Houma, Louisiana

Settled by the Chitimacha and then the Houma Indians prior to colonizers arrival, Houma was soon named for the Houma Indians who were at Ouiski Point.

Land claimed for the Houma Indians by the Spanish was not recognized by the United States after the Louisiana Purchase.

Houma was formed in 1832. The city was incorporated in 1848.[8]

The area was developed for sugar cane plantations in the antebellum years. Plantations were sited along the rivers and bayous in order to have access to water transportation.

Houma is located at 29°35′15″N 90°42′58″W (29.587614, -90.716108)[12] and has an elevation of 10 feet (3.0 m).[13]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.2 square miles (37 km²), of which 14.0 square miles (36 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.92%) is water.

In 2008 Bill Ellzey, a columnist at Houma Today, wrote that area residents were often unaware of the Houma city boundaries as the city and parish governments had consolidated.[14]

The "Twin Spans" bridges in downtown Houma serve as the main thoroughfare for crossing the Intracoastal Waterway

At the 2010 census,[16] there were 33,727 people, 10,634 households and 16,283 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,308.5 per square mile (891.4/km²). There were 12,514 housing units at an average density of 891.8 per square mile (344.4/km²). The racial make up of the city was 67.46% White, 20.62% Black, 5.45% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.76% of the population.

Terrebonne Parish School District operates public schools.

It is home to Louisiana's second-oldest high school, Terrebonne High School.[17][18] South Terrebonne High School was found in 1961. H.L. Bourgeois High School, Ellender Memorial High School and Vandebilt Catholic High School are also in Terrebonne Parish.

Southdown High School (originally Houma Colored High School) was constructed in the mid-20th century as a segregated school for black students, serving them exclusively from 1946 to 1969.[19] After that the school was integrated, following passage in 1964 of civil rights legislation.

Houma and the surrounding communities are steeped in the French, Native, Cajun, African and Creole history of the region. Originally the region was colonized by French and Spanish who made their way south through Bayou Lafourche. In the late 18th century numerous Acadians (later known as Cajuns) settled in the region. The Acadians had been expelled by the British from Nova Scotia during the Seven Years' War for their unwillingness to take a loyalty oath to the British King. The number expelled was about 15,000 in number, of which 3,000 eventually settled in this region. Others went to France. As the French, Spanish, Acadians and Native American people mixed over the decades, a unique Cajun culture was born.

The swampland around Houma resulted in the area being quite isolated from the rest of Louisiana and the United States well into the 1930s, thus outside influences, such as radio and WWI patriotism, failed to inspire the Cajuns to become more "Americanized". The Cajun culture and use of French language in this region persevered much longer than in cities on the border of Cajun country, such as Lake Charles or Baton Rouge. Traditional Cajun culture in Houma includes the French language, Cajun cuisine, and celebration of Catholic festivals such as Mardi Gras. That folk culture remains evident today and attracts many tourists to the region.[20]

In the 1970s many South Vietnamese refugees emigrated following the reunification of Vietnam. They settled in Southern Louisiana to work as shrimpers, just as they had in Vietnam. A fairly significant portion of them settled in New Orleans, and many settled in Houma as well, in addition to elsewhere along the Gulf Coast. Many ethnic Vietnamese families still work at shrimping, as their families have for several decades.[21]

Downtown Houma has been designated as an historic district and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It offers a downtown walking tour and attractions such as the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum, the Folklife Culture Center, the Regional Military Museum, Southdown Plantation, the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, monuments to local armed forces, and local eateries.[22]

Although Houma is quickly changing, many residents in the surrounding communities continue to make their living from the Gulf as their ancestors did. They work as shrimpers, oystermen, crabbers, fishermen, and trappers, although more have shifted to work in occupations of the oil industry and ship building. As reported by records held by the United States Government Patent and Trademark Office, Houma, Louisiana was the site of the deepest oil well in Terrebonne Parish.

Tab Benoit's Voice of the Wetlands Music Festival, established in 2005, takes place in Houma, annually in October.[23]

• Houma and the surrounding area are the setting for the fictional Swamp Thing comic books.
• V. C. Andrews' novel Ruby (1994) is also set here.
• The Suicide Squad is based at Belle Reve in Houma.
• The 1999 films Crazy in Alabama, and A Lesson Before Dying were filmed partially in Houma.
• The film The Skeleton Key (2005) is set in Houma and the nearby area of Bayou Gauche.[24]
• Several scenes from the 2013 film, The Butler, starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, were filmed in downtown Houma.[25]
• In 1992, Unsolved Mysteries profiled the case of Adam John "AJ" Breaux, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, who went missing in 1991.
• In Hulu TV Series,The Act Showing a scene in Houma of a younger Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Deedee Blanchard.

The local newspaper is The Courier, founded in 1878 as Le Courrier de Houma by the French-born Lafayette Bernard Filhucan Bazet. He first published it in four-page, half-French half-English editions. Sold to The New York Times Company in 1980, it is now part of GateHouse Media.[26]

The Houma Times is located in Houma. The newspaper is a weekly publication with a website updated daily. It serves the Terrebonne, Lafourche, and St. Mary parishes. In 2014, Houma-based Rushing Media merged with Guidry Group, Inc., which had owned the publication since its inception in 1997.[27]

The area's only local broadcast TV station, KFOL-CD, is located in Houma. KFOL, also known as HTV, produces a weeknight newscast, followed by local phone calls and guests. Other shows include Sportsman's Paradise and One on One. KFOL broadcasts in digital on channel 30.1. The statewide TV network LCN-TV produces original Louisiana programming which showcases Louisiana's entertainment, culture, talent and industry. LCN-TV is delivered to all media distributors. Debuted in 2007, LCN-TV continues to produce Louisiana TV shows for the U.S.

The following radio stations are located in the Houma-Thibodaux metropolitan area:

Houma is served by Houma-Terrebonne Airport, located 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of the central business district.[28]

Good Earth Transit is Houma's parish bus system.[29] It has five major routes and serves the surrounding suburban areas, including the small bayou communities and the city of Thibodaux.[30]

Houma relies mainly on roads and personal vehicles as the main form of transportation. The major roads in Houma are:

• US Route 90 (Future I-49)
• LA HWY 311
• Tunnel Blvd. (LA 3040)
• LA 24 (locally called West Park Ave.(westbound) and Main St.(eastbound))
• LA 182 (New Orleans Blvd.)
• South and North Hollywood Rd.
• St. Louis Canal Rd.
• Savanne Rd.
• Valhi Blvd.

• Cambrai, Nord, Hauts-de-France, France
• Datca, Muğla Province, Turkey
• Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada
• In June 2012, Terrebonne Parish signed a letter of intent to become a sister city with Weihai, China, for economic development purposes.[31]

• George Arceneaux, Jr., U.S. District Court judge from 1979 until his death in office in 1993
• Tab Benoit, blues musician and co-star of the IMAX movie feature Hurricane on the Bayou
• Sherman A. Bernard, Louisiana insurance commissioner from 1972 to 1988, graduated from Terrebonne High School in Houma
• Elward Thomas Brady, Jr., state representative from Terrebonne Parish from 1972 to 1976; businessman
• Wanda Brister, operatic mezzo-soprano, presently on the faculty at Florida State University
• Joe Burks, professional athlete
• Leonard J. Chabert, member of both houses of Louisiana State Legislature from Terrebonne Parish; namesake of Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma
• Marty J. Chabert, former state senator from Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes
• Norby Chabert, current Republican member of Louisiana State Senate from Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes
• Richie Cunningham, professional athlete[32]
• Allen J. Ellender (1890–1972), former president pro tempore and Democratic U.S. Senator
• Anthony Freeman, Catholic writer and religious
• Shane Gibson (musician), guitarist for Korn
• Skyler Green, gridiron football wide receiver and return specialist[33]
• Johnny Hartman (1923-1983), jazz singer
• Hal Haydel, professional athlete[34]
• Cyril and Libbye Hellier, operatic sopranos
• Brandon Jacobs, NFL running back
• Frank Lewis, professional athlete[35]
• Morris Lottinger, Jr., former state representative and retired circuit court judge from Houma
• Morris Lottinger, Sr., state representative from 1936 to 1950, House Speaker from 1948 to 1950, and state circuit court judge until retirement in 1965
• Jay Pennison, professional athlete[36]
• Dax Riggs, frontman for Acid Bath, Deadboy and the Elephantmen, Agents of Oblivion, others
• Quvenzhané Wallis, young film actress (Beasts of the Southern Wild, 2012)
• J. Louis Watkins, Jr., judge of Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal from 1979 to 1997; former attorney in Houma[37]
• Wally Whitehurst, MLB pitcher
• Tramon Williams, professional athlete[38]
• Jerome Zeringue, state representative for Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, effective 2016
• Justin Williams (baseball), MLB Outfielder
• Elijah McGuire, NFL running back for the New York Jets

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild, sometimes warm winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Houma has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

• Thomas Blum Cobb & Mara Currie, Houma, Arcadia Publishing, 2004; ISBN 978-0-7385-1631-8

• Terrebonne Parish-Houma Consolidated Government
• Houma Today (website of The Courier newspaper)