Broussard’s post office opened in 1881, and 10 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns · #77 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Broussard was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2006. 10 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 5 buildings. Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1900.
The Broussard post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1884. Another post office, Cole Gelee (1856), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 290 in 19002020 census: 13,417145 years
How historic is Broussard?
C+
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Broussard post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Broussard’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Broussard is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns, #77 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Broussard’s overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Broussard’s 9.8 sits above most of its state (66% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 14 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1884 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Broussard’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The community was originally named Côte Gelée (Frozen Hill) because of its hilly ridge area and the severe winter of 1784. Broussard was founded in 1884. It was named after Valsin Broussard, a prominent local merchant, who formed the first vigilante committee when his own store was robbed. He was a direct descendant of Joseph Broussard de Beausoleil, one of the first 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana on February 27, 1765, aboard the Santo Domingo.
Primary agricultural resources include sugarcane, soybean and hay production as well as horse and cattle farming. Principal industries consist of oil and gas service companies, food distributors, real estate developments and manufacturing.
The Broussard post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1884.
How does Broussard rank for history?
Broussard is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns, #77 of 161 in Louisiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Broussard?
10 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Ducrest Building (listed 1983, the first), and 1 historic district, the Main Street Historic District, with 5 contributing buildings. 14 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Broussard?
1% of Broussard’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 2006.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (10), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
