St. Martin Parish, Louisiana

St. Martin Parish Education, Geography, and History

St. Martin Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 52,160. The parish seat is St. Martinville. The parish was founded in 1807.

St. Martin Parish is part of the Lafayette, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. 27% of the population of St. Martin Parish have French fluency, rated as one of the highest concentrations of French speakers in the nation.

Etymology - Origin of St. Martin Parish Name

The parish was named in honor of Saint Martin.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

St. Martin County History

St. Martin Parish was created on March 31, 1807. It is one of the 19 parishes, which were created by dividing the Territory of New Orleans. The parish was named in honor of Saint Martin. The Parish seat is St Martinsville.

St. Martin Parish Courthouse - 1859

The first courthouse was built by slave labor long before the Civil War, while the present court house was built in 1859 and has had at least five major additions and renovations. It is now a parish landmark.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 816 square miles (2,110 km²), of which 738 square miles (1,910 km²) is land and 79 square miles (200 km²) (9.7%) is water. Iberia Parish divides St. Martin Parish into two separate areas, Upper and Lower St. Martin.

Neighboring Parishes

Bordering parishes and counties are as follows:

• North: Pointe Coupee Parish
• Northeast: Iberville Parish
• Southeast: Assumption Parish; St. Mary Parish
• Southwest: Iberia Parish
• West: Lafayette Parish
• Northwest: St. Landry Parish

Education

Public schools in St. Martin Parish are operated by the St. Martin Parish School Board.

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