Broussard, Louisiana

History

Originally named Côte Gelée (Frozen Hills) because of its hilly ridge area and the severe winter of 1784. Broussard was founded in 1884. It was named after Valsin Broussard, a prominent local merchant, who formed the first Vigilante Committee when his own store was robbed. He was also a direct descendant of Joseph Gaurhept Broussard de Beau Soleil, one of the first 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana on February 27, 1765 aboard the Santo Domingo.

Primary agricultural resources include sugarcane, soybean and hay production as well as horse and cattle farming. Principal industries consist of oil and gas service companies, food distributors, real estate developments and manufacturing.

Broussard has gone from a horse and buggy community, with large sugarcane plantation homes, to a current day industrial community with over 300 businesses. It was designated a city in November 2002. Yet, one still experiences its charm though the atmosphere of elegant Creole home cooking and cajun food at the local restaurants.

Historic places

Although the town of Broussard dates from the 1870s, its most conspicuous development took place between about 1890 and 1910. The growth spurt replaced most of what existed before and created the town's present architectural heritage. In many ways this growth reflected a contemporaneous boom in the production of sugar which affected much of southern Louisiana.

The products of the early 20th-century economic boom can be seen today in, and seen through, the town in its historic buildings. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church is the heart of the community and is located at the center of the town. The Acadians, when exiled from Canada, held strongly to their Roman Catholicism. Their strong faith has survived through centuries of exile and hardship and is very evident today in the culture.

Properties on the National Historic Register of Historic Places:

Geography

Broussard is located at 30°8′32″N 91°57′49″W (30.142329, -91.963644).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.4 square miles (29.6 km²), of which, 11.4 square miles (29.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.18%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,874 people, 2,197 households, and 1,619 families residing in the town. The population density was 515.7 people per square mile (199.1/km²). There were 2,346 housing units at an average density of 205.9 per square mile (79.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.31% White, 16.70% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population. In 2005, 84.9% of the population over the age of five spoke English at home, and 13.4% of the population spoke French.

There were 2,197 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% 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 3.11.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,676, and the median income for a family was $45,668. Males had a median income of $36,368 versus $21,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,441. About 9.5% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Sports

The Chitimacha Louisiana Open is a golf tournament of the Web.com Tour played at Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club since 1992.

Notable natives