Taft, Louisiana

Taft is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

Taft
Census-designated place
The Dow Chemical plant in Taft, photographed in 2012.
The Dow Chemical plant in Taft, photographed in 2012.
Taft is located in Louisiana
Taft
Taft
Location of Taft in Louisiana
Coordinates: 29°59′29″N 90°26′53″W
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishSt. Charles
Area
[1]
 • Total5.64 sq mi (14.60 km2)
 • Land4.98 sq mi (12.90 km2)
 • Water0.66 sq mi (1.70 km2)
Elevation
[2]
7 ft (2 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total61
 • Density12.24/sq mi (4.73/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code985
FIPS code22-74550
GNIS feature ID2402911[2]

History

Taft is the location of a phosphate processing facility owned by The Mosaic Company (formerly IMC-Agrico); the Dow/Union Carbide Taft/Star Petrochemical Plant, which produces a variety of organic chemicals such as acrolein, acrylic acid, and acetaldehyde; and part of the Waterford Nuclear Generating Station owned by Entergy Corporation. Virtually all of the land is now zoned as heavy industrial.[3]

Taft was the original site of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, which served Taft, Killona and Hahnville. The church was built in 1877, and in 1963, it moved to Hahnville. The cemetery is still in Taft and is still used as a burial ground by the church. It is bounded on three sides by the Dow chemical facilities.

Population was 700 when the first post office opened in 1905, and it remained in operation until 1967. By 1977, only 36 people lived in Taft.[4]

In December, 1982, a major explosion occurred at the Union Carbide facility about 30 miles from New Orleans, causing nearly 17,000 people to evacuate.[5][6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), of which 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) is water. The CDP is located on the Mississippi River, across from Norco and Montz.

Demographics

The CDP first appeared in the 2000 census with a total population of zero.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
20000—
201063—
202061−3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
2000[8] 2010[9] 2020[10]
Taft CDP, Louisiana – Racial and Ethnic Composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000[8] Pop 2010[9] Pop 2020[10] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 0 61 50 0.00% 96.83% 81.97%
Black or African American alone (NH) 0 0 2 0.00% 0.00% 3.28%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 0 0 1 0.00% 0.00% 1.64%
Asian alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 0 0 4 0.00% 0.00% 6.56%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0 2 4 0.00% 3.17 6.56%
Total 0 63 61 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

References
  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. "Taft Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. "ArcGIS Web Application".
  4. "Town Histories | St. Charles Parish, LA". www.stcharlesparish-la.gov. L'Observateur. January 2000. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  5. "EVACUATION BEHAVIOR: CASE STUDY OF THE TAFT, LOUISIANA CHEMICAL TANK EXPLOSION INCIDENT" (PDF). Columbus, Ohio: Defense Technical Information Center. May 1983. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2021.
  6. Marcus, Frances (1982-12-12). "20,000 FLEE LOUISIANA AREA AFTER CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST (Published 1982)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  7. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
  8. "P004 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Taft CDP, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  9. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Taft CDP, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  10. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Taft CDP, Louisianaa". United States Census Bureau.
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