ZIP Code 70582

St. Martinville (French: Saint-Martin) is a city in, and the parish seat of, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, 13 miles (21 km) south of Breaux Bridge, 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Lafayette, and 9 miles (14 km) north of New Iberia. The population was 6,114 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 5,379 at the 2020 United States census. The city is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area, which has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km) Its terrain is mixture of swamp and prairie and is 0.33 miles (0.91 km) wide. In the 16th century, the area between the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Nezpique was occupied by numerous tribes or subdivisions of the Attakapan people. The territory was not closed to outsiders, and several traders roamed through it on business.Europeans did not begin to settle there until French explorers claimed and founded the colony of Louisiana in 1699. In 1803, after losing his effort to regain control over Saint-Domingue during its slave revolt, Napoleon sold Louisiana in 1803 to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. After Louisiana became a state, Saint Martin Parish was created and designated as the Parish seat. In 1768-1769, fifteen families arrived from Pointe Coupee, another French colonial community.

History

Saint Martinville is the primary city name, but also Parks, St Martinvlle are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Saint Martinville. The Attakapas Territory was the territory between the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Nezpique, where the Eastern Atakapa lived. The territory was not closed to outsiders, and several traders roamed through it on business. Europeans did not begin to settle there until French explorers claimed and founded the colony of Louisiana in 1699. In 1803, after losing his effort to regain control over Saint-Domingue during its slave revolt, Napoleon sold Louisiana in 1803 to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. The U.S. settlers and territorial government organized the Attakpas Territory between 1807 and 1868. After Louisiana became a state, Saint Martin Parish was created. AttakAPas Post was renamed as Saint Martinville and designated as the parish seat. In 1767, the Attkapas Post had 150 inhabitants before the arrival of the 15 families from Pointe Coupee, another French colonial community. The first Acadians from Nova Scotia were assigned to this area in 1765 by Jean-Jacques Blaise d'Abbadie, the French official who was administering Louisiana for the Spanish. They had been expelled from Acadia by the British, who had defeated France in the Seven Years' War and taken over its territories in North America east of the Mississippi River. The Acadians were led by Joseph Broussard, who came from Fort de Chartres, in present-day Illinois, or from Paris.

Geography

St. Martinville is located at 30°730N 91°4950W (30.125053, -91.830593), in Acadiana. The city is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²) Its terrain is mixture of swamp and prairie. It has a population of 2,816. It is one of the smallest cities in the state of Louisiana, with an area of just over 3 square miles. The population of the city in 2010 was 2,788. It had a population growth rate of 0.7% in the last decade. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city's population will rise to 3,822 by the end of the year. It will have a population density of 1,838.0 per square mile (3,738.8 per km²), with a total of 3,716.0 acres (7,8km²) of land and 0.33 per cent of that land is water. The area has a humid continental climate (Köppen "Dfb") with an average monthly temperature of 30.7°C (91.8°F) The city's elevation is 1,717.0 feet (430.0 meters) (1,723.0 m) (3.719.0 ft).

Demographics

At the 2020 United States census, there were 5,379 people, 2,567 households, and 1,366 families residing in the city. At the 2010 U.S. census, the racial and ethnic makeup was 63.0% Black and African American, 32.8% non-Hispanic white, 0.4% Asian, 2.3% two or more races and 1.5% Hispanic and Latin American of any race. In 2005, 81.1% of the population over the age of five spoke only English at home. By the 2019 census estimates, the population was spread throughout 3,120 housing units and the median age was 47.5. In 2019, the median household income was $25,520 and 28.2% of its population lived at or below the poverty line. The per capita income for the city was $17,835. About 24.6% of families and 29.4%. of the city were below the income line, including 50.2%. of those under age 18 and 16.2. of those age 65 or over. The city is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. It is one of the few cities in Louisiana to have a large percentage of African-American residents. In 2010, the city had a population of 6,114, with a median age of 38.8 years. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there are 80.7 males. In the city, the average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.13.

Economy

The economy of St. Martinville is fueled by agriculture and tourism. Agricultural production mainly yields crops of crawfish and sugar cane. The latter was a major commodity crop before the American Civil War, when it was dependent on enslaved labor. It has continued to be important. The city's tourism industry is also a major part of its economy. It is the second largest in the state, after St. Louis, with a population of 1.2 million. The economy is based on agriculture, and tourism is a key part of the city's economy.

Education

The city of St. Martinville is zoned to the Early Learning Center. The Evangeline campus of Louisiana Technical College is located in the city. Public schools in the parish are operated by the St.Martin Parish School Board. The parish is home to the Louisiana State University Shreveport-Bossier campus. The school district also offers a number of alternative education options for students in the area, including the Louisiana School and College of the Arts and Sciences in New Orleans. The district also operates St. Martinsville High School, which is a junior high school and senior high school in the town of St Martinville.

Culture and arts

The third oldest town in Louisiana, St. Martinville has many buildings and homes with historic architecture. The city houses an African American Museum and is a posted destination on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail, which was established in 2008. It is the setting of the 2013 film, Christmas on the Bayou, starring Hilarie Burton as Katherine, a divorced mother and business executive. In the story line, Katherine rekindles romance and discovers where she truly belongs after she comes to St.Martinville to spend Christmas with her mother Lilly (Markie Post) and son Zack (Brody Rose) The city is also the site of the "Evangeline Oak", featured in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem about the Acadian expulsion. The church was dedicated to Martin of Tours in France, where a St Martin de Tours church can be found. The town's nickname, Petit Paris ("Little Paris"), dates from the era when it was known as a cultural mecca with good hotels and a French theater, the Duchamp Opera House (founded in 1830), which featured the best operas and witty comedies. Its nickname is a reference to the French city of Paris, where the city was once known as "Little Paris" The town is home to the Louisiana Museum of Fine Arts, a museum dedicated to the history of the Louisiana Cajun people, and the Louisiana State Museum of Art, which houses the Louisiana National Museum of African American History and Culture, among other things.

Sister cities

Ploermel, Brittany, France is a sister city to Bouctouche, New Brunswick, Canada. Chaudfontaine, Wallonia, Belgium is a twin city to Goree Island, Senegal, West Africa. The city of Chaud Fontaine, Belgium, is one of the sister cities of Brittany and Wallonia in Belgium. The town of Bouctouchet, New Brunswick, Canada is also a sister town to Chaud Fontaines, a city in Wallonia. The city of ChaudFontaines is known as Choudfontaine in Belgium and Ch Audfontaine in Belgium. It is also known as Choudfontaine in Wallonia and Chaud fontaines in Belgium and France. The sister city of Ploermel is Ploermerel, France, and the city of Bouct ouche is called Boulogne-Billancourt. The two cities are also sister cities in Brittany and New Brunswick. The name of the town of Choud Fontaine is "Ploeremel" in French and "Bouctorouche" in Canadian English. The twin city of Ploermal is called PloERmel in French, and it is located in Brittany and New Brunswick in Canada. It also has the name "Boulonge-Bourgne" in English. It is also called Plouermel in French.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Saint Martinville, Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana = 87. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 20. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Saint Martinville = 5.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 5,379 individuals with a median age of 35.5 age the population dropped by -1.27% in Saint Martinville, Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,762.45 residents per square mile of area (680.56/km²). There are average 2.56 people per household in the 2,556 households with an average household income of $26,267 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.00% of the available work force and has dropped -4.19% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 24.62%. The number of physicians in Saint Martinville per 100,000 population = 30.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Saint Martinville = 66.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 94. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 222. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 42 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 25, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Saint Martinville, Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana which are owned by the occupant = 57.77%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 35 years with median home cost = $78,700 and home appreciation of 1.69%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $2.77 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,063 per student. There are 16.3 students for each teacher in the school, 572 students for each Librarian and 252 students for each Counselor. 1.55% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 6.34% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.41% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).