THE DAILY IBERIAN

The loss of homes and residents in the southern areas of Iberia and Vermilion parishes did not slow down the population growth in those parishes, though Vermilion grew much faster, according to U.S. Census estimates and studies conducted for the first time since the two major storms in 2005.

St. Mary Parish, meanwhile, is losing residents.

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In Iberia Parish the trend for growth is north of Bayou Teche and to the west near the highways and Coteau, local real-estate agent Pat Caffery said Monday. In Vermilion Parish, it's probably the area just south of Lafayette, while the St. Mary Parish loss could be job-related and might be short-lived.

Iberia and Vermilion's population increases buck the statewide trend of population loss of about 220,000 people after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and Hurricane Rita in September 2005, though the major exodus came after Katrina in the New Orleans area.

Iberia Parish grew by about 1,700 people to 74,988 as of July 1. In 2000, U.S. Census figures showed a population of 73,266.

Vermilion Parish grew by about 4,300 people. That parish to the west now has 58,114 people, up from 2000's U.S. Census numbers of 53,807. Despite its rise, Vermilion remains more rural, as it is about twice the size of Iberia in square miles - 575 in Iberia to 1,173 in Vermilion.

St. Mary Parish, meanwhile, lost population. U.S. Census estimates show a drop from 53,500 in 2000 to 51,416 as of July 1.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. In the Teche Area, Katrina had minimal effect, but dozens of homes were lost or damaged beyond repair by Rita's floodwaters that inundated areas south of Louisiana 14 and U.S. 90 in Iberia and Vermilion parishes.

Evacuees in Iberia totaled about 1,500, as of Rita's one-year anniversary in 2006, parish officials said, though it's difficult to predict how many of those are still here.

For the Iberia Parish survey, state Treasurer John Kennedy wrote a letter to Parish President Will Langlinais indicating the jump in population, which was submitted to the state by the research division at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston.

Vermilion's numbers, compiled by the Louisiana Public Health Institute with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau, is the first of its kind since hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast.

Caffery, who serves Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin and Vermilion parishes, as well as Lafayette, said data show certain trends. Basically, wherever the housing has existing sewage and water infrastructure and is affordable is where people will live. He also expects even more growth in Iberia and Vermilion because of affordable housing in those parishes.

"There are several areas in the parish (Iberia) that seem to be growing," Caffery said from his New Iberia office. "The Highway 90 area is definitely growing. And other residential areas on the north side of the bayou are growing. I know there are a couple of developments in the Coteau area, but none have materialized. But I can tell you, there are several developments on the north side, probably a couple of hundred lots, that will be on the market within the next year to 18 months. There's also some terrific potential for growth to the west, between 90 and 182."

Lafayette, while it, too, is growing - U.S. Census estimates put the rise in population from 190,503 in 2000 to 197,390 today - could be pricing itself out of certain homebuyers' income range, Caffery said.

"I see it (Iberia) continuing to grow and expand, simply because we have affordable real estate and available real estate," Caffery said. "I've heard a lot of comments that real estate in Lafayette Parish is not affordable. Here, we can sell the same product for a considerably more affordable price."

As for Vermilion, it's similar to the Coteau-Lafayette connection in that one parish is pushing into another.

"If you follow the Lafayette-Vermilion line down, that area is probably developing (near Maurice)," Caffery said. "I also think it was curious that I saw a comment by an agent who works in Lafayette. She said the most underrated area for real-estate is New Iberia."

As for St. Mary's drop of about 2,000, Caffery said that may change.

"They (Vermilion Parish residents) possibly went east to get work. Houma's just a hop, skip and jump from Morgan City," Caffery said.

"People can ask whatever they want for property, but it's got to be in line with what people can afford," Caffery said.