Houma, Louisiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The city of Houma (pronounced home'ah) is the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 32,393.
Houma and the surrounding area are the setting for the fictional Swamp Thing comic books, and the 2005 movie, The Skeleton Key.
Contents |
History
Houma was founded in 1810. It was incorporated in 1848, and again in 1898.
Culture
Houma and the surrounding communities are steeped in the traditions and culture of the Cajuns. The area is famous for its food, fishing, swamps, music, and hospitality. Houma is also known, although not as well as New Orleans, for its Mardi Gras festivities. Though Houma is quickly changing and developing, many of the residents of the surrounding small communities make their living as their ancestors did. They are shrimpers, oystermen, crabbers, fishermen, and trappers. Despite the rapidly changing face of the area, many old traditions and lifestyles remain to remind us of the area's rich cultural history.
Geography
Houma is located at 29°35'15" North, 90°42'58" West (29.587614, -90.716108)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.7 km² (14.2 mi²). 36.3 km² (14.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.92% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 32,393 people, 11,634 households, and 8,283 families residing in the city. The population density is 891.4/km² (2,308.5/mi²). There are 12,514 housing units at an average density of 344.4/km² (891.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 67.46% White, 26.12% African American, 3.45% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. 1.76% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 11,634 households out of which 35.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% are married couples living together, 16.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% are non-families. 24.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.24.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,471, and the median income for a family is $40,679. Males have a median income of $35,897 versus $22,202 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,720. 20.8% of the population and 16.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.7% of those under the age of 18 and 17.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
- Houma Today (website of The Courier newspaper)
