Editing Grand Coteau, Louisiana

{{short description|Town in Louisiana}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                        = Grand Coteau, Louisiana
| official_name               = Town of Grand Coteau
| settlement_type             = Town
| image_skyline               = 
| imagesize                   = 
| image_caption               = 
| image_map                   = File:St. Landry Parish Louisiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Grand Coteau Highlighted.svg
| mapsize                     = 
| map_caption                 = Location of Grand Coteau in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.
| image_map1                  = Louisiana in United States (US48).svg
| mapsize1                    = 
| map_caption1                = Location of Louisiana in the United States
<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type            = Country
| subdivision_name            = United States
| subdivision_type1           = State
| subdivision_name1           = Louisiana
| subdivision_type2           = Parish
| subdivision_name2           = [[St. Landry Parish, Louisiana|St. Landry]]
<!-- Government -->
| established_title           = Founded
| established_date            = 
| founder                     = 
| named_for                   = 
| government_footnotes        = 
| government_type             = 
| governing_body              = 
| leader_party                = 
| leader_title                = Mayor
| leader_name                 = 
<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                   = Imperial
| area_footnotes              = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_22.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2              = 6.27
| area_total_sq_mi            = 2.42
| area_land_km2               = 6.27
| area_land_sq_mi             = 2.42
| area_water_km2              = 0.00
| area_water_sq_mi            = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of            = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes        = 
| population_total            = 776
| population_density_km2      = 123.67
| population_density_sq_mi    = 320.26
| population_demonym          = 
<!-- General information -->
| timezone                    = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset                  = -6
| timezone_DST                = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset_DST              = -5
| elevation_footnotes         = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft                = 56
| coordinates                 = {{coord|30|25|13|N|92|02|38|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes       = <ref name=gnis/>
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
| postal_code_type            = 
| postal_code                 = 
| area_code                   = [[Area code 337|337]]
| blank_name                  = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                  = 22-30760
| blank1_name                 = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info                 = 2406598<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2406598}}</ref>
| website                     = 
| footnotes                   = 
}}

'''Grand Coteau''' is a [[town]] in [[St. Landry Parish, Louisiana|St. Landry Parish]], [[Louisiana]], United States. The population was 947 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]]. Grand Coteau is on [[Interstate 49]] south of [[Opelousas, Louisiana|Opelousas]] and is part of the Opelousas&ndash;[[Eunice, Louisiana|Eunice]] [[Micropolitan Statistical Area]]. The town is a center for local farming.

== History ==
The first known land grant by the colonial [[Louisiana]] government was in 1776 in the area referred to as ''Buzzard Prairie''.<ref>[http://www.thecajuns.com/oldnew.htm www.thecajuns.com "Louisiana History: Old and New Place Names"]</ref> In the early 19th century, Buzzard Prairie served as a stopping point for travelers between [[Washington, Louisiana]], and [[St. Martinville, Louisiana]]. The thriving community had two [[Bakery|bakeries]], a [[Shoemaking|cobbler]], a [[millinery]], a [[blacksmith]] shop, a [[post office]], six bars, and nine brothels.

In 1821, Mrs. Charles Smith, widow of a wealthy planter in [[Opelousas]], donated land, a two-story building, and funds to pay for the travel expenses of two nuns from [[St. Charles, Missouri]]. The two nuns of the [[Religious of the Sacred Heart]] founded a [[convent]] and a school that became the [[Academy of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau|Academy of the Sacred Heart]].<ref name="www.cajuntravel.com GRAND COTEAU">[http://www.cajuntravel.com/towns/grand_coteau.cfm www.cajuntravel.com "GRAND COTEAU"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006131515/http://www.cajuntravel.com/towns/grand_coteau.cfm |date=October 6, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title=Grand Coteau Historical Marker
|author=Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
|url=http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/St.-Landry/Grand+Coteau/
|access-date=August 9, 2009
}}</ref>

The Jesuits arrived in 1837 when [[St. Charles College (Louisiana)|St. Charles College]] was built. The settlement that grew up around the schools was called '''St. Charles Town''' before it was changed to Grand Coteau. Grand Coteau is derived from the French meaning "great hill."<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n140 141]}}</ref>

On October 3, 1863, the '''Campaign of the Teche''' was commenced. The [[99th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment|Ninety-ninth infantry regiment of Illinois]] was in several skirmishes, and a detachment of the regiment, Captain A. C. Mathews commanding, was engaged in the [[Battle of Bayou Bourbeux|Battle of Grand Coteau]]. On November 9, they moved on to [[New Orleans]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000823081309/http://www.illinoiscivilwar.org/cw99-agr.html www.illinoiscivilwar.org "HISTORY OF NINETY-NINTH INFANTRY"]}}</ref> Although thousands of Union troops were encamped in the fields surrounding the Academy during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the school was not touched.<ref name="www.cajuntravel.com GRAND COTEAU"/>

In the 19th century the population of Grand Coteau grew with [[African-Americans]], [[free people of color]], [[Acadians]], [[Louisiana Creole people|Creole]]s, [[French people|French]], [[Irish people|Irish]], and [[German people|German]] immigrants. The town retains examples of [[Victorian architecture]] from its mid-19th-century boom.

Grand Coteau was home to Sacred Heart Colored School and St. Peter Claver High School.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyworld.com/story/news/local/2014/12/31/website-spotlights-black-education-grand-coteau/21117281/|title = Website spotlights black education in Grand Coteau}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 470
|1880= 302
|1890= 333
|1900= 521
|1910= 392
|1920= 470
|1930= 580
|1940= 662
|1950= 1103
|1960= 1165
|1970= 1301
|1980= 1165
|1990= 1118
|2000= 1040
|2010= 947
|2020= 776
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Grand Coteau racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2230760&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 29, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 247
| 31.83%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 483
| 62.24%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 1
| 0.13%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 1
| 0.13%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 19
| 2.45%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 25
| 3.22%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 776 people, 296 households, and 182 families residing in the town.

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States Census]], there were 947 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 71.0% Black, 26.0% White, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from some other race and 0.6% from two or more races. 2.2% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,040 people, 377 households, and 260 families living in the town. The population density was {{convert|427.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 407 housing units at an average density of {{convert|167.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 30.77% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 67.69% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.19% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.29% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.10% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.10% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.87% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.83% of the population.

There were 377 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 24.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $19,943, and the median income for a family was $26,528. Males had a median income of $21,992 versus $16,000 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $9,728. About 25.2% of families and 29.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 39.6% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|2.4|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

===Climate===
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Grand Coteau has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=747552&cityname=Grand+Coteau%2C+Louisiana%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Grand Coteau, Louisiana]</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Grand Coteau, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
|single line = Y
|width = auto
|collapsed  = Y
|Jan record high F = 85
|Feb record high F = 90
|Mar record high F = 90
|Apr record high F = 100
|May record high F = 100
|Jun record high F = 105
|Jul record high F = 104
|Aug record high F = 107
|Sep record high F = 106
|Oct record high F = 98
|Nov record high F = 91
|Dec record high F = 86
|year record high F = 107
|Jan high F = 63.5
|Feb high F = 67.2
|Mar high F = 73.5
|Apr high F = 79.4
|May high F = 85.5
|Jun high F = 90.2
|Jul high F = 91.6
|Aug high F = 92.0
|Sep high F = 88.3
|Oct high F = 81.2
|Nov high F = 71.4
|Dec high F = 65.1
|year high F = 79.1
|Jan mean F = 52.5
|Feb mean F = 56.0
|Mar mean F = 62.1
|Apr mean F = 68.1
|May mean F = 75.0
|Jun mean F = 80.3
|Jul mean F = 82.1
|Aug mean F = 82.1
|Sep mean F = 78.0
|Oct mean F = 69.5
|Nov mean F = 59.9
|Dec mean F = 54.2
|year mean F = 68.3
|Jan low F = 41.4
|Feb low F = 44.7
|Mar low F = 50.7
|Apr low F = 56.8
|May low F = 64.5
|Jun low F = 70.4
|Jul low F = 72.6
|Aug low F = 72.3
|Sep low F = 67.7
|Oct low F = 57.8
|Nov low F = 48.3
|Dec low F = 43.3
|year low F = 57.5
|Jan record low F = 2
|Feb record low F = 2
|Mar record low F = 20
|Apr record low F = 30
|May record low F = 42
|Jun record low F = 53
|Jul record low F = 58
|Aug record low F = 58
|Sep record low F = 42
|Oct record low F = 29
|Nov record low F = 20
|Dec record low F = 8
|year record low F = 2 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 6.54
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.51
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.75
|Apr precipitation inch = 5.34
|May precipitation inch = 5.72
|Jun precipitation inch = 6.97
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.41
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.36
|Sep precipitation inch = 5.14
|Oct precipitation inch = 5.04
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.97
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.88
|year precipitation inch = 61.63
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 9.4
|Feb precipitation days = 8.1
|Mar precipitation days = 7.9
|Apr precipitation days = 7.0
|May precipitation days = 8.4
|Jun precipitation days = 10.4
|Jul precipitation days = 10.4
|Aug precipitation days = 10.2
|Sep precipitation days = 10.3
|Oct precipitation days = 7.7
|Nov precipitation days = 8.8
|Dec precipitation days = 10.1
|year precipitation days = 108.7
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= NOAA >
{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=lch
| title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = August 27, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00163800&format=pdf
| title = Station: Grand Coteau, LA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = August 27, 2021}}</ref>
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041010110417/http://www.digisys.net/gtown/Gtown.htm Welcome to Historic Grand Coteau]

{{St. Landry Parish, Louisiana}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Grand Coteau, Louisiana| ]]
[[Category:Acadiana]]
[[Category:Towns in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Towns in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1837]]