| City of Ville Platte | |
| City | |
| Name origin: ville platte, French ('Ville' means Town, and 'Platte' means Flat) | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Evangeline |
| Elevation | 72 ft (21.9 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 3.1 sq mi (8 km2) |
| - land | 3.1 sq mi (8 km2) |
| - water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0% |
| Population | 8,145 (2000) |
| Density | 2,665.4 / sq mi (1,029.1 / km2) |
| Mayor | Jennifer Vidrine |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code | 337 |
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Location of Ville Platte in Louisiana
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Location of Louisiana in the United States
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| Website: http://www.vpla.com | |
Ville Platte is a city in and the parish seat of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States.[1] The population was 8,145 at the 2000 census. Its name is derived from the French ville plate, or "flat town."
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The area around Ville Platte appears to have been first settled during the last half of the eighteenth century, when Louisiana was under Spanish rule. The earliest record of settlement in the immediate area of Ville Platte was in the 1780s.
Popular legend states the founder of Ville Platte was Marcellin Garand, an adjutant major in the Army of the French Empire, during the time of Napoleon. In 1824 Garand obtained one of the first two lots that were platted in what is now Ville Platte; a Doctor Robert Windex obtained the other lot. Those lots were obtained from the estate of William O'Donegan. This appears to be the actual beginning of, or the founding of the present town of Ville Platte.
The first post office in Ville Platte was established in 1842 with Marcellin Garand as postmaster from then to 1848.
Ville Platte is also the home of Chicot State Park. The park covers 6,400 acres (26 km2) of rolling hills and water in South Central Louisiana. Chicot State Park has large amounts of deer, racoon, and other wildlife.
Ville Platte is located at (30.689140, -92.277534)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (7.9 km²), all of it land.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 8,145 people, 3,169 households, and 2,047 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,665.4 people per square mile (1,027.7/km²). There were 3,513 housing units at an average density of 1,149.6 per square mile (443.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 40.53% White, 58.67% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population.
There were 3,169 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 24.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $12,917, and the median income for a family was $18,056. Males had a median income of $29,798 versus $16,563 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,672. About 43.5% of families and 50.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 68.9% of those under age 18 and 32.5% of those age 65 or over.
Public schools in Evangeline Parish are operated by the Evangeline Parish School Board. Three campuses are located in Ville Platte - James Stephens Montessori School (Grades PK-4), Ville Platte Elementary School (Grades PK-4), and Ville Platte High School (Grades 5-12).
The famous St. Landry Parish Sheriff Cat Doucet was educated in Ville Platte.[4]
Ville Platte has significant Creole and Cajun music and cultural associations. It is one of the birthplaces of the Afro-creole Zydeco music that has become one of the signatures of Louisiana culture throughout the world.
City Officials 2011-2015: Mayor: Jennifer Vidrine
City Officials 2007-2011: Mayor: Bill Jeanmard
Members of the Council: C.J. Dardeau, Carol Alfred, Mike Perron, Rev. Freddie Jack, Donald Sam, Taranza Arvie
City Clerk: Shelley Fruge', Deputy Clerk: Cliff Fontenot
Chief of Police: Neal Lartigue
and nature center
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