St. James Parish, Louisiana

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St. James Parish
Parish
Parish of St. James
Oak Alley Plantation Mansion.
Official seal of St. James Parish
Map of Louisiana highlighting St. James Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Map of the United States highlighting Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°02′N 90°48′W / 30.03°N 90.8°W / 30.03; -90.8
Country United States
State Louisiana
FoundedMarch 31, 1807
Named forSt. James
SeatConvent
Largest townLutcher
Area
 • Total258 sq mi (670 km2)
 • Land242 sq mi (630 km2)
 • Water16 sq mi (40 km2)  6.4%
Population
 • Total20,192
 • Density78/sq mi (30/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitewww.stjamesla.com

St. James Parish (French: Paroisse de Saint-Jacques) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Convent.[1] The parish was created in 1807.[2] St. James Parish is a part of the New Orleans–Metairie, Louisiana metropolitan statistical area, sitting between New Orleans and Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River. According to the 2020 United States census, the population was 20,192.[3]

History[]

St. James is one of the state's nineteen original parishes, created by act of the territorial legislature, March 31, 1807. The original seat of government was the community of St. James, on the west bank of the Mississippi, but this was moved in 1869 to what is now Convent, on the east bank.

St. James Parish is part of the Acadian Coast. While it is possible that some Acadians did arrive prior to 1755 or between 1755 and 1764, the first documented group of Acadians [4 families: 20 individuals] arrived in New Orleans in February 1764. The arrival was documented in a letter dated April 6, 1764, from Governor D'Abbadie to his superior in France. They were settled along the Mississippi River in present-day St. James.

St. James is known for its tradition, Bonfires on the Levee, which takes place every Christmas Eve. Residents build large bonfires along the River levee, lighting them all at nightfall. The townsfolk tell the children that the purpose of this tradition is so Papa Noel can easily see his way down the Mississippi as he is delivering gifts.

St. James is the only cultivation site in the world for Perique tobacco, introduced by an Acadian exile, , whose nickname was "Perique." It has been produced by his descendants for nearly two centuries (now covering only a 300-acre (1.2 km2) tract) and is in great demand by large tobacco companies.

Post office in Paulina, 1938

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 258 square miles (670 km2), of which 242 square miles (630 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (6.4%) is water.[4] It is the fourth-smallest parish in Louisiana by land area and second-smallest by total area.

Major highways[]

Adjacent parishes[]

Communities[]

Map of St. James Parish, Louisiana With Municipal Labels

Towns[]

Census-designated places[]

Other unincorporated community[]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop.
18205,660
18307,14626.3%
18408,54819.6%
185011,09829.8%
186011,4993.6%
187010,152−11.7%
188014,71444.9%
189015,7156.8%
190020,19728.5%
191023,00913.9%
192021,228−7.7%
193015,338−27.7%
194016,5968.2%
195015,334−7.6%
196018,36919.8%
197019,7337.4%
198021,4958.9%
199020,879−2.9%
200021,2161.6%
201022,1024.2%
202020,192−8.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9]

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated there were 21,308 people living in the parish in 2019,[10] down from 22,102 at the 2010 United States census, yet up from 21,216 at the 2000 census.[11] At the 2020 census, there were 20,192 people in the parish.[3]

In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup was 48.2% non-Hispanic white, 49.6% Black and African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% two or more races, and 1.7% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.[12] At the 2010 census, the racial and ethnic composition of the parish was 50.6% Black or African American, 48.0% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.4% of some other race and 0.7% of two or more races. 1.2% were Hispanic or Latin American (of any race). An estimated 15.2% of the parish were of French ancestry at the 2019 census estimates. In 2000, 93.78% of the population spoke only English at home, while 4.97% spoke French or Cajun French .

There were 7,719 households and 8,919 housing units in 2019, and the median household income was $51,603; the median housing value was $158,500 and the median rent was $644.[10] From 2015 to 2019, the parish had a poverty rate of 17.0%. In 2000, the median income for a household in the parish was $35,277, and the median income for a family was $41,751. Males had a median income of $37,487 versus $21,712 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $14,381. 20.70% of the population and 18.00% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 27.70% are under the age of 18 and 15.10% are 65 or older.

Economy[]

Approximately 85% percent of reported air pollution in the parish is produced by industries located in primarily black census districts, and the town of St James.[13] These include the , an Occidental Chemical Factory, , and .[13]

Formosa Plastic Group plans to build a $9.4 billion petrochemical plant in the parish.[13] The plant's property includes a grave of enslaved people, and is being built on the site of a plantation.[13] The site has become a site of environmental justice protest for both the lack of addressing the historical relationship to the land and due to the expected rise in pollution due to the plant.[13]

Education[]

St. James Parish Public Schools serves all of St. James Parish.

Politics[]

The current parish president is Peter “Pete” Dufresne (D), who took office at the beginning of 2020. In 2016, his predecessor Timmy Roussel was indicted on corruption charges for having parish employees build a private natural gas line.[14]

St. James Parish is strongly Democratic, although in 2016 Donald Trump came within ten percent of carrying the parish. The last Republican to win a majority of the parish's vote was Warren G. Harding in 1920, when Louisiana's Acadian population revolted against Woodrow Wilson because of his bitter disagreement with French President Georges Clemenceau.[15] Dwight D. Eisenhower won a 17-vote plurality in 1956, and Richard Nixon also won a plurality in his 2,900-plus-county 1972 landslide.

Presidential elections results

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  2. ^ "St. James Parish, Louisiana". Archived from the original on 1996-12-15. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "QuickFacts: St. James Parish, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau.
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  5. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  6. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  7. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  8. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  9. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Geography Profile: St. James Parish, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  12. ^ "2019 Demographic and Housing Estimates". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "The rise of environmental justice". Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  14. ^ McKnight, Laura; ‘St. James Parish president indicted on corruption charges: Louisiana Attorney-General’
  15. ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 211 ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-06.

External links[]

Geology

Coordinates: 30°02′N 90°48′W / 30.03°N 90.80°W / 30.03; -90.80

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