Erath is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,187 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area and home of The Acadian Museum.HistoryErath is named after August Erath who came from Switzerland to New Orleans in 1860 and was bookkeeper in the breweries. Later, he moved to New Iberia in 1876 and erected a brewery there. He was later mayor of New Iberia and began to develop land in the Erath area. Although August Erath never lived in Erath, he was close to railroad officials, which brought forth a great business venture for him. Later, Erath built a seltzer water factory in New Iberia and an ice plant in Abbeville. In 1884, he started a hardware business and purchased land located in this area.In 2005, the storm surge forced inland by Hurricane Rita flooded most of the town. Water in most parts of town was up to six feet deep. Overall, the cost of the damage total was estimated to have a cost approximately $5,000 alone in Erath.GeographyErath is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5sqmi, all of it land.DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 2,187 people, 819 households, and 580 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,453.7 people per square mile (562.9/km²). There were 884 housing units at an average density of 589.6 per square mile (228.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.12% White, 6.22% African American, 0.18% Native American, 3.52% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
