Map of Grand Coteau town

Grand Coteau is a town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 947 at the 2010 census. Grand Coteau is on Interstate 49 south of Opelousas and is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town is a center for local farming. As of 2018, the mayor is Patrick Richard.

Grand Coteau town overview:
Name:	Grand Coteau town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	Louisiana
County:	St. Landry Parish
Elevation:	56 ft (17 m)
Total Area:	2.42 sq mi (6.27 km²)
Land Area:	2.42 sq mi (6.27 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	776
Population Density:	320.26/sq mi (123.67/km²)
Area code:	337
FIPS code:	2230760

Online Interactive Map

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Grand Coteau online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Grand Coteau location map. Where is Grand Coteau town?

Grand Coteau location on the U.S. Map. Where is Grand Coteau town. — Grand Coteau location on the U.S. Map.

Grand Coteau location on the Louisiana map. Where is Grand Coteau town. — Location of Grand Coteau in Louisiana.

History

The first known land grant by the colonial Louisiana government was in 1776 in the area referred to as Buzzard Prairie. In the early 19th century, Buzzard Prairie served as a stopping point for travelers between Washington, Louisiana, and St. Martinville, Louisiana. The thriving community had two bakeries, a cobbler, a millinery, a blacksmith shop, a post office, six bars, and nine brothels.

In 1821, Mrs. Charles Smith, widow of a wealthy planter in Opelousas, donated land, a two-story building, and funds to pay for the travel expenses of two nuns from St. Charles, Missouri. The two nuns of the Religious of the Sacred Heart founded a convent and a school that became the Academy of the Sacred Heart.

The Jesuits arrived in 1837 when St. Charles College was built. The settlement that grew up around the schools was called St. Charles Town before it was changed to Grand Coteau. Grand Coteau is derived from the French meaning “great hill.”

On October 3, 1863, the Campaign of the Teche was commenced. The Ninety-ninth infantry regiment of Illinois was in several skirmishes, and a detachment of the regiment, Captain A. C. Mathews commanding, was engaged in the Battle of Grand Coteau. On November 9, they moved on to New Orleans. Although thousands of Union troops were encamped in the fields surrounding the Academy during the Civil War, the school was not touched.

In the 19th century the population of Grand Coteau grew with African-Americans, free people of color, Acadians, Creoles, French, Irish, and German immigrants. The town retains examples of Victorian architecture from its mid-19th-century boom.

Grand Coteau was home to Sacred Heart Colored School and St. Peter Claver High School.