St. Gabriel, Louisiana
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St. Gabriel is a city in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The city of St. Gabriel includes the Carville neighborhood and portions of Sunshine. Part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area, it had a population of 6,677 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 6,433 at the 2020 census.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
St. Gabriel was incorporated as a town in 1994 and received city designation in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, approximately 12 miles south of Baton Rouge. Bayou Manchac serves as the official boundary between St. Gabriel, Ascension Parish, and East Baton Rouge Parish. Over the years, the area has been transformed from a primarily agricultural economy to one that is now dominated by the petrochemical industry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
[edit]This area is in a part of Acadiana, which was founded by the Acadians, after their expulsion from Nova Scotia in the mid-18th century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the end of 1769 Luis de Unzaga, then governor of New Orleans and from 1770 also of Louisiana, authorized Father Dragobert to create a parish for the Acadians on land near the Mississippi and located between Baton Rouge, Iberville and the town of Gonzales. Between 1771 and 1773, Governor Luis de Unzaga granted the land and the necessary permits for its construction; the construction could be carried out between 1774 and 1776, still within the period of the government of Luis de Unzaga.<ref>Cazorla, Frank, The governor Louis de Unzaga (1717-1793) Pioneer in Birth of the United States of America and the Liberalism. Foundation Malaga, 2019, pages 48-52, 62, 74, 83, 90</ref>
In 2008 during Hurricane Gustav, St. Gabriel Catholic Church's steeple was destroyed. It is one of Louisiana's oldest churches, and tradition sets the date of the formation of the parish in 1769.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
[edit]According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.0 square miles (75.0 kmTemplate:Sup), of which 28.7 square miles (74.4 kmTemplate:Sup) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 kmTemplate:Sup) (0.76%) is water. St. Gabriel sits along the east bank of the Mississippi River, between the boundaries of Ascension Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish.<ref name="background">"Background of the City." City of St. Gabriel. Retrieved on November 11, 2010.</ref> The city is about Template:Convert east of Baton Rouge and about Template:Convert from New Orleans.<ref name="Welcomepage">"Welcome!" City of St. Gabriel. Retrieved on November 11, 2010.</ref> The communities of Carville and part of Sunshine are within the city limits.<ref name="Welcomepage" />
Demographics
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 1,457 | 2,209 | 2,464 | 26.42% | 33.08% | 38.30% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,956 | 4,219 | 3,095 | 71.74% | 63.19% | 48.11% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0.05% | 0.10% | 0.05% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 18 | 20 | 62 | 0.33% | 0.30% | 0.96% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.02% | 0.00% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 2 | 3 | 28 | 0.04% | 0.04% | 0.44% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 15 | 53 | 114 | 0.27% | 0.79% | 1.77% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 62 | 166 | 666 | 1.12% | 2.49% | 10.35% |
| Total | 5,514 | 6,677 | 6,433 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,433 people, 1,635 households, and 962 families residing in the city. The population was 48.1% non-Hispanic Black, 38.3% non-Hispanic white, 0.5% non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native, 1.0% non-Hispanic Asian, 0.4% non-Hispanic some other race, 1.8% non-Hispanic multiracial, and 10.4% Hispanic of any race. The sharp decline of the Black population in the 2020 Census is the result of the closure and the evacuation of the population of the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women which sustained flooding damage in 2016.
At the 2000 United States census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 5,514 people, 898 households, and 639 families residing in the town. There were 898 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 26.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.36. In 2019, there were 1,635 households with an average of 2.53 people per household.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> St. Gabriel had a median age of 37.7, and 88.2% of the population were aged 18 and older.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2019, the median household income was $48,259, up from $25,352 at the 2000 census. The per capita income was $17,153, up from $8,952 in 2000.<ref name=":1" /> Males had a median income of $41,125 versus $34,313 for females, and 20.0% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.
Government and infrastructure
[edit]
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections operates two prisons, Elayn Hunt Correctional Center and Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (LCIW), in St. Gabriel.<ref>"Elayn Hunt Correctional Center Template:Webarchive." (Profile) Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Retrieved on July 20, 2010.</ref><ref>"Directions to EHCC Template:Webarchive." Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. Retrieved on July 20, 2010.</ref> LCIW houses the female death row.<ref>"Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women Template:Webarchive." Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. 14/40. Retrieved on August 24, 2010.</ref><ref name="Whereinmates14">"Classification–Where Inmates Serve Their Time." Inside the System: How Inmates Live and WorkTemplate:Dead link. Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. 14/40. Retrieved on June 30, 2010.</ref>
Education
[edit]Primary and secondary schools
[edit]Iberville Parish School Board operates the East Iberville School, a K–12 school, in St. Gabriel.<ref>"East Iberville School Template:Webarchive." (Direct image linkTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore) Iberville Parish School Board. Retrieved on October 2, 2010. "3285 Highway 75 St. Gabriel, LA 70776"</ref> For a long time it was the only school in St. Gabriel.<ref name="background"/> The Mathematics, Science, and Arts Academy - East opened in St. Gabriel in the fall of 2008.
Some residents send their children to private schools in Greater Baton Rouge and in the Gonzales, Louisiana area.<ref name="background"/>
In 2013 some officials from the City of St. Gabriel announced that they wished to secede from Iberville Parish schools, arguing that their schools were given less attention than warranted.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Public Library
[edit]Iberville Parish Library operates the East Iberville Branch Library in St. Gabriel.<ref>"Welcome to the Library Catalog Template:Webarchive." Iberville Parish Library. Retrieved on January 29, 2011.</ref>
Notable people
[edit]Several notable people came from what is now St. Gabriel:
- James Carville, political consultant
- James Gallier, architect