More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #103 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Chauvin was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1969. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1980.
Photo: Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers
How Chauvin began
When was Chauvin founded?
1897
The Chauvin post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Lacache (1884), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 3,338 in 19802020 census: 2,575129 years
How historic is Chauvin?
C−
More historic than 23% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Chauvin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Chauvin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chauvin is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #103 of 161 in Louisiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chauvin’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 Chauvin’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (21% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Chauvin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chauvin. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Dulac sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chauvin.
The story so far
Chauvin, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Chauvin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Chauvin is a census-designated place (CDP) in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,575 in 2020.. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.
Its first post office opened in 1897. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,912 to 2,575 (-12%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Chauvin, 1884 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Chauvin post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Chauvin rank for history?
Chauvin is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #103 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.
How old are the homes in Chauvin?
7% of Chauvin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1969.
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 Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.
1972
1972
2008
2008
2004