Iberia

Formed October 30, 1868 (49^th parish)

Iberia Parish (70,293), New Iberia (28,513)

The governmental appearance to the concrete and masonry Art Deco building stands out on a side street in New Iberia.  It was built in 1939.  The structure is located on Iberia Street at Washington Street.  Louisiana State Highway 182 is three blocks east of the location.  The Equality Statue oversees the entrance to the building.  The building was enlarged in 1967, renovated in 1977, and enlarged again in 1986.  An annex has been recently built.  An 1884 courthouse was also built in New Iberia, the only parish seat.  The parish was originally part of Attakapas County.  On October 30, 1868, Iberia Parish was formed as the 49^th parish.  A. Hays Town was the designer of the courthouse.  The source for the parish and parish seat’s names is the Iberian Peninsula of Europe named by the early Spanish colonists.  Iberia Parish was the birthplace of 1 Louisiana Governor, Kathleen B. Blanco. 

The area of the parish is 1031 square miles.  It is 13 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 17 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 68.2 persons per square mile making it 22 out of 64 in the state.  Iberia Parish has 49.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 90 enters from Saint Martin Parish on the north and exits into St. Mary Parish on the southeast. 

Iberia Parish government consists of a President, a sheriff, a clerk, a treasurer, and a coroner (executive).  It has 14 Council Members (legislative.)  Eight District Court Judges serve Iberia, Saint Martin and Saint Mary parishes and Three Justice Court Judges serve Iberia Parish (judicial.) Iberia Parish is located in south central Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico.  Lafayette, Louisiana is north and Baton Rouge, Louisiana is northeast of the parish.  The parish center is 17.2 miles Southeast of New Iberia nearer Jeanerette.  The parish is surrounded clockwise by Saint Martin, Iberville, Assumption, and Saint Mary parishes and the Gulf of Mexico and Vermilion and Lafayette parishes.  The parish is shaped like a baker’s hat leaning to the east.  New Iberia is in the northern half of the parish.  New Iberia is the parish seat and the largest city.  It is 40.6% of the parish population.  The parish and parish seat are pronounced IE-BEER-E-A.  This parish is in the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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