Patterson

City of Patterson
City
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	St. Mary
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Coordinates	29°41′33″N 91°18′24″W / 29.6925°N 91.30667°W / 29.6925; -91.30667
Area	2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)
- land	2.5 sq mi (6 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	6,530 (2000)
Density	2,081.8 /sq mi (803.8 /km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	985
Location of Patterson in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Patterson is a small city in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,530 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

During the early 1800s, a group of Pennsylvanian Dutchmen boarded a sailing vessel in New Orleans and ventured into the Bayou Teche. One of them, Hans Knight, decided to settle his family in what is now Patterson. The community was originally called Dutch Settlement, Dutch Prairie, and Dutch Town.

In 1832, Captain John Patterson, a trader from Indiana, settled there. He built a store and became a prominent citizen. The town was renamed Pattersonville after the captain successfully moved the post office to Dutch Settlement. Pattersonville was incorporated in 1907 as the Town of Patterson.^[1]

Geography

Patterson is located at 29°41′33″N 91°18′24″W / 29.6925°N 91.30667°W / 29.6925; -91.30667 (29.692466, -91.306569)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 5,130 people, 1,852 households, and 1,364 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,081.8 people per square mile (805.2/km²). There were 2,061 housing units at an average density of 836.4/sq mi (323.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.55% White, 43.27% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.99% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.93% of the population.

There were 1,852 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,725, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $30,618 versus $19,286 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,038. About 26.4% of families and 30.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.8% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Schools in Patterson include Hattie A. Watts Elementary School, Patterson Junior High School, and Patterson High School.

Sports

Patterson has always been a dominant football team in the state of Louisiana, producing a couple NFL players and many Division I college players. Though Patterson has only been to the championship twice, it is a traditional playoff team. Currently led by Head Coach Tommy Minton, the team has been more dominant recently. Patterson is also the home of LSU running back and New Orleans Saints Hall of Famer Dalton Hilliard and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Ike Hilliard. The term "Who Dat" -- commonly associated with the New Orleans Saints—was initiated by a Patterson resident and Lumberjack fan, Guy Verdun. It originated in the Patterson stadium as Dalton Hilliard led the victorious unstoppable Lumberjacks to the Louisiana State Championship in 1979.

On January 15, 2009, Kenny Hilliard was named ESPN RISE Sophomore Player of the Year.^[4]

Notable natives and residents

• Kenny Hilliard, running back for Patterson Lumberjacks
• Dalton Hilliard, running back for New Orleans Saints
• Ike Hilliard, wide receiver for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Ned Romero, American actor and opera singer.
• Marguerite Clark, American actress.
• Mel Ott, right fielder for the New York Giants.
• Clay Hopper, manager for the Booklyn Dogers.

References

1. ^ www.cajuncoast.com "Patterson"
2. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ Mark Tennis. "Lattimore, Hilliard earn underclassman player of the year honors". ESPNRISE.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/football/news/story?id=3834766. Retrieved 2009-01-15. 

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana Parish seat: Franklin Cities Franklin | Morgan City‡ | Patterson Towns Baldwin | Berwick CDPs Amelia | Bayou Vista | Charenton Unincorporated communities Adeline | Alice B | Ashton | Avalon | Balco | Bodin | Bonvillain | Burns | Cabot | Caffery | Calumet | Camperdown | Caneland | Choupique | Clausen | Cote Blanche Landing | Cypremort | Dumesnil | Ellerslie | Englewood | Fairfax | Fairville | Farmers | Fivemile Oaks | Florence | Four Corners | Freetown | Garden City | Glencoe | Glenwild | Gold Mine | Gordy | Greenwood | Home Place | Idlewild | Irish Bend | Ivanhoe | Johnson | Julien | Katy | Kemper | Kilgore Plantation | Landry | Linwood | Luke Landing | Marguerite | Maria | Maryland | Matilda | Midway | Morgan City Beach | North Bend | Oaklawn | Oxford | Prevost | Ramos | Richland | Richard | Ricohoc | Rodriguez | Shadyside | Siracusaville | South Bend | Sorrel | Sterling | Todd | United | Verdunville | Wilsons Landing | Wyandotte Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent parish or parishes