Avery Island | New Iberia | Jeanerette | Delcambre | Loreauville | Lydia

Jeanerette, known as "Sugar City", derived its name from John W. Jeanerette, a Carolina Gentleman who came to Teche country in 1830. He purchased Pine Grove Plantation, known as Beau Pre, located north of present day Jeanerette. He worked as a tutor on the plantation, opened a store and saloon. He offered a portion of his house to be used as an official mail depository for local inhabitants. Persons sending mail addressed it in care of John W. Jeanerette. Officially the John W. was dropped and Mr. Jeanerette was the first postmaster and the name Jeanerette stuck.
Jeanerette, situated in Iberia Parish on the banks of beautiful Bayou Teche, was chartered as a town in 1878. The town grew from a sawmill town to an important industrial community. Today antebellum homes can be seen in the city and at locations on the outskirts of town depicting the boom years when the cypresses lumber industry was the mainstay of the town.
Sugar cane became the key factor in the community’s economic growth for the past 200 years, and has 2 active sugar mills in the area. It also has manufacturers of machinery and equipment for the cultivation, harvesting, and processing of sugarcane. Livestock, fish farming (hybrid striped bass), truck crops, rice, pecans, and fruits are a few of the crops grown in the area. Additional sources of income to the community boosting its economic development are oil, gas, salt, shells, carbon black plants, and salt and fresh water fishing. Jeanerette Mills, (a division of Fruit of the Loom) was located in Jeanerette, it was a distribution center for the factory.
Jeanerette has a municipal airport accommodating one of the world’s largest aerial agriculture dusting and seeding operations. The airport is the home of Acadiana Sky Divers who use this facility on the weekends.
Jeanerette Museum also called LeBeau Petie Musee’, preserves the history of life in Bayou Teche. The sugar cane industry’s development over the last 200 years is explained in exhibits, video and outdoor sugar cane patch. The Swamp Room, Cypress Patterns, Country Kitchen and other exhibits are also on display.