The Village of Maurice is looking at growing in more ways than one.
With the 2020 U.S. Census around the corner, the Village anticipates it will be promoted to a town.
The 2010 census put Maurice’s population roughly 30 people shy of the 1,000 mark it needed to be labeled a town.
Over lunch at one of Maurice’s best kept secrets, Glynn and Presley Broussard reminisce on growing up in the Village.
“When I grew up, I remember Maurice was a village of 500 people,” Glynn said. Presley said, “What I remember is the population was more like 250 in my time.”
Glynn now lives in Texas, but visits often to catch up with his dad and friends.
“You come to a place like The Villager and I’ll know half the people here. So, the quaintness of a small village is something that is priceless,” said Glynn.
Passing through Maurice, it’s easy to spot development. New subdivisions are popping up and more businesses are opening along the main drag.
“We estimate by the 2020 census we should be over 2000 or close to 2400,” said Mayor Wayne Theriot.
The mayor believes there are two big reasons for the population spike in Maurice. Theriot believes residents want to escape the city lifestyle of Lafayette and others want to live north of LA 14 in Vermilion Parish.
“The costs and the insurance costs of living south of 14 those people are migrating up and coming into this area,” Theriot said.
Although Maurice is growing, Theriot wants to keep the village feel.
“It means a certain thing,” Theriot said. “It means a close knit, family oriented community. We want to continue to encourage them to interact with their community and neighbors.”
Once Maurice is a town, it will have to restructure its government. Maurice would have five aldermen instead of three and it’s police department would grow.
“When we do that, you have to make a decision on whether or not you want the five to be represented by districts or if you want the five to be represented at large,” said Theriot.
Maurice’s official population numbers will be released in mid-2020.
