Maurice, Louisiana

Maurice is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 964 at the 2010 census and 2,118 for the 2020 Census. It is part of the Abbeville micropolitan statistical area.

History

File:StAlphonsus-Maurice.jpg

The first St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in 1893

The village, originally called "Mauriceville", derives its name from its founder Maurice Villien. Villien, a native of Savoy, France, came to America in 1855 and sold goods in New Orleans, New Iberia and Milton. His wife had land holdings there and they established a home and grocery store.<ref name="carencrohighschool.org">Template:Usurped</ref> On May 29, 1889, the Template:Convert site, on which the church and rectory in Maurice were to be built, was donated by Villien.<ref>www.stalphonsus-maurice.org "History of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Maurice, La"</ref> The town was incorporated on December 27, 1911, and Joseph Villien, Maurice's son, became mayor until 1928.<ref>www.vrml.k12.la.us "The Gateway to Vermilion Parish" Template:Webarchive</ref> Today, Joseph Street leads to the old home.

The community's first church was La Chapelle a Maurice and Sunday services were held in a small schoolhouse on the Villien property until the St. Alphonsus Church was built in January 1893. The Broussard Cove School was the first school built on land donated by Joseph Clark in 1885 and moved to Maurice in July 1899 to land donated by Maurice Villien. It was located on Maurice Avenue and the Indian Bayou Road until 1914 when it burned down.<ref name="carencrohighschool.org"/>

Geography

Maurice is located along the Gulf Coast in southern Louisiana.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 kmTemplate:Sup), all land.

The northeastern border of the village is the Vermilion/Lafayette parish line. U.S. Route 167 passes through the village heading Template:Convert northeast to Lafayette, the parish seat of Lafayette Parish and Template:Convert south to Abbeville, the parish seat of Vermilion Parish. The communities of Youngsville Template:Convert and Milton Template:Convert are both located east of the village via Louisiana Highway 92 which intersects with U.S. 167.

Demographics

At the 2000 United States census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 642 people, 257 households, and 177 families residing in the village. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 276 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. At the 2020 population estimates program, there were 1,857 people living in the village, up from 964 at the 2010 United States census.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the 2019 American Community Survey, the racial and ethnic makeup of the village was 89.6% non-Hispanic white, 5.9% Black and African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian alone, and 0.6% two or more races; 2.2% of the population was Hispanic and Latin American of any race.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2000 U.S. census, the racial makeup of the village was 79.13% White, 19.63% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.78% Asian, and 0.31% from two or more races; Hispanic and Latin Americans of any race were 1.40% of the population. In 2005, 74.8% of the population over the age of five spoke English at home, and 25.2% of the population spoke French or Cajun.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2000, the median income for a household in the village was $29,306, and the median income for a family was $32,841. Males had a median income of $28,571 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,051. About 16.6% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over. From 2015 to 2019, the median household income was $67,143.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Males had a median income of $54,141 versus $40,139 for females; an estimated 7.8% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Notable people

• Denise Boutte, actress
• Inez Catalon, Creole singer
• J. Keith Desormeaux, horse trainer
• Kent Desormeaux, Hall of Fame jockey
• Ezola B. Foster, conservative political activist and author<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Jesse Hernandez, National Football League cheerleader

References

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External links

• National Geographic Magazine's November 2005 article featuring Maurice, Louisiana
• Vermilion Historical Society
• Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission