Morgan City, Louisiana

Morgan City, Louisiana
City
City of Morgan City
Motto:  Right in the Middle of Everywhere
Location of Morgan City in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Coordinates: 29°42′03″N 91°11′50″W / 29.70083°N 91.19722°W / 29.70083; -91.19722
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	St. Mary, St. Martin[citation needed]
Government
• Mayor	Lee Dragna
Area [1]
• Total	6.25 sq mi (16.19 km2)
• Land	5.98 sq mi (15.50 km2)
• Water	0.27 sq mi (0.69 km2)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,472
• Density	1,917.11/sq mi (740.19/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	70380
Area code	985
FIPS code	22-52040
Website	www.cityofmc.com

Morgan City is a small city in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States, located in the Acadiana region. The population was 11,472 at the 2020 census. Known for being "right in the middle of everywhere", Morgan City is located 68 miles (109 km) southeast of Lafayette, 64 miles (103 km) south of Baton Rouge, and 86 miles (138 km) west of New Orleans.^[2]

Morgan City sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River. The town was originally named "Tiger Island" by surveyors appointed by U.S. Secretary of War John Calhoun, because of a particular type of wild cat seen in the area. It was later changed for a time to "Brashear City", named after Walter Brashear, a prominent Kentucky physician who had purchased large tracts of land and acquired numerous sugar mills in the area.^[3] It was incorporated in 1860.

Morgan City, and all of St. Mary Parish, is included in the Lafayette-Opelousas-Morgan City CSA.