Iberville Parish, Louisiana

Iberville Parish Education, Geography, and History

Iberville Parish is a parish located south of Baton Rouge in the state of Louisiana. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 33,387. The parish was formed in 1807. The parish seat is Plaquemine. Iberville Parish is named in honor of an explorer named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, the brother of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.

Iberville Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Iberville Parish Name

The parish was named in honor of an explorer named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, the brother of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Iberville County History

Iberville Parish was created on 1807, from Assumption and Ascension Parishes and the parish was named in honor of an explorer named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, the brother of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The Parish seat is Plaquemine

Iberville was "discovered" by French explorer Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur d'Iberville in 1699, but its rich delta soil and many waterways had been discovered by Indian tribes long before Iberville ever set foot here. While it was initially an agricultural area, Iberville has changed through the centuries to accommodate the changing times. The parish has always had plenty of sugarcane and soybean fields, but through the years the hardwood timber industry, river commerce and now industrial development have been essential to a thriving parish economy.

From the 1800s until the mid-1900s, Louisiana produced more sugar than any other state in the nation, and Iberville, as the state's leading sugarcane producer, drew the name "Sweet Iberville."By the late 1800s Bayou Plaquemine, running through the heart of Iberville, became the most common route from the Mississippi River into the interior of Louisiana, and this water traffic brought a boom in the parish's timber and sawmill industries and a variety of commercial establishments catering to travelers. It also resulted in the construction of the historic Plaquemine Lock.

With the agricultural, timber, sawmill, and water commerce industries powering the economy, Iberville prospered into the 1960s, when the Lock was finally closed, replaced by a bigger structure closer to Baton Rouge. But by this time the chemical industry had realized the many advantages that Iberville offered with its access to the Mississippi River, interstate travel, electrical power and hard-working people. Today, the chemical and agriculture industries power the economy, and exist in harmony with the tourism industry.

The parish now has six municipalities - Plaquemine, the largest city and capital of the parish, St. Gabriel, White Castle, Rosedale, Grosse Tete and Maringouin. It is experiencing an economic burst, with several chemical and industrial plants announcing new plant start-ups and expansions totaling well over $1 billion. A parish rich in history, Iberville is also a parish moving into a new and dynamic chapter of its long life.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 653 square miles (1,690 km²), of which 619 square miles (1,600 km²) is land and 34 square miles (88 km²) (5.2%) is water.

 Iberville Parish is located close to the center of Louisiana. Part of the Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge is located in this parish.

Neighboring Parishes

Bordering parishes and counties are as follows:

• North: West Baton Rouge Parish
• Northeast: East Baton Rouge Parish
• East: Ascension Parish
• Southeast: Assumption Parish
• Southwest: Iberia Parish; St. Martin Parish
• Northwest: Pointe Coupee Parish

Education

Iberville Parish School Board operates the public schools within Iberville Parish.

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