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The small city of Abbeville is the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, in the US state of Louisiana, 150 miles (241 km) southwest of New Orleans. In 1890, 637 people lived here; in 1900, 1.536; in 1910, 2,907; and in 1940, Abbeville was the home of 6,672 occupants. In 1990: 11,187 people lived there.
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 (29.972489, -92.129056).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.7 km² (5.7 mi²). 14.6 km² (5.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.53%) is 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/km² (2,104.3/mi²). There were 5,125 housing units at an average density of 350.2/km² (907.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.29% White, 38.56% African American, 0.19% Native American, 5.50% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.93% of the population.
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. About 33.3% of families and 37.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 53.8% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.
Festivals
- Daylily Festival and Garden Show
- Giant Omelette Celebration
- Les Lumieres du Village d'Abbeville
- Louisiana Cattle Festival
- Vermilion Carousel of Arts
Education
- Louisiana Technical College - Gulf Area Campus
Transportation
Abbeville is the southern terminus of U.S. Highway 167. 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
- Black’s Oyster Bar
- Dupuy’s Oyster Shop
- El Camino Mexican Restaurant
- Lynn G’s Seafood & Steakhouse
- The River Front Restaurant
- Shucks The Louisiana Restaurant
Large Food Distributors
- Steen's Cane Syrup
- Riviana Rice (In January of 2006, Riviana's parent company Ebro Puleva SA, announced plans to close or sell the Abbeville facility, as well as others in Vermilion Parish)
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." He rented a house in the current downtown area for 15 months over 1946-47.
Notable Residents
- Sammy Kershaw, country music artist, was born in Abbeville in 1958
- George Petty, artist, was born in Abbeville in 1894
References
- "Abbeville." The Encyclopedia Brittanica.
External links
"Abbeville, Louisiana"