Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana should not be confused with Point Coupee, Louisiana.
| County: | Pointe Coupee Parish |
| Ex Image: | Pointe Coupee Courthouse.jpg |
| Ex Image Size: | 200px |
| Ex Image Cap: | Pointe Coupee Parish Courthouse |
| State: | Louisiana |
| Founded Year: | 1807 |
| Seat Wl: | New Roads |
| Largest City Wl: | New Roads |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 591 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 557 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 33 |
| Area Percentage: | 5.6 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 20758 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Est: | 20356[1] |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Zip Codes: | 70715, 70729, 70732, 70736, 70747, 70749, 70752, 70753, 70755, 70756, 70759, 70760, 70762, 70773, 70783 |
| Web: | https://pcparish.org/ |
| Named For: | French for the place of the cut-off |
| District: | 6th |
| Demonym: | Pointe Coupean |
| City Type: | city |
Pointe Coupee Parish (or ; French: Paroisse de la Pointe-Coupée) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,758. The parish seat is New Roads.[2]
Pointe Coupee Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2010, the center of population of Louisiana was located in Pointe Coupee Parish, in the city of New Roads.[3]
Pointe Coupee is the oldest settlement on the lower Mississippi, having been made by some wandering Canadian trappers as early as 1708. Bienville established this place as a military post, before the commencement of New Orleans. The fort was moved in 1722 to an area near the present St. Francisville Ferry landing.
After several floods, Governor Luis de Unzaga in 1772 moved the European settlement to a new post, the so-called Post Unzaga. Recently, historians Cazorla and Polo, from the Louis de Unzaga Historical Society research team, using satellite remote sensing techniques and comparative plans from the General Archive of the Indies, have managed to locate the position of the Unzaga post, which included, along with it, a parish. After the slave rebellion of 1795 this settlement was left uninhabited.[4] Pointe Coupee Parish (originally and recently, informally pronounced pwahnt coo-pay) was organized by European Americans in 1805 as part of the Territory of Orleans (statehood for Louisiana followed in 1812). It was originally called Pointe Coupee County, and was one of the original 12 counties of the Territory of Orleans. It was renamed as Pointe Coupee Parish in 1816. The original Pointe Coupee Parish included parts of present-day Iberville and West Baton Rouge Parishes. There were minor boundary adjustments with neighboring parishes up through 1852, when its boundaries stabilized.[5]
In 2008, Pointe Coupee was one of the communities that suffered the most damage by Hurricane Gustav.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which is land and (5.6%) is water.[6] The land consists mainly of prairies and backswamp.
Pointe Coupee Parish has 498.98 miles of highways within its borders.[7]
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 12,245 | 58.99% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 7,221 | 34.79% | |
| Native American | 37 | 0.18% | |
| Asian | 60 | 0.29% | |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.01% | |
| Other/Mixed | 568 | 2.74% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 625 | 3.01% |
By the publication of the 2020 United States census, there were 20,758 people, 8,960 households, and 5,625 families residing in the parish, reflecting a slight population decline. Among the population in 2020, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 58.99% non-Hispanic white, 34.79% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.74% other or multiracial, and 3.01% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the parish was $30,618, and the median income for a family was $36,625. Males had a median income of $35,022 versus $20,759 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $15,387, ranking 23rd out of 64 parishes. About 18.70% of families and 23.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.20% of those under age 18 and 23.90% are the age of 65 and older.
Religiously, Christianity is the dominant religion being part of the Bible Belt. The largest denomination by membership as of 2020 has been the Catholic Church (according to the Association of Religion Data Archives). Southern Baptists were the second largest denomination by membership.[9]
Nan Ya Plastics Corporation America has a large plant near Batchelor. Another large employer is NRG / Big Cajun 1 & 2 power plants near New Roads. The parish's economy is heavily reliant upon agriculture, with sugar cane being one of the main cash crops.
The Pointe Coupee Parish School Board serves the parish. As of 2014 the sole secondary school operated by the parish school board is Livonia High School, serving grades 7 through 12. Pointe Coupee Central High School was closed down in 2014. Current public schools include Stem Magnet Academy, Valverda Elementary, Rougon, Rosenwald, and Upper Pointe Coupee Elementary.
The parish is in the service area of South Louisiana Community College.[10]
Additionally, Pointe Coupee Parish is home to one of the satellite campuses of Baton Rouge Community College. This campus, located in New Roads, offers several technical, academic, and other courses.[11]
A Co of the 769th BEB (Brigade Engineer Battalion) is an Engineer Company (Combat) that resides in New Roads, Louisiana. This unit is part of the 256TH IBCT and deployed to Iraq in 2004-5 and 2010.
| Agencyname: | Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office |
| Abbreviation: | PCSO |
| Patch: | LA - Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff.jpg |
| Badge: | PointeCoupeeBadge.JPG |
| Formedyear: | 1807 |
| Police: | Yes |
| Local: | Yes |
| Headquarters: | New Roads, Louisiana |
| Sworntype: | Deputy Sheriff |
| Sworn: | 125 |
| Chief1name: | Rene Thibodeaux |
| Chief1position: | Sheriff |
| Stationtype: | Station |
| Stations: | 3 |
The Pointe Coupee Sheriff's Office is the chief law enforcement agency in Pointe Coupee Parish. The sheriff's office is responsible for routine law enforcement patrols in the parish. There are several divisions besides the road patrol, including the parish prison, a water patrol, a mounted horse patrol, an aviation unit, a criminal investigations division, and bailiffs for the courthouse.[12] This department employs over 100 full-time deputies, as well as several part-time deputies.[13] The department's main office is located in the parish courthouse in New Roads.
Prior to 2008, Pointe Coupee Parish was a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections, only failing to back the party's nominees four times between 1912 and 2004 even as the South began trending more Republican in presidential elections. Since 2008 it has consistently supported Republican nominees.