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The small
city of
New Iberia is the
parish seat of
Iberia Parish, in the
US state of
Louisiana, 125 miles (201 km) west of
New Orleans. In
1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia, Louisiana; in
1910, 7,499; and in
1940, 13,747. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 32,623.
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Geography 
New Iberia is located at 30°0'13" North, 91°49'6" West (30.003577, -91.818454)
GR1.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.4
km² (10.6
mi²). 27.4 km² (10.6 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Among the lakes is
Lake Peigneur, which was formerly a freshwater lake until a disaster involving oil drilling and a salt mine. The lake is now salt water, having been refilled by the
Gulf of Mexico.
This region has many natural features of interest and is the scene of part of
Longfellow's Evangeline. Avery's Island is famous for its deposits of rock salt.
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Demographics
of the
censusGR2 of 2000, there were 32,623 people, 11,756 households, and 8,335 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,192.8/km² (3,088.8/mi²). There were 12,880 housing units at an average density of 470.9/km² (1,219.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.99%
White, 38.42%
African American, 0.21%
Native American, 2.64%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.51% from
other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any rae.
There were 11,756 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were
married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,079, and the median income for a family was $30,828. Males had a median income of $30,289 versus $16,980 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $13,084. 29.5% of the population and 24.9% of families were below the
poverty line. 40.8% of those under the age of 18 and 20.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
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Events
New Iberia was home to early
jazz legend
Bunk Johnson in his later years, and hosts an annual
Bunk Johnson/New Iberia Jazz, Arts & Heritage Festival, also known as the
BunkFest.
Since 1941, New Iberia has annually hosted the
Sugar Cane Festival and associated events during autumn, to celebrate the commencement of the sugar cane harvest, locally referred to as
the grinding. Sugar cane is a principal crop grown by New Iberia farmers.
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Trivia
Govenor
Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana and artist
George Rodrigue were born here.
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Points of interest[
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History
The town of New Iberia dates from 1779, when a group of 300 immigrants from
Alhaurín de la Torre, in the
Spanish province of Málaga came up Bayou Teche and settled here. The Spanish settlers called the town "Nueva Iberia" while the French referred to the town as "Nouvelle Ibérie," and the English called it "New Town." The state legislature resolved the situation in
1847, naming the town New Iberia.
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External links
and the youngest mr. America came from here.