Gonzales, Louisiana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gonzales is a city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,156 at the 2000 census. It has been called the "jambalaya capital of the world" and is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival. Parts of Ascension Parish have become suburbs of Baton Rouge over the years.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Government
4 History
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Gonzales is located at 30°13′38″N, 90°55′11″W (30.227128, -90.919771)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.8 km² (8.4 mi²). 21.7 km² (8.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.71%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 8,156 people, 2,966 households, and 2,156 families residing in the city. The population density was 376.2/km² (974.2/mi²). There were 3,332 housing units at an average density of 153.7/km² (398.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.40% White, 31.25% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.64% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.62% of the population.

There were 2,966 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,173, and the median income for a family was $43,117. Males had a median income of $38,731 versus $22,168 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,690. About 14.9% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

The city is governed by a mayor-council form of government. The current mayor of Gonzales is Johnny Berthelot.

[edit] History

Early settlers of the area which would eventually become Gonzales were, for the most part, of Spanish and French ancestry, settling amidst the Houma Indians who lived in the area. By 1851, the small settlement had only ten residents. A school was established in 1855 by Adlard Gautreaux for the children in the area. By 1886, the settlement had grown to where the citizens of the community elected "Big" Joseph Gonzales as their sheriff. Joseph's son, "Tee-Joe" Gonzales, opened a general store and post office in 1887. Because the post office was known as the Gonzales Post Office, a few years later the Railroad Commission ordered the local railroad to change the name of the community from Edenborn to Gonzales to match the post office name.

The railroad assisted in the growth of Gonzales. It was officially incorporated as a village in 1922 by then Louisiana Governor John Parker with Joseph Gonzales becoming the first mayor. The village continued to grow with the construction of Airline Highway, and Earl K. Long proclaimed Gonzales a town in 1952 during his term as governor. The first Jambalaya Festival was held in 1968, and Governor John J. McKeithen marked the occasion by proclaiming Gonzales the "jambalaya capital of the world." Following the growth of industrial corporations in the area, the town finally became a city in 1977 following a proclamation by Governor Edwin Edwards. Gonzales became better known in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck. The HSUS and other animal rescue groups along with the National Guard made a fairground in Gonzales their main search and rescue headquarters, as well as the location of storing pets picked up from New Orleans and many other locations. Some people were reunited with their lost pets at this same location.