become one of the signatures of Louisiana culture throughout the world, as well as the Choctaw-Métis tradition of 'viande boucanee' or smoked meat. See reference Evangeline Parish for appropriate historical and cultural information. See "Louisiana's French Creole Culinary & Linguistic Traditions: Facts vs. Fiction Before And Since Cajunization," by John laFleur & Brian Costello w/ Dr. Ina Fandrich, 2013

Government

Former U.S. Representative T. Ashton Thompson of Louisiana's 7th congressional district, since disbanded, was born in Ville Platte in 1916. He died in office in 1965 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident in Gastonia, North Carolina. His death paved the way for Edwin Washington Edwards to assume the seat.

Bernard LeBas, a Ville Platte pharmacist, has represented Evangeline and St. Landry parishes in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2008.[7]

City officials 2011-2015:

  • Mayor: Jennifer Vidrine
  • Former Mayor: Bill Jeanmard, 2007-2011

Members of the City Council:

  • C. J. Dardeau
  • Mike Perron
  • Reverend Freddie Jack
  • Donald Sam
  • Taranza Arvie
  • Carol Alfred
  • City Clerk: Shelley Fruge'
  • Deputy Clerk: Cliff Fontenot
  • Chief of Police: Romeo J. Hargrove, III

Points of interest

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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