Cameron, Louisiana

Cameron, Louisiana
Census-designated place
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Cameron
Elevation 3 ft (0.9 m)
Coordinates 29°47′17″N 93°18′42″W / 29.78806°N 93.31167°W / 29.78806; -93.31167Coordinates: 29°47′17″N 93°18′42″W / 29.78806°N 93.31167°W / 29.78806; -93.31167
Area 12.6 sq mi (32.6 km2)
 - land 11.4 sq mi (29.5 km2)
 - water 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2)
Population 406 (2010)
Density 35.5/sq mi (13.7/km2)
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Zip code 70631
Area code 337
FIPS Code 22023
Location of Cameron in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Cameron is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the parish seat of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States.[1] It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area. After sustaining extreme damage from Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008, the 2010 Census showed Cameron having a population of just 406, a 79% drop in population between the years 2000 and 2010.[2]

History

September 23, 2008 -- Aerial view of Hurricane Ike's destruction of Cameron Parish. Calvin Tolleson/Federal Emergency Management Agency

In 1957, Cameron was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Audrey. A storm surge of 12 feet (3.7 m) and winds of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) caused the deaths of more than 300 residents of the town.[3]

Nearly fifty years later, in late September 2005, Hurricane Rita hit Cameron. A 15-foot (4.6 m) storm surge and winds of 120 miles per hour (190 km/h) destroyed much of the town. Everyone had evacuated beforehand.[4]

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike leveled Cameron with a 12-foot (3.7 m) storm surge just as the town was recovering from Rita in 2005.[5] Ike destroyed more than 90 percent of the homes in the parish seat and caused catastrophic flooding in every part of the parish.

A 2010 report on the damage sustained from the effects of Rita and Ike stated that few people returned to the town to rebuild after the hurricanes, due to stricter building codes and high insurance costs that increased the cost of living dramatically. None of the stores have been rebuilt; only a gas station, bank, post office, and a restaurant remain (the latter two of which are still housed in trailers). Most of the residents still live in mobile homes. The First Baptist Church in the community was rebuilt in 2010.[6]

Culture

Cameron is on the Creole Nature Trail, a National Scenic Byway.

Cameron is home to the Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival held in January.

Geography

Cameron is located in south-central Cameron Parish at 29°47′17″N 93°18′42″W / 29.78806°N 93.31167°W / 29.78806; -93.31167 (29.788055, -93.311764),[7] along the Gulf of Mexico at an elevation of 4 feet (1.2 m) above sea level. State highways 27 and 82 pass through the community as Marshall Street, crossing the Calcasieu Ship Channel just west of town. Highway 82 leads east 93 miles (150 km) to Abbeville and west 48 miles (77 km) to Port Arthur, Texas. Highway 27 leads west then north 48 miles (77 km) to Sulphur. Lake Charles is 52 miles (84 km) to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.6 square miles (32.6 km2), of which 11.4 square miles (29.6 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.0 km2), or 9.31%, is water.[8]

Climate

Climate data for Cameron, Louisiana
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 84
(29)		 80
(27)		 88
(31)		 93
(34)		 96
(36)		 98
(37)		 100
(38)		 103
(39)		 106
(41)		 98
(37)		 88
(31)		 81
(27)		 106
(41)
Average high °F (°C) 59
(15)		 63
(17)		 70
(21)		 76
(24)		 82
(28)		 88
(31)		 90
(32)		 90
(32)		 87
(31)		 79
(26)		 70
(21)		 62
(17)		 76
(24)
Average low °F (°C) 43
(6)		 46
(8)		 54
(12)		 61
(16)		 69
(21)		 74
(23)		 76
(24)		 75
(24)		 72
(22)		 62
(17)		 53
(12)		 45
(7)		 61
(16)
Record low °F (°C) 13
(−11)		 11
(−12)		 25
(−4)		 35
(2)		 44
(7)		 54
(12)		 62
(17)		 59
(15)		 45
(7)		 29
(−2)		 20
(−7)		 12
(−11)		 11
(−12)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.70
(144.8)		 3.46
(87.9)		 3.78
(96)		 4.01
(101.9)		 4.92
(125)		 6.63
(168.4)		 6.62
(168.1)		 5.47
(138.9)		 5.53
(140.5)		 4.37
(111)		 4.72
(119.9)		 5.37
(136.4)		 60.58
(1,538.8)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.2
(0.5)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.2
(0.5)
Source: http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USLA0070
Shrimping and fishing in the Gulf
Damage in Cameron from Hurricane Rita (photo taken in April 2006)

Demographics

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 1,965 people, 695 households, and 510 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 70.5 people per square mile (27.2/km²). There were 800 housing units at an average density of 28.7 per square mile (11.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.49% White, 11.86% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.36% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.55% of the population.

There were 695 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the CDP, the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,370, and the median income for a family was $33,661. Males had a median income of $24,762 versus $26,406 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,499. About 17.0% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service Cameron Post Office is located at 144 Adam Roux Street in the CDP.[10]

Education

The Cameron Parish School Board serves the town. South Cameron High School, a consolidated primary and secondary school, serves the community.

Prior to Hurricane Rita's impact in September 2005, South Cameron High School served area high schoolers while Cameron Elementary School, within Cameron, served pre-kindergarten through 7th grade.[11] In September 2005, Hurricane Rita swept through Cameron Parish, damaging South Cameron Elementary, Cameron Elementary, and South Cameron High. The town's students shared Grand Lake High School's campus with Grand Lake for nearly a year. In the fall of 2006, the three schools consolidated with all students going to the South Cameron High School campus.[12][13][14]

Hurricane Ike caused varying degrees of damage to every school and library in Cameron Parish. Most were flooded by storm surge and sustained wind damage, and as a result, all schools were closed and a recovery process began.[15]

The Cameron Parish Public Library operates the main Cameron Parish Library at 469 Marshall Street in Cameron.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
  3. ↑ Bob Henson. "Hurricane Audrey (August 19, 1998 Broadcast)". The Weather Notebook. Archived from the original on September 8, 2005. Retrieved September 28, 2005.
  4. ↑ "Rita ravages region near state line". CNN. 2005-09-26.
  5. ↑ "Hurricane History (Page 15)" (PDF). National Weather Service.
  6. ↑ 5 years after Rita hit, some left out of recovery Associated Press. Kunzelman, Michael. September 23, 2010.
  7. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Cameron CDP, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  9. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  10. ↑ "Post Office Location - CAMERON." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Faculty and Staff" as of June 28, 2004. Cameron Elementary School.
  12. ↑ Dixon, Pam. "Rebuilding Cameron schools." KPLC-TV. September 12, 2006.
  13. ↑ Dixon, Pam. "Cameron students return to campus after hurricane." KPLC-TV. August 20, 2006.
  14. ↑ Dixon, Pam. "What's ahead for Cameron schools?." KPLC-TV. May 19, 2006.
  15. ↑ "Ike Damage to Schools". Libraryjournal.com. 2013-11-15. Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
  16. ↑ "Louisiana Library Directory." State Library of Louisiana. Accessed September 22, 2008.
  • "Summary of Cameron". National Scenic Byways. Retrieved September 28, 2005.
  • "Photo of Cameron after Hurricane Rita". Washington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2005.
  • Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival
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