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St. James Parish (French: Paroisse de Saint-Jacques) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Convent.[1] The parish was created in 1807.[2] 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.[3]

St. James Parish
Parish
Oak Alley Plantation Mansion.
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°02′N 90°48′W
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	March 31, 1807
Named for	St. James
Seat	Convent
Largest town	Lutcher
Area
• Total	258 sq mi (670 km2)
• Land	242 sq mi (630 km2)
• Water	16 sq mi (40 km2)  6.4%
Population
• Total	20,192
• Density	78/sq mi (30/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.stjamesla.com

It is perhaps best known for being located within Cancer Alley, and as the home base of Goldman Environmental Prize-winning environmental activist Sharon Lavigne.

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 300-acre (1.2 km²) tract) and is in great demand by large tobacco companies.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 258 square miles (670 km²), of which 242 square miles (630 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (6.4%) is water.[4] It is the fourth-smallest parish in Louisiana by land area and second-smallest by total area.

Major highways

• Interstate 10
• U.S. Highway 61
• Louisiana Highway 18
• Louisiana Highway 20
• Louisiana Highway 44
• Louisiana Highway 70 (Sunshine Bridge across Mississippi River)
• Louisiana Highway 3127
• 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

Other unincorporated community

• Vacherie

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	5,660		—
1830	7,146		26.3%
1840	8,548		19.6%
1850	11,098		29.8%
1860	11,499		3.6%
1870	10,152		−11.7%
1880	14,714		44.9%
1890	15,715		6.8%
1900	20,197		28.5%
1910	23,009		13.9%
1920	21,228		−7.7%
1930	15,338		−27.7%
1940	16,596		8.2%
1950	15,334		−7.6%
1960	18,369		19.8%
1970	19,733		7.4%
1980	21,495		8.9%
1990	20,879		−2.9%
2000	21,216		1.6%
2010	22,102		4.2%
2020	20,192		−8.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9]

St. James Parish racial composition as of 2020[10]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	9,917	49.11%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	9,486	46.98%
Native American	28	0.14%
Asian	28	0.14%
Other/Mixed	390	1.93%
Hispanic or Latino	343	1.7%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 20,192 people, 7,719 households, and 5,732 families residing in the parish.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.

Economy

Approximately 85% percent of reported air pollution in the parish is produced by industries located in primarily black census districts, Convent and Uncle Sam and the town of St James.[13] These include the Shell Convent Refinery, an Occidental Chemical Factory, American Styrenics, and Mosaic Fertilizer.[13]

Formosa Plastic Group plans to build a $9.4 billion petrochemical plant in the parish.[13] The plant's property includes a grave of enslaved people, and is being built on the site of a plantation.[13] The site has become a site of environmental justice protest for both the lack of addressing the historical relationship to the land and due to the expected rise in pollution due to the plant.[13]

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.[14]

St. James Parish is strongly Democratic, although in 2016 Donald Trump came within ten percent of carrying the parish, and Trump was within five percent vs. Joe Biden in 2020. The last Republican to win a majority of the parish's vote 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.[15] 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

References

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.

На других языках

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[de] St. James Parish

Das St. James Parish[1] (französisch Paroisse de Saint-Jacques) ist ein Parish im Bundesstaat Louisiana der Vereinigten Staaten. Im Jahr 2010 hatte das Parish 22.102 Einwohner und eine Bevölkerungsdichte von 34,6 Einwohner pro Quadratkilometer. Der Verwaltungssitz (Parish Seat) ist Convent.

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- [en] St. James Parish, Louisiana

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[es] Parroquia de St. James

La parroquia de St. James (en inglés: St. James Parish), fundada en 1807, es una de las 64 parroquias del estado estadounidense de Luisiana. En el año 2000 tenía una población de 21.216 habitantes con una densidad poblacional de 33 personas por km². La sede de la parroquia es Convent.[1]

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[fr] Paroisse de Saint-Jacques (Louisiane)

La paroisse de Saint-Jacques (anglais : Saint James Parish) est située dans l'État américain de la Louisiane. Son siège est à Convent. Selon le recensement de 2020, sa population est de 20 192 habitants. Elle est une des 22 paroisses de la région officielle de l'Acadiane.

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[it] Parrocchia di Saint James (Stati Uniti d'America)

La parrocchia di Saint James (in inglese Saint James Parish) è una parrocchia dello Stato della Louisiana, negli Stati Uniti. La popolazione al censimento del 2000 era di 21 216 abitanti. Il capoluogo è Convent.

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[ru] Сент-Джеймс (приход, Луизиана)

Прихо́д Сент-Джеймс (англ. Saint James Parish) или Сен-Жак (фр. Paroisse de Saint-Jacques) — один из приходов штата Луизиана, США. Официально образован в 1807 году. По состоянию на 2010 год, численность населения составляла 22 102 человека.

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