City of Plaquemine | |
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City | |
Old Square
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Nickname(s): "City of Hospitality" | |
Location of Louisiana in the United States |
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Coordinates: 30°17′03″N 91°14′26″W / 30.28417°N 91.24056°WCoordinates: 30°17′03″N 91°14′26″W / 30.28417°N 91.24056°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Louisiana |
Parish | Iberville |
Settled | 1775 |
Incorporated | 1838 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Mark Gulotta (D) |
Area | |
• Total | 3.00 sq mi (7.78 km2) |
• Land | 2.92 sq mi (7.56 km2) |
• Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2) |
Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 7,119 |
• Estimate (2016) | 6,780 |
• Density | 2,321.92/sq mi (896.49/km2) |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP code | 70764 |
Area code(s) | 225 |
FIPS code | 22-60880 |
Website | Official website |
Plaquemine is a city in and the parish seat of Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,064 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Early inhabitants of the area were Chitimacha Indians. Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville claimed all of Louisiana in 1699 for King Louis XIV of France. Plaquemine was settled by 1775 and named for the Indian word Plakemine, which means persimmon.
Due to its location at the juncture of the Bayou Plaquemine and the Mississippi River, the village soon began to prosper and grow, beginning a long history of prosperity. By 1838, the town was incorporated, electing Zenon LaBauve, for whom a street in New Orleans' Garden District is named, as its first mayor.
Plaquemine continued to grow in the antebellum era. Massive plantations were established in nearby regions, including St. Louis, Nottoway, and Belle Grove. The town has been the seat of Iberville Parish government since its incorporation. The second parish courthouse (c. 1906) on Railroad Avenue has been serving as City Hall since 1985. Plaquemine did not have a hospital until 1923.
Plaquemine has been a Louisiana-designated Main Street City since 1993. There are ten properties listed for Plaquemine on the National Register of Historic Places in Iberville Parish, Louisiana.