Ville Platte, Louisiana

Ville Platte is a small city and the parish seat of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,430 at the 2010 census, down from 8,145 at the 2000 census. The city's name is French roughly translating to "flat city", in reference to its relatively flat topography in contrast to the more hilly terrain north of the area.HistoryThe area around Ville Platte appears to have been first settled during the last half of the eighteenth century, when Louisiana was under Spanish rule. The earliest record of settlement in the immediate area of Ville Platte was in the 1780s.Popular legend states the founder of Ville Platte was Marcellin Garand, an adjutant major in the Army of the French Empire during the reign of Napoleon. In 1824, Garand obtained one of the first two lots that were platted in what is now Ville Platte, with the second being obtained by a Doctor Robert Windex. Those lots were obtained from the estate of William O'Donegan. This appears to be the actual beginning of, or the founding of, the present town of Ville Platte.The first post office in Ville Platte was established in 1842 with Marcellin Garand as postmaster from 1842 to 1848.GeographyVille Platte is located in eastern Evangeline Parish at .According to the United States Census Bureau, Ville Platte has a total area of 10.4sqkm, of which 0.001sqkm, or 0.01%, is water.