Berwick, Louisiana

Updated on Oct 24, 2023

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- land 15.3 km (5.9 sq mi) Area 15.7 km² Local time Saturday 7:10 PM		- summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) Population 4,839 (2013) Area code 985

- water 0.4 km (0.2 sq mi), 2.55% Weather 17°C, Wind E at 13 km/h, 63% Humidity Parish St. Mary Parish, Louisiana

Berwick is a town in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,946 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Map of Berwick, LA, USA

V.J. Bella, state representative from St. Mary Parish from 1972–1990, was known as a legislative fiscal watchdog. Prior to his legislative service, Bella was the fire chief in Berwick. He subsequently served as state fire marshal.

Perhaps the most prominent person from Berwick is Jenny Craig, weight loss guru and founder of Jenny Craig, Inc.

History

The first white settler to trek through the wilderness in this area was Thomas Berwick, a surveyor from Pennsylvania who was working in Opelousas, Louisiana. He settled along the banks of the Atchafalaya River in the late 18th century. Today the town of Berwick is home to several seafood processing plants and numerous boat companies.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.7 km²), of which 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km²), or 2.84%, is water.

The Berwick area is known for its high academic standards and high performing bands. Berwick High School ranked as the seventh best public high school in Louisiana for the 2006-2007 school year.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,418 people, 1,655 households, and 1,193 families residing in the town. The population density was 741.3 people per square mile (286.2/km²). There were 1,825 housing units at an average density of 306.2 per square mile (118.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.65% White, 8.26% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 3.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.45% of the population.

There were 1,655 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town, the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,208, and the median income for a family was $40,297. Males had a median income of $33,413 versus $21,620 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,099. About 12.1% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.