St. James Parish, Louisiana

St. James Parish (Template:Langx) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Convent.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The parish was created in 1807.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> St. James Parish is a part of the New Orleans–Metairie, Louisiana metropolitan statistical area, sitting between New Orleans and Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River. According to the 2020 United States census, the population was 20,192.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

St. James is one of the state's nineteen original parishes, created by act of the territorial legislature, March 31, 1807. The original seat of government was the community of St. James, on the west bank of the Mississippi, but this was moved in 1869 to what is now Convent, on the east bank.

St. James Parish is part of the Acadian Coast. While it is possible that some Acadians did arrive prior to 1755 or between 1755 and 1764, the first documented group of Acadians [4 families: 20 individuals] arrived in New Orleans in February 1764. The arrival was documented in a letter dated April 6, 1764, from Governor D'Abbadie to his superior in France. They were settled along the Mississippi River in present-day St. James.

St. James is known for its tradition, Bonfires on the Levee, which takes place every Christmas Eve. Residents build large bonfires along the River levee, lighting them all at nightfall. The townsfolk tell the children that the purpose of this tradition is so Papa Noel can easily see his way down the Mississippi as he is delivering gifts.

St. James is the only cultivation site in the world for Perique tobacco, introduced by an Acadian exile, Pierre Chenet, whose nickname was "Perique." It has been produced by his descendants for nearly two centuries (now covering only a Template:Convert tract) and is in great demand by large tobacco companies.

File:PaulinaLouisianaPostOffice1938.jpg

Post office in Paulina, 1938

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (6.4%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is the fourth-smallest parish in Louisiana by land area and second-smallest by total area.

Major highways

• File:I-10.svg Interstate 10
• File:US 61.svg U.S. Highway 61
• File:Louisiana 18 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 18
• File:Louisiana 20 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 20
• File:Louisiana 44 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 44
• File:Louisiana 70 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 70 (Sunshine Bridge across Mississippi River)
• File:Louisiana 3127 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 3127
• File:Louisiana 3213 (2008).svg Louisiana Highway 3213 (Gramercy Bridge across Mississippi River)

Adjacent parishes

• Ascension Parish (north)
• St. John the Baptist Parish (east)
• Lafourche Parish (south)
• Assumption Parish (west)

Communities

Towns

• Gramercy
• Lutcher (largest town)

Census-designated places

• Convent (parish seat)
• Grand Point
• Hester
• Lemannville
• Moonshine
• North Vacherie
• Paulina
• Romeville
• South Vacherie
• St. James
• Union
• Welcome

Other unincorporated community

• Vacherie

Demographics

St. James Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold

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)	10,538	10,478	9,917	49.67%	47.41%	49.11%
Black or African American alone (NH)	10,444	11,145	9,486	49.23%	50.43%	46.98%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	19	43	28	0.09%	0.19%	0.14%
Asian alone (NH)	10	29	28	0.05%	0.13%	0.14%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	3	0	0.00%	0.01%	0.00%
Other race (NH)	3	13	28	0.01%	0.06%	0.14%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	72	135	362	0.34%	0.61%	1.79%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	130	256	343	0.61%	1.16%	1.70%
Total	21,216	22,102	20,192	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 20,192 people, 7,719 households, and 5,732 families residing in the parish.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> Its racial and ethnic makeup in 2020 was 49.11% non-Hispanic white, 46.98% Black and African American, 0.145 Native American, 0.14% Asian, 1.93% other or mixed race, and 1.7% Hispanic or Latin American of any race. In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup was 48.2% non-Hispanic white, 49.6% Black and African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% two or more races, and 1.7% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2010 census, the racial and ethnic composition of the parish was 50.6% Black or African American, 48.0% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.4% of some other race and 0.7% of two or more races. 1.2% were Hispanic or Latin American (of any race). An estimated 15.2% of the parish were of French ancestry at the 2019 census estimates. In 2000, 93.78% of the population spoke only English at home, while 4.97% spoke French or Cajun French .

There were 7,719 households and 8,919 housing units in 2019, and the median household income was $51,603; the median housing value was $158,500 and the median rent was $644.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> From 2015 to 2019, the parish had a poverty rate of 17.0%. In 2000, the median income for a household in the parish was $35,277, and the median income for a family was $41,751. Males had a median income of $37,487 versus $21,712 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $14,381. 20.70% of the population and 18.00% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 27.70% are under the age of 18 and 15.10% are 65 or older.

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the Roman Catholic Church dominated the parish, with Christianity being the area's predominant religion since colonization.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Roman Catholics numbered 19,342 while the National Baptist Convention of the United States of America had 2,180 members. Non/inter-denominational Protestants among the congregationalist, Bible, and United and Uniting churches numbered 1,060.

Racial / Ethnic Profile of places in St. James Parish, Louisiana

Following is a table of towns and census designated places in St. James Parish. Data for the United States (with and without Puerto Rico), the state of Louisiana, and St. James Parish itself have been included for comparison purposes. The majority racial/ethnic group is coded per the key below.

	Majority minority with no dominant group
	Majority White
	Majority Black
	Majority Hispanic
	Majority Asian

Racial and ethnic composition of places in St. James Parish, Louisiana (2020 Census)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Template:Nobold

Place	Designation	Total Population	White alone (NH)	%	Black or African American alone (NH)	%	Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	%	Asian alone (NH)	%	Pacific Islander alone (NH)	%	Other race alone (NH)	%	Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	%	Hispanic or Latino (any race)	%
United States of America (50 states and D.C.)<ref name=2020USA>Template:Cite web</ref>	x	331,449,281	191,697,647	57.84%	39,940,338	12.05%	2,251,699	0.68%	19,618,719	5.92%	622,018	0.19%	1,689,833	0.51%	13,548,983	4.09%	62,080,044	18.73%
Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap<ref name=2020USA/>	x	334,735,155	191,722,195	57.28%	39,944,624	11.93%	2,252,011	0.67%	19,621,465	5.86%	622,109	0.19%	1,692,341	0.51%	13,551,323	4.05%	65,329,087	19.52%
Template:Nowrap<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	State	4,657,757	2,596,702	55.75%	1,452,420	31.18%	25,994	0.56%	85,336	1.83%	1,706	0.04%	16,954	0.36%	156,096	3.35%	322,549	6.92%
Template:Nowrap<ref name=2020CensusP2/>	Parish	20,192	9,917	49.11%	9,486	46.98%	28	0.14%	28	0.14%	0	0.00%	28	0.14%	362	1.79%	343	1.70%
Convent<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	483	203	42.03%	255	52.80%	0	0.00%	2	0.41%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	6	1.24%	17	3.52%
Gramercy<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Town	2,932	1,448	49.39%	1,348	45.98%	7	0.24%	12	0.41%	0	0.00%	7	0.24%	64	2.18%	46	1.57%
Grand Point<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	2,241	1,703	75.99%	468	20.88%	3	0.13%	2	0.09%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	34	1.52%	31	1.38%
Hester<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	483	456	94.41%	11	2.28%	1	0.21%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	1	0.21%	5	1.04%	9	1.86%
Lemannville<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	695	135	19.42%	533	76.69%	1	0.14%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	8	1.15%	18	2.59%
Lutcher<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Town	3,133	1,405	44.85%	1,623	51.80%	4	0.13%	8	0.26%	0	0.00%	9	0.29%	43	1.37%	41	1.31%
Moonshine<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	168	8	4.76%	144	85.71%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	10	5.95%	6	3.57%
North Vacherie<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	2,093	471	22.50%	1,559	74.49%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	1	0.05%	27	1.29%	35	1.67%
Paulina<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	1,778	1,521	85.55%	185	10.40%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	1	0.06%	34	1.91%	37	2.08%
Romeville<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	99	18	18.18%	74	74.75%	2	2.02%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	4	4.04%	1	1.01%
South Vacherie<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	3,388	2,150	63.46%	1,093	32.26%	6	0.18%	1	0.03%	0	0.00%	7	0.21%	72	2.13%	59	1.74%
St. James<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	592	62	10.47%	507	85.64%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	5	0.84%	18	3.04%
Union<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	735	153	20.82%	565	76.87%	565	76.87%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	14	1.90%	3	0.41%
Welcome<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CDP	672	27	4.02%	629	93.60%	1	0.15%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	8	1.19%	7	1.04%

Economy

Approximately 85% of reported air pollution in the parish is produced by industries located in two small majority African American communities: Convent and St James.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> These include the Shell Convent Refinery, an Occidental Chemical Factory, American Styrenics, and Mosaic Fertilizer.<ref name=":0" />

Formosa Plastic Group plans to build a $9.4 billion petrochemical plant in the parish.<ref name=":0" /> The proposed plant site includes a plantation and the graves of enslaved people.<ref name=":0" /> The project has become the focal point of an environmental justice protest because of the expectant rise in pollution and the disrespect of the historic nature of the land involved.<ref name=":0" />

Education

St. James Parish Public Schools serves all of St. James Parish.

Politics

The current parish president is Peter “Pete” Dufresne (D), who took office at the beginning of 2020. In 2016, his predecessor Timmy Roussel was indicted on corruption charges, when he was accused of having parish employees build a private natural gas line.<ref>McKnight, Laura; ‘St. James Parish president indicted on corruption charges: Louisiana Attorney-General’</ref>

St. James Parish has been strongly Democratic for a century. However, Donald Trump performed well during his two campaigns, coming within ten points of carrying the parish in 2016 and within five points in 2020. Trump would later win the parish in the 2024 election, the first Republican to do so since 1972. The last Republican to win a majority of the parish's vote until 2024 was Warren G. Harding in 1920, when Louisiana's Acadian population revolted against Woodrow Wilson because of his bitter disagreement with French President Georges Clemenceau.<ref>Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 211 Template:ISBN</ref> Dwight D. Eisenhower won a 17-vote plurality in 1956, and Richard Nixon also won a plurality in his 2,900-plus-county 1972 landslide.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in St. James Parish, Louisiana
• Acadian Coast
• German Coast
• River Parishes
• Perique
• George T. Oubre

External links

• St. James Parish government's website
• St. James High School Wildcats
• Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
• St. James Paris Sheriff's Office

Geology

• McCulloh, R. P., P. V. Heinrich, and J. Snead, 2003, Ponchatoula 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle. Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.