Lafourche Parish, Louisiana

Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Lafourche Parish Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1807
Named for	la fourche, French for the fork
Seat	Thibodaux
Largest city	Thibodaux
Area
• Total	1,474 sq mi (3,818 km2)
• Land	1,068 sq mi (2,766 km2)
• Water	406 sq mi (1,052 km2), 28%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	98,325
• Density	90/sq mi (35/km²)
Congressional districts	1st, 6th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.lafourchegov.org

Lafourche Parish (French: Paroisse de la Fourche) is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 96,318. The parish seat is Thibodaux. The parish was formed in 1807. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. Lafourche Parish was named after the Bayou Lafourche.

Lafourche Parish is part of the Houma-Thibodaux, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The state-recognized Native American Houma Tribe lives in both Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 1,474 square miles (3,820 km²), of which 1,068 square miles (2,770 km²) is land and 406 square miles (1,050 km²) (28%) is water. To the south of the parish is the Gulf of Mexico.

As of the census of 2000, there were 89,974 people, 32,057 households, and 24,299 families residing in the parish. The latest estimates are at 90,255. The population density was 83 people per square mile (32/km²). There were 35,045 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 82.85% White, 12.61% Black or African American, 2.30% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.12% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 1.51% speak Spanish.