St. Martin Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, split into two non-contiguous sections by a surveying error that created neighboring Iberia Parish in 1868. It had a population of 51,767 at the 2020 census and covers 738 square miles (1,910 km2) of land centred near 30°08′N 91°37′W.
St. Martinville is the parish seat, and its postal code is 70582. The parish holds 5 incorporated cities and towns, a village, several census-designated places and a scatter of unincorporated communities. St. Martin Parish sits in the Acadiana region and observes Central time.
Towns & Villages in St. Martin Parish
The list below carries every named place from the parish’s settlement roll: incorporated cities and towns, a village, three census-designated places (CDPs), and unincorporated communities and rural crossroads. CDP and Unincorp. entries have no local government of their own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Martinville | City · seat | 5,379 | 70582 |
| Breaux Bridge | City | 7,513 | 70517 |
| Broussard | City | — | 70518 |
| Arnaudville | Town | — | 70512 |
| Henderson | Town | — | 70517 |
| Parks | Village | — | 70582 |
| Cade | CDP | — | — |
| Catahoula | CDP | — | 70726 |
| Cecilia | CDP | — | 70521 |
| Anse La Butte | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Atchafalaya | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bayou Chene | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Butte La Rose | Unincorp. | — | 70518 |
| Champagne | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coteau Holmes | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coteau Rodaire | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Darby | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gecko | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Isle Labbe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Keystone | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Levert | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nina Station | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Portage | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Romero | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ruth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saint John | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stephenville | Unincorp. | — | — |
Butte La Rose and Henderson both sit hard against the Atchafalaya Basin levee and are easy to confuse on a map — Henderson is the incorporated town on the east bank, Butte La Rose the unincorporated settlement on the west bank of the spillway.
ZIP Codes
- 70582 — St. Martinville (also serves Parks)
- 70517 — Breaux Bridge (also serves Henderson)
- 70512 — Arnaudville
- 70518 — Broussard (also serves Butte La Rose)
- 70521 — Cecilia
- 70726 — Catahoula
Small crossroads communities such as Ruth, Levert and Coteau Holmes use a neighboring town’s ZIP code rather than one of their own.
Geography
St. Martin Parish is split into two non-contiguous parts, a rare arrangement caused by a surveying error when the Louisiana Legislature created neighboring Iberia Parish in 1868. The larger, western section holds most of the parish’s population and towns; the smaller eastern section extends into the Atchafalaya Basin swamp. The parish covers 738 square miles (1,910 km2) of land and 79 square miles (200 km2) of water — nearly a tenth of its total area — reflecting the bayous, the Bayou Teche corridor and the western edge of the Atchafalaya Basin that run through it.
St. Martin Parish borders St. Landry Parish and Pointe Coupee Parish to the north, Iberville Parish and Iberia Parish to the east, St. Mary Parish and Assumption Parish to the south, and Lafayette Parish to the west.
Demographics
St. Martin Parish had 51,767 residents at the 2020 census. Breaux Bridge (7,513) and St. Martinville (5,379) are the parish’s two largest communities. The parish’s median household income runs below the Louisiana median of $58,229 — typical of the rural Acadiana parishes outside Lafayette. Population density works out to roughly 70 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, particularly sugarcane and crawfish farming, remains central to the parish’s economy alongside oilfield services tied to nearby Lafayette. Breaux Bridge markets itself as the “Crawfish Capital of the World” and hosts the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival each spring, drawing visitors from across the region. St. Martinville, the parish seat, trades on its Acadian heritage and the Evangeline Oak, tied to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Evangeline.”
History
St. Martin Parish was created in 1811 from a portion of the former Attakapas Parish and takes its name from St. Martin of Tours, patron of the parish’s Roman Catholic congregation at St. Martinville. The area was heavily settled in the late 1700s by Acadian exiles from Nova Scotia and by refugees from the French and Haitian revolutions, giving the parish the highest concentration of French speakers of any county-equivalent in the United States. An 1868 legislative act creating Iberia Parish out of St. Martin’s eastern territory left a surveying gap that split St. Martin into its present two non-contiguous sections.
Getting There
Interstate 10 crosses the parish east–west, with US Highway 90 and Louisiana Highways 31, 94 and 182 serving the smaller towns.
- Lafayette — 10 miles west
- New Iberia — 15 miles southeast
- Baton Rouge — 55 miles east
- Lake Charles — 75 miles west
Lafayette Regional Airport, just across the parish line, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is St. Martin Parish?
It is in south-central Louisiana’s Acadiana region, split by Iberia Parish into two non-contiguous sections west and east of Bayou Teche.
What is the population of St. Martin Parish?
51,767 people at the 2020 census.
How big is St. Martin Parish?
738 square miles (1,910 km2) of land plus 79 square miles (200 km2) of water.
What is the county seat of St. Martin Parish?
St. Martinville is the parish seat.
How many towns are in St. Martin Parish?
St. Martin Parish has 5 incorporated cities and towns, a village, 3 CDPs and about a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in St. Martin Parish?
Main ZIP codes include 70582 (St. Martinville), 70517 (Breaux Bridge), 70512 (Arnaudville), 70518 (Broussard), 70521 (Cecilia) and 70726 (Catahoula).
Why is St. Martin Parish split into two parts?
A surveying error when the Louisiana Legislature created Iberia Parish out of St. Martin’s territory in 1868 left the parish in two non-contiguous sections.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Louisiana.