The parish was formed in 1868 during the Reconstruction era and named for Iberia. It is part of the 22-parish Acadiana region of the state, with a large Francophone population. Some of its ethnic French residents had ancestors who settled here after being expelled in the 18th century by the British from Acadia in present-day Canada. Historically, it has also been a center for sugarcane cultivation and produces the most sugar of any parish in the state.[citation needed]
Iberia Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan area. The Port of Iberia has a waterway with access to the Gulf Coast.
History
Iberia Parish was created from parts of St. Martin Parish and St. Mary Parish in 1868. It was part of an effort by the Reconstruction-era government to create parishes that would have large Republican-majority populations, composed primarily of freedmen in those years.[citation needed]
This territory was part of the sugar parishes, where sugarcane plantations were developed along the waterways before and after the Civil War, dependent on labor of high numbers of enslaved African Americans before the war. Sugarcane was a lucrative commodity crop for planters. Relations between White and Black people were troubled after the Civil War, as White people sought to dominate freedmen, by violence and intimidation if necessary.
The period after the Reconstruction era was one of increasing violence, especially at the turn of the century and into the early 20th century. In this period, the highly populated Iberia Parish had 26 lynchings of Black people by the KKK, as part of racial terrorism. This was the fifth-highest total of any parish in Louisiana, and tied with the total number of lynchings in Bossier Parish.
Political factionalism was intense in Louisiana; Iberia Parish had factions split among conservatives and those who were more moderate about the status of Black people. Moderates sometimes allied with the Republican creoles and White people in the parish. In 1884, though, White Democrats murdered more than 20 African Americans (most of the total noted above), in a kind of political lynching, and arrested White Republicans to regain power in Iberia Parish. In contrast to northern Louisiana, residents otherwise seemed to rely more on the formal legal system, with fewer mob lynchings, but Black people suffered here, making up 88% of the people legally executed for violent crimes in the late 19th century.
In the late 19th century, labor shortages often occurred on the sugarcane plantations. Planters recruited thousands of Italian immigrants as temporary laborers, many Sicilians who had first settled in New Orleans. They were needed during the fall harvest and processing season, which extended from October to January. The Italians became part of the volatility of social relations, struggling to make their way between planters and Black workers, and competing with other workers for jobs.
The parish economy changed markedly in the 20th century after the discovery of oil. The Port of Iberia was developed into an industrial center. New types of jobs became available for African Americans.
It is also known for being where the body of Quawan Charles was found. The circumstances are under investigation, but the coroner reportedly said that the cause of his death was drowning.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 1,031 square miles (2,670km2), of which 456 square miles (1,180km2) (44%) are covered by water. This includes Marsh Island.
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013
Iberia Parish, 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.
As of the 2020 United States census, 69,929 people, 26,185 households, and 20,409 families were residing in the parish. The 2019 American Community Survey estimated 69,830 people lived in Iberia Parish. About 25.6% of the population were under 18 and 51.1% were female. At the 2000 census, 73,266 people, 25,381 households, and 19,162 families were living in the parish. The population density was 127 peopleper square mile (49 people/km2). The 27,844 housing units had an average density of 48 per square mile (19/km2).
In the 25,381 households, 39.5% had children under 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were not families. About 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.82, and the average family size was 3.28.
In the parish, the age distribution was 30.0% under 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 89.8 males in 2000.
In 2019, the parish had a median income $48,861 and mean income of $23,290. An estimated 21.9% of the parish population lived at or below the poverty line. The median income for a household in the parish was $31,204 and for a family was $36,017 in 2000. Males had a median income of $32,399 versus $18,174 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $14,145. About 20.2% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.5% of those under 18 and 20.2% of those 65 or over.
At the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the parish was 65.08% White, 30.81% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.93% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. About 1.50% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of the population, 11.99% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 1.48% spoke Lao and 1.29% Spanish. The 2019 census estimated that 58.6% of the population was non-Hispanic White, 32.8% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.9% multiracial, and 4.3% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.
E Company 199th Forward Support Battalion is stationed in Jeanerette, Louisiana, and B Company 2-156th is stationed in New Iberia, Louisiana. Both units have deployed twice to Iraq, 2004-5 and 2010, as part of the 256TH IBCT.
Politics
United States presidential election results for Iberia Parish, Louisiana
United States
Louisiana
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