Crowley, Louisiana

Crowley, Louisiana
City
Downtown Crowley
Downtown Crowley
Nickname: 
Rice Capital of America
Motto: 
Where Life Is Rice And Easy
Location of Crowley in Acadia Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Crowley in Acadia Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 30°13′30″N 92°22′14″W / 30.22500°N 92.37056°W / 30.22500; -92.37056[2]
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishAcadia
Incorporated1887
Founded byC.C. Duson and W.W. Duson
Named afterPatrick Crowley, railroad owner
Area
[1]
 • Total
5.85 sq mi (15.16 km2)
 • Land5.85 sq mi (15.15 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[2]
16 ft (4.9 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
11,710
 • Density2,001/sq mi (772.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
70526
Area code337
FIPS code22-18650
GNIS feature ID2404162[2]
Websitecrowley-la.com

Crowley (Local pronunciation: /ˈkræli/) is a city in, and the parish seat of, Acadia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana.[3] At the 2020 United States census, Crowley had a population of 11,710.[4] Crowley is the principal city of the Crowley micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Acadia Parish. It is also part of the larger Lafayette–Acadiana combined statistical area.

History

Crowley was founded in 1886 by brothers C.C. "Curley" Duson and W.W. Duson. Curley Duson was sheriff of St. Landry Parish, of which the Crowley townsite was then a part.[5] Incorporated in 1887, W.W. Duson, General Manager of Southwest Louisiana Land Company, plotted and developed Crowley. W.W. Duson's daughter, Maime Duson, married Percy Lee Lawrence, who founded the First National Bank of Crowley. The 7-story building was once the tallest building between Houston and New Orleans.

The town was named after Patrick E. Crowley (1850-1909), an Irish-born employee of the Louisiana Western Rail Road.[6][7] Crowley was in charge of a small facility nicknamed "Crowley's Switch" near Estherwood. The Dusons persuaded Crowley to move the switch about seven miles east to the Dusons' land in exchange for naming the town for him.[8]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.85 square miles (15.2 km2), all land.[9]

Louisiana Highway 13 passes through the city with Kaplan, which is located in Vermilion Parish, being located 19 miles southeast and Eunice, located in both Acadia and St. Landry parishes, is located 20 miles north. The city of Rayne is located 9 miles east of Crowley via U.S. Highway 90 and I-10. The city of Jennings is located 17 miles west via U.S. Highway 90 and I-10.

Climate

Crowley has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.[10]

Climate data for Crowley 2 NE, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1906–2019)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 82
(28) 		83
(28) 		95
(35) 		94
(34) 		97
(36) 		106
(41) 		102
(39) 		105
(41) 		106
(41) 		96
(36) 		88
(31) 		84
(29) 		106
(41)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 75.7
(24.3) 		77.4
(25.2) 		82.2
(27.9) 		86.1
(30.1) 		91.6
(33.1) 		95.5
(35.3) 		96.2
(35.7) 		97.6
(36.4) 		94.9
(34.9) 		90.2
(32.3) 		83.5
(28.6) 		78.3
(25.7) 		97.9
(36.6)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 60.6
(15.9) 		64.4
(18.0) 		71.2
(21.8) 		77.5
(25.3) 		84.3
(29.1) 		89.2
(31.8) 		90.7
(32.6) 		91.5
(33.1) 		88.1
(31.2) 		80.7
(27.1) 		70.4
(21.3) 		62.9
(17.2) 		77.6
(25.3)
Daily mean °F (°C) 51.1
(10.6) 		54.8
(12.7) 		61.6
(16.4) 		68.1
(20.1) 		75.6
(24.2) 		80.9
(27.2) 		82.4
(28.0) 		82.5
(28.1) 		78.7
(25.9) 		69.9
(21.1) 		59.9
(15.5) 		53.3
(11.8) 		68.2
(20.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 41.6
(5.3) 		45.2
(7.3) 		52.0
(11.1) 		58.8
(14.9) 		67.0
(19.4) 		72.5
(22.5) 		74.1
(23.4) 		73.5
(23.1) 		69.2
(20.7) 		59.1
(15.1) 		49.3
(9.6) 		43.7
(6.5) 		58.8
(14.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 26.0
(−3.3) 		30.9
(−0.6) 		34.8
(1.6) 		42.2
(5.7) 		54.1
(12.3) 		65.5
(18.6) 		69.4
(20.8) 		68.2
(20.1) 		56.4
(13.6) 		43.2
(6.2) 		34.0
(1.1) 		29.1
(−1.6) 		24.3
(−4.3)
Record low °F (°C) 6
(−14) 		14
(−10) 		22
(−6) 		34
(1) 		44
(7) 		54
(12) 		62
(17) 		57
(14) 		41
(5) 		29
(−2) 		22
(−6) 		9
(−13) 		6
(−14)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 6.40
(163) 		4.26
(108) 		3.84
(98) 		5.34
(136) 		5.58
(142) 		6.68
(170) 		5.77
(147) 		6.21
(158) 		4.95
(126) 		4.69
(119) 		5.04
(128) 		4.77
(121) 		63.53
(1,614)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 10.4 8.7 7.8 7.0 7.6 11.2 12.8 11.3 8.8 7.0 7.7 9.7 110.0
Source: NOAA[11][12]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890420—
19004,214903.3%
19105,09921.0%
19206,10819.8%
19307,65625.3%
19409,52324.4%
195012,78434.2%
196015,61722.2%
197016,1043.1%
198016,036−0.4%
199013,983−12.8%
200014,2251.7%
201013,265−6.7%
202011,710−11.7%
2023 (est.)12,7038.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Crowley had a population of 11,710. The median age was 39.5 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.8 males age 18 and over.[14][15]

99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.[16]

There were 4,689 households in Crowley, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.5% were married-couple households, 19.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]

There were 5,786 housing units, of which 19.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.[14]

Crowley racial composition as of 2020[17]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 7,059 60.28%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 3,834 32.74%
Native American 25 0.21%
Asian 51 0.44%
Other/Mixed 348 2.97%
Hispanic or Latino 393 3.36%

2019 American Community Survey

The median income for a household in the city was $26,972. Family households had a median income of $31,168, married couples had a median income of $50,066, and non-family households had a median income of $19,138. An estimated 37.1% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.[18]

2000 census

At the 2000 U.S. census, the racial and ethic makeup was 67.83% White American, 30.98% Black or African American, 0.15% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.29% Asian, 0.01% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latin Americans were 1.10% of the population.

Arts and culture

Crowley is noted for its annual International Rice Festival.[19] Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of the World",[20][21] because at one time it was a major center for rice harvesting and milling. Today, Crowley still has a number of rice mills and rice is the main crop of many local farmers.

Education

The Crowley High School "Fighting Gents" were State Division 3A champions in the 1989 football season and had an 8–2 regular season.

Crowley is also the home of Notre Dame High School.[22] Notre Dame is an Acadia Parish-wide Catholic high school whose football program has won six state championships and numerous District Champion titles, in addition to numerous state championships in other sports, such as men's baseball, women's softball, men's tennis, men's track & field, and women's volleyball.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Crowley, Louisiana
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "QuickFacts: Crowley city, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  5. ^ Louisiana State Department of History & Culture. "Crowley Historical Marker".
  6. ^ "Patrick Crowley, Pineville". The Times-Democrat. August 22, 1909. p. 16. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  7. ^ Leeper, Clare D'Artois (October 19, 2012). Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries. LSU Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8071-4740-5.
  8. ^ "History". acadiatourism.org. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Crowley city, Louisiana". www.census.gov. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  10. ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate". www.weather.gov. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  11. ^ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  12. ^ "Station: Crowley 2 NE, LA". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  13. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  15. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  16. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  17. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  18. ^ "Geography Profile: Crowley city, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  19. ^ "History of the International Rice Festival". riceFestival.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  20. ^ "7 Louisiana Capitals Of The World". GATOR 99.5. March 31, 2017. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  21. ^ "Crowley, Louisiana | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation". www.achp.gov. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  22. ^ "NDHS - Home of the Pioneers". Retrieved August 14, 2021.
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