Crowley, Louisiana

Coordinates: 30°12′49″N 92°22′25″W / 30.21361°N 92.37361°W / 30.21361; -92.37361

City of Crowley
City
Downtown Crowley
Motto: Where Life Is Rice And Easy
Nickname: Rice Capital of America
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Acadia
Elevation	20 ft (6.1 m)
Coordinates	30°12′49″N 92°22′25″W / 30.21361°N 92.37361°W / 30.21361; -92.37361
Area	4.9 sq mi (12.7 km2)
- land	4.9 sq mi (13 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	11,980 (2008)
Density	2,895.1 / sq mi (1,117.8 / km2)
Incorporated	1887
Mayor	Greg Jones
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	70526
Area code	337
Location of Crowley in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: http://www.crowley-la.com

Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States.^[1] The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for rice harvesting and milling. Today, Crowley still has a number of rice mills and rice is the main crop of many local farmers. In addition, in recent years, crawfish farming has become increasingly popular.

Crowley is the home of Mastertrak Studios. The studio that is now Mastertrak was founded by J. D. "Jay" Miller in 1955 and has hosted such notable recording artists as Paul Simon and John Fogerty. The studio is known for producing Swamp blues music, as well as segregationist music of the 1960s.

The Crowley High School "Fighting Gents" were State Division 3A Champs in the 1989 football season and had a 8-2 regular season. Crowley is also the home of Notre Dame High School. Notre Dame is a parish-wide Catholic school whose football program has won 4 state championships and numerous District Champion titles.

Crowley is the principal city of the Crowley Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Acadia Parish. It is also part of the larger Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area. The town is named after Pat Crowley

Geography

Crowley is located at 30°12′49″N 92°22′25″W / 30.21361°N 92.37361°W / 30.21361; -92.37361 (30.213618, -92.373695)^[2] and has an elevation of 20 feet (6.1 m)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km²), all of it land.

History

Patrick Crowley

Crowley was founded in 1886^[4] by C.C. Duson and W.W. Duson. Incorporated in 1887, W.W. Duson, General Manager of Southwest Louisiana Land Company, platted and developed Crowley. W.W. Duson's daughter, Maime Duson, married P.L. Lawrence, who founded the First National Bank of Crowley. The 10 story building was once the tallest building between Houston and New Orleans. They lived with their three children, P.L. Jr., Pattee, and Jack at 219 East 2nd Street. The house is now on the historic register.

In the early 20th century, oil discoveries in Acadia Parish brought oil companies into the area looking to do business. Lafayette's Oil Center was initially planned for Crowley but the undocumented rumor is that the Lawrence family discouraged it. Another local rumor has it that The University of Louisiana at Lafayette was first offered to Crowley as well. The descendants of W.W. Duson owned much of Crowley and the surrounding land. P.L. Lawrence often walked about town and intended to keep Crowley as such a town.

The town was named after Pat Crowley, an Irish railroad man who brought the railroad depot to W.W. Duson's land. Members of the Holland family, who are descendants of founder W.W. Duson, still live in Crowley today.

Demographics

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 14,225 people, 5,294 households, and 3,668 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,895.1 people per square mile (1,118.6/km²). There were 5,904 housing units at an average density of 1,201.6 per square mile (464.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.83% White, 30.98% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population.

There were 5,294 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,495, and the median income for a family was $28,180. Males had a median income of $27,684 versus $19,706 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,734. About 24.3% of families and 28.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.1% of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people from Crowley

• John Breaux, former US Senator and before that a Representative
• Jack Brooks, member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas from 1953 to 1995 and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 1989 to 1995, born in Crowley
• Tommy Casanova, four-time All-Pro Cincinnati Bengals defensive back/punt returner from 1972–1977
• Edwin Edwards, former governor of Louisiana, U.S. representative, and state senator
• Paul B. Freeland, Presbyterian minister, genealogist, philanthropist, historian of Acadia Parish
• Jim Gueno, Green Bay Packers linebacker from 1976–1980
• Allen C. Gremillion, state representative, 1964–1971
• Winsor Harmon, soap opera actor born on the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination
• Chris John, former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and the Louisiana House of Representatives
• John N. John, III, state representative, 1972–1983
• Edward "Kidd" Jordan, jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator
• Victoria Reggie Kennedy, native of Crowley, wife of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy
• Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of famed American Children's author Laura Ingalls Wilder and one of the founders of the American libertarian movement, attended high school in Crowley
• Gil Pinac, member of the Crowley City Council (1987–1996), Alderman-at-Large & Mayor Pro-tempore; member of the Louisiana State House of Representatives (1996–2008); candidate for Louisiana Public Service Commission (2009)
• Edmund Reggie, former Crowley judge; father-in-law of Edward Kennedy
• Orlando Thomas, Minnesota Vikings defensive back from 1995–2001
• Johnny Rebel, singer of anti-African-American songs

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ Louisiana State Department of History & Culture. "Crowley Historical Marker". http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/Acadia/Crowley/. 
5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• City of Crowley
• International Rice Festival, held every third weekend in October
• Acadia Parish Library