Moving Forward

Its communities have been one of the strengths of St. Landry Parish in the past and will be a significant part of its future, parish leaders say.

St. Landry, one of the largest parishes in the state geographically, has twelve incorporated communities, two other unincorporated places that are recognized as census-designated areas, and more than fifty unincorporated but named communities.

“These are the places that most St. Landry residents call home,” according to Bill Rodier, St. Landry economic development director. “They range in size from larger cities to small villages, but, whatever their size, they are noted for their neighborliness, their sense of place. and for neighborhoods that make St. Landry Parish a great place to live.”

Rodier also noted that the communities are at the heart of a cultural economy that has grown in recognition nationwide and in value to the parish economy, and that many of them remain the hub for surrounding agribusiness and food processing industries that are important.

A recent study by Atlanta-based Garner Economics, for example, identified “heritage tourism” as one of the strong opportunities for development in St. Landry Parish, where it noted “a very strong cultural identity,” as did an earlier study by St. Landry Parish.

“These are opportunities that are based on something that is already here—vibrant communities that have retained their charm and culture,” Rodier noted. “They are opportunities that in some instances do not require big investments in land and buildings, that can be done through innovative repurposing of existing community assets. They are also opportunities for small business growth—galleries and small shops, for example—that can provide new income and growth.”

A significant number of the communities have formed cultural districts incorporating all or part of the town. In fact, St. Landry Parish has more cultural districts than any other parish in Louisiana outside of the immediate New Orleans area.

Crops and animals are also big business in St. Landry, where the abundance and diversity of the commodities we nurture make us one of the state’s most important agricultural parishes. St. Landry parish farmers raising soybeans, rice, sugar cane, truck crops, and “different” crops such as crawfish and alligators, realize nearly $200 million at the farm gate each year, and ranchers raising horses, cattle, and other animals add nearly $50 million to that total.

Those enterprises support our communities, and our community banks, implement dealers, and feed and seed outlets support those enterprises, as well as providing the retail outlets for farmfolk and town residents alike, Rodier pointed out.

“Together the farms and communities form a synergy that provides a strong underpinning to our local economies,” Rodier noted, “and they also provide opportunities not found anyplace else.”

He pointed out that the Garner study identified food and beverage processing and related industries as one that offers good prospects for development here.

“Products from St. Landry Parish can be found across the world,” he said. “We ship sauces and seasonings, sausage and boudin, vegetable oil, and, of course crawfish, and farm products in big numbers, and they can get bigger,” he said. “As they do, the farm-community synergy will grow stronger, to the benefit of everyone.

As an addition to the cultural economy, he notes that “practically every community in the parish holds a harvest festival of some sort, which brings visitors to the parish while celebrating an important part of community and parish life.”

For these and other reasons St. Landry economic development has set “building strong and resilient communities” as one of its overarching goals.

“This is not without challenges,” Rodier noted, “particularly in some of the smaller communities. But these are good challenges, because, across the parish we find neighbors and community leaders who are beginning to better understand that the communities themselves are economic assets. The challenge will be to bring those assets to the fullest potential, while at the same time safeguarding the community life that underlies all and makes them attractive.”

One key may be “a community accelerator program” now in the planning stages “that would assist communities in learning how to go from being reactive in their short- and long-term processes, to be proactive towards smart growth.” Rodier said.

He called community development and growth of small businesses within the communities as “some of the most important work that we do.”