St. Mary Parish, Louisiana

St. Mary Parish (Paroisse de Sainte-Marie) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,406. The parish seat is Franklin. The parish was created in 1811.

St. Mary Parish comprises the Morgan City, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Lafayette-Opelousas-Morgan City, LA Combined Statistical Area.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 1119 sqmi, of which 555 sqmi is land and 564 sqmi (50%) is water. Cypremort Point State Park is located in the parish on Vermilion Bay.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-49 (Future).svg|25px]] Future Interstate 49
 * [[Image:US 90.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 90
 * [[Image:Louisiana 83 (2008).svg|25px]] Louisiana Highway 83
 * [[Image:Louisiana 87 (2008).svg|25px]] Louisiana Highway 87
 * [[Image:Louisiana 182 (2008).svg|25px]] Louisiana Highway 182
 * [[Image:Louisiana 317 (2008).svg|25px]] Louisiana Highway 317
 * [[Image:Louisiana 318 (2008).svg|25px]] Louisiana Highway 318

Adjacent parishes

 * Iberia Parish (north)
 * St. Martin Parish (east)
 * Assumption Parish (southeast)
 * Terrebonne Parish (south)

Protected areas
The parish has both national and state protected areas within its borders.

National protected area

 * Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge

State protected areas
Part of the Attakapas Wildlife Management Area is located within St. Mary Parish as well as in St. Martin and Iberia Parishes.

Cities

 * Franklin (parish seat)
 * Morgan City
 * Patterson

Towns

 * Baldwin
 * Berwick

Census-designated places

 * Amelia
 * Bayou Vista
 * Charenton
 * Glencoe
 * Siracusaville
 * Sorrel

Other unincorporated areas

 * Centerville
 * Florence
 * Garden City

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 49,406 people, 19,856 households, and 11,354 families residing in the parish. As of the census of 2000, there were 53,500 people, 19,317 households, and 14,082 families residing in the parish. The population density was 87 /mi2. There were 21,650 housing units at an average density of 35 /mi2. The racial makeup of the parish was 62.79% White, 31.79% Black or African American, 1.39% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 2.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 5.43% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 2.45% speak Spanish and 1.59% Vietnamese.

There were 19,317 households, out of which 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 16.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the parish the population was spread out, with 29.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $28,072, and the median income for a family was $33,064. Males had a median income of $31,570 versus $18,341 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,399. About 20.60% of families and 23.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.30% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education
St. Mary Parish School Board operates local public schools.

The Chitimacha Day School, affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), is in the Charenton community of unincorporated St. Mary Parish.

It is in the service area of Fletcher Technical Community College.

Media
St. Mary Parish has two daily newspapers, the Morgan City Daily Review (circulation under 6,000) and the Franklin Banner-Tribune in Franklin (circulation 3,350).

National Guard
B Company 2-156TH Infantry Battalion of the 256TH IBCT resides in Franklin, Louisiana. This unit has deployed to Iraq twice, 2004-5 and 2010.

Politics
St. Mary Parish used to be a swing parish. Between 1928 and 2008, the county only voted for losing presidential candidates in 1948, 1968, and 1980, with none of these candidates receiving a majority. Since 2008, the county has become more Republican leaning, with Donald Trump breaking 60% of the vote in both of his runs.

Notable people

 * Alexander Allain (1920 – 1994), lawyer, library advocate who was one of the 100 most influential library leaders of the 20th century. The Louisiana Library Association named its annual intellectual freedom award for him.
 * Bret Allain (born c. 1958), sugar cane farmer and the current District 21 state senator from St. Mary Parish
 * Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock (1915–1987), state House Speaker from 1952 to 1956 and lieutenant governor from 1960 to 1972
 * Carl W. Bauer (1933-2013), attorney-lobbyist; former member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
 * Ralph Norman Bauer (1899-1963), attorney; former Speaker of the Louisiana House; a leader of the impeachment forces against Governor Huey P. Long, Jr., in 1929
 * V.J. Bella (born 1927), former state representative (1972–1990) and state fire marshal (1990–1992; 1996–2004)
 * Elizabeth Bisland (1861–1929), noted journalist and author
 * Sally Clausen, former president of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammoned and Louisiana commissioner of higher education; reared in St. Mary Parish
 * Thomas G. Clausen, Louisiana education superintendent from 1984 to 1988; reared in St. Mary Parish
 * Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. (1930-2020), governor of Louisiana from 1996 to 2004
 * Sam S. Jones, state representative for St. Mary Parish since 2008
 * Geronimo Pratt, Vietnam War veteran who served twenty-seven years in prison wrongfully accused of murder
 * William Joseph Seymour (born 1870), considered to be the most influential African American minister of the twentieth century and pastor of the famous Azusa Street Revival
 * Lester Vetter, reared in St. Mary Parish; mayor of Coushatta prior to 1952 and state representative for Red River Parish from 1952 until his death in office in 1960
 * Warren Wells, Pro football player for the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders
 * Dale Hawkins, (born 1936, died 2010) pioneer of swamp rock boogie