As early as 1807 the community that later became Napoleonville was known as "Canal". This canal extended west from Napoleonville to Lake Verret. The town was named by a soldier who served under Napoleon Bonaparte. The soldier is buried in the nearby town of Plattenville in the Cemetery of Our Lady of the AssumptionCatholic Church located on Hwy 308 south. The first permanent settlements in this region were made by the French and Spanish about the middle of the 18th century along Bayou Lafourche, between the present towns of Donaldsonville and Napoleonville. From 1755 to 1764, the population was increased by the immigration of the exiledAcadians who entered the area clearing the land and building comfortable homes. The town was officially incorporated on March 11, 1878.
Geography
Napoleonville is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of, all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 686 people, 246 households, and 170 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,917.9 inhabitants per square mile. There were 288 housing units at an average density of 1,644.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 29.01% White, 69.83% African American, 0.44% Native American, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.29% of the population. There were 246 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 27.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.40. In the village, the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median agewas 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $18,977, and the median income for a family was $21,339. Males had a median income of $26,750 versus $16,607 for females. The per capita income for the village was $12,005. About 31.4% of families and 31.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.8% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
