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St. Gabriel, Louisiana

Coordinates: 30°15′13″N 91°06′05″W / 30.25361°N 91.10139°W / 30.25361; -91.10139
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St. Gabriel, Louisiana
City
City of St. Gabriel
St. Gabriel Police Department
St. Gabriel Police Department
Location of St. Gabriel in Iberville Parish, Louisiana.
Location of St. Gabriel in Iberville Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 30°15′13″N 91°06′05″W / 30.25361°N 91.10139°W / 30.25361; -91.10139
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishIberville
Incorporated1994 (town)
City Designation2001
Government
 • MayorLionel Johnson Jr.
Area
[1]
 • Total
29.88 sq mi (77.39 km2)
 • Land29.66 sq mi (76.81 km2)
 • Water0.22 sq mi (0.58 km2)
Elevation
23 ft (7 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
6,433
 • Density216.91/sq mi (83.75/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
70721, 70776, 70780
Area code225
FIPS code22-67250
Websitehttp://www.cityofstgabriel.us

St. Gabriel is a city in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The city of St. Gabriel includes the Carville neighborhood and portions of Sunchine. 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.[2]

St. Gabriel was incorporated as a town in 1994 and received city designation in 2001.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.0 square miles (75.0 km2), of which 28.7 square miles (74.4 km2) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 km2) (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.[8] The city is about 12 miles (19 km) east of Baton Rouge and about 70 miles (110 km) from New Orleans.[9] The communities of Carville and part of Sunshine are within the city limits.[9]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
20005,514—
20106,67721.1%
20206,433−3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
St. Gabriel city, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[11] Pop 2010[12] Pop 2020[13] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
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,[14] 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.[15] St. Gabriel had a median age of 37.7, and 88.2% of the population were aged 18 and older.[16]

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.[15] 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]
Elayn Hunt Correctional Center.

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.[17][18] LCIW houses the female death row.[19][20]

Education

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Primary and secondary schools

[edit]

Iberville Parish School Board operates the East Iberville School, a K–12 school, in St. Gabriel.[21] For a long time it was the only school in St. Gabriel.[8] 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.[8]

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.[22]

Public Library

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Iberville Parish Library operates the East Iberville Branch Library in St. Gabriel.[23]

Notable people

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Several notable people came from what is now St. Gabriel:

References

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  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "QuickFacts: St. Gabriel city, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau.
  3. ^ "Boundary Changes". Geographic Change Notes: Louisiana. Population Division, United States Census Bureau. May 19, 2006. Archived from the original on February 6, 2006. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
  4. ^ Baurick, Tristan (October 30, 2019). "Welcome to "Cancer Alley," Where Toxic Air Is About to Get Worse". ProPublica. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "Acadian Timeline". CBC.
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ "St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church". Nps.gov. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "Background of the City." City of St. Gabriel. Retrieved on November 11, 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Welcome!" City of St. Gabriel. Retrieved on November 11, 2010.
  10. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – St. Gabriel town, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  12. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – St. Gabriel city, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  13. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - St. Gabriel city, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  14. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  15. ^ a b "QuickFacts: U.S. Census Bureau". United States Census Bureau.
  16. ^ "Geography Profile: St. Gabriel city, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  17. ^ "Elayn Hunt Correctional Center Archived 2010-09-24 at the Wayback Machine." (Profile) Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Retrieved on July 20, 2010.
  18. ^ "Directions to EHCC Archived 2009-09-16 at the Wayback Machine." Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. Retrieved on July 20, 2010.
  19. ^ "Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women Archived 2010-09-24 at the Wayback Machine." Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. 14/40. Retrieved on August 24, 2010.
  20. ^ "Classification–Where Inmates Serve Their Time." Inside the System: How Inmates Live and Work[permanent dead link‍]. Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. 14/40. Retrieved on June 30, 2010.
  21. ^ "East Iberville School Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine." (Direct image link[dead link‍]) Iberville Parish School Board. Retrieved on October 2, 2010. "3285 Highway 75 St. Gabriel, LA 70776"
  22. ^ Jones, Terry L. (March 26, 2013). "Officials want east Iberville to split from parish school system". The Advocate. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  23. ^ "Welcome to the Library Catalog Archived 2011-08-13 at the Wayback Machine." Iberville Parish Library. Retrieved on January 29, 2011.
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