Ville Platte, Louisiana

Ville Platte, Louisiana
City
City of Ville Platte
Etymology: Ville Platte, French ('Ville' being the French word for 'town' and 'platte' meaning 'flat')
Location of Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 30°41′05″N 92°15′32″W / 30.68472°N 92.25889°W / 30.68472; -92.25889
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishEvangeline
Founded1824
Incorporated as a town1858
Qualified to be incorporated as a city1950
FounderMarcellin Garand
Government
 • TypeMayor-council
Area
 • Total
4.02 sq mi (10.40 km2)
 • Land4.02 sq mi (10.40 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
72 ft (22 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
6,303
 • Density1,569.1/sq mi (605.85/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
70586
Area code337
FIPS code22-78715
GNIS feature ID2405654
Websitewww.cityofvilleplatte.com

Ville Platte is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,303 at the 2020 census, down from 8,145 in 2000. The city's name is of French origin, roughly translating to "flat town", in reference to its relatively flat topography in contrast to the more hilly terrain north of the area.

History

Grave marker for Marcellin Garand at Old Ville Platte Cemetery in Ville Platte

The area surrounding Ville Platte was likely first settled in the latter half of the eighteenth century, during the period of Spanish rule in Louisiana. The earliest record of settlement in the immediate vicinity dates to the 1780s.

According to popular legend, the founder of Ville Platte was Marcellin Garand, an adjudant major in the Army of the French Empire during the reign of Napoleon. In 1824, Garand obtained one of the first two lots that were platted in what is now Ville Platte, with the second being obtained by Dr. Robert Windex. Those lots were obtained from the estate of William O'Donegan, marking what is generally considered the town's founding.

The first post office in Ville Platte was established in 1842 with Marcellin Garand as postmaster from 1842 to 1848.

Geography

Ville Platte is located in eastern Evangeline Parish

According to the United States Census Bureau, Ville Platte has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.4 km2), of which 0.25 acres (0.001 km2), or 0.01%, is water.

U.S. Route 167 passes through the city as Main Street (eastbound) and Lasalle Street (westbound). The highway leads southeast 17 miles (27 km) to Opelousas and north 52 miles (84 km) to Alexandria. Louisiana Highway 10 passes through the city in tandem with US 167 but leads northwest 28 miles (45 km) to Oakdale.

Chicot State Park, Louisiana's largest state park, is located 8 miles (13 km) north of Ville Platte. The park covers 6,400 acres (26 km2) of rolling hills and water and has large numbers of deer, raccoon, and other wildlife.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870135—
188014910.4%
1900163—
1910603269.9%
19201,364126.2%
19301,72226.2%
19403,721116.1%
19506,63378.3%
19607,51213.3%
19709,69229.0%
19809,201−5.1%
19909,037−1.8%
20008,145−9.9%
20107,430−8.8%
20206,303−15.2%
2025 (est.)6,172 Decrease−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
Ville Platte racial composition as of 2020
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 1,864 29.57%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 4,069 64.56%
Native American 6 0.1%
Asian 52 0.83%
Other/Mixed 232 3.68%
Hispanic or Latino 80 1.27%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,303 people, 3,007 households, and 1,686 families residing in the city.

Education

Public schools in Evangeline Parish are operated by the Evangeline Parish School Board. Three campuses are located in Ville Platte - James Stephens Montessori School (Grades PK-4), Ville Platte Elementary School (Grades PK-4), and Ville Platte High School (Grades 5–12).

There are also two private schools. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School is a Roman Catholic school, serving grades K-12. Christian Heritage Academy is a Christian school, serving grades PK-12.

The famous St. Landry Parish Sheriff Cat Doucet was educated in Ville Platte.

Culture

Ville Platte is located in Louisiana's Cajun country. The town is famous for its smoked meat and swamp pop music and bills itself as "Smoked Meat Capital of the World". Ville Platte has been officially designated by the Louisiana Legislature at the "Swamp Pop Capital of the World," recognizing the town's "long, rich history of fostering the development of swamp pop music."

Ville Platte has significant Creole and Cajun cultural associations (cuisine, music, language etc.). It lies at the northern point of the "French Triangle" with a significant francophone population residing in the city as well as the parish. It is located just north of the birthplace of Creole music, (i.e. Zydeco music) the Plaisance community. Zydeco has become one of the signatures of Louisiana culture throughout the world.

Ville Platte hosts two large festivals each year. The Louisiana Cotton festival, run in conjunction with the Le Tournoi, and the Festival de la Viande Bouccanee (Smoked Meat Festival) are held in Ville Platte annually. Ville Platte and the surrounding areas participate in the traditional Mardi Gras held in Mamou.

The Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum is located in a former railway station in Ville Platte.

Government

Former U.S. Representative T. Ashton Thompson of Louisiana's 7th congressional district, since disbanded, was born in Ville Platte in 1916. He died in office in 1965 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident in Gastonia, North Carolina. His death paved the way for Edwin Washington Edwards to assume the seat.

Walter L. Lee served as the Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court for 56 years, from 1956 to 2012.

The current mayor, Ryan Leday Williams, was elected in 2022 after defeating incumbent mayor Jennifer Vidrine, who was the first woman and first African American to hold the position.

City officials:

Members of the City Council:

Members of the Louisiana Legislature:

Notable residents

Points of interest

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ville Platte, Louisiana
  2. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Ville Platte city, Louisiana". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ↑ "History of Ville Platte". Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Ville Platte city, Louisiana". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2025". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Doucet, Daly Joseph "Cat"". lahistory.org. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Louisiana Cotton Festival". Louisiana Cotton Festival. Louisiana Cotton Festival, Inc. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Louisiana Tournoi". Louisiana Tournoi. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  13. ↑ "LA Smoked Meat Festival". LA Smoked Meat Festival. LA Smoked Meat Festival Non-profit Organization. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Swamp Pop Museum". Atlas Obscura. March 1, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  15. ↑ "The Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum". Roadtrippers. December 2, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Jennifer Vidrine".
  17. ↑ "Ryan Williams defeats 3-time Ville Platte mayor Jennifer Vidrine". KLFY.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.