Does your college town suck? Nicholls State University

New to the line up this season: we will be examining the various college towns of Wisconsin’s opponents. We’ll be answering all of the important questions – Is it a state capital? What is the population? Does it have a Culver’s?

Facts:

City: Thibodaux, Louisiana

Size: 6.48 square miles

Location: 29°47′32″N 90°49′12″W

Population: 14,494 (2019)

State Capital? No

Time zone: Central

Landmarks: Nicholls State University, Laurel Valley Village, E.D. White Historic Site, St. John’s HIstoric Cemetery

About:

Thibodaux is a city in, and the parish seat of, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. A Parish Seat is the administrative center, the capital city or a county of a civil parish. Libodaux is the principal city of the Houma-Bayou Cane-Thobidaux Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Thibodaux was founded on Bayou Lafourche, which is a river in Louisiana, if you couldn’t tell by the name... Thibodaux was a trading post between New Orleans and the Bayou Teche country in the late 1700s.

In 1808, following the completion of the Louisiana Purchase, the community became the parish seat for Lafourche Interior. Henry Schuyler Thibodaux, one of the earlier settlers was the namesake for the city. The city was originally incorporated in 1830 as Thibodeauxville, but in 1838, the governor, E.D. White changed the name to Thibodeaux.

The city has been under its current spelling since it was last changed in 1918.

Lafourche Parish, where Thibodaux is the seat of, was one of the original Parishes in Louisiana, with it being created in 1807. Originally the Parish was known as Lafourche Parish Interior and it was larger, but in 1822, Terrebonne Parish was created, from the western part of Lafourche Interior. ‘Interior’ was dropped from the Parish name in 1853 and it has gone by Lafourche Parish, ever since.

Nicholle State University was founded in Thibodaux in 1948 and is part of the University of Louisiana System and was originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College.

Francis Tillou Nicholls, the Universities namesake was a Confederate general in the Civil War, and two-term governor, making it the only university in Louisiana named after a Confederate.

The 287-acre campus was once part of...Acadia Plantation...

In 1970, Act 93 of the State Legislature changed the name to Nicholls State University.

If you’re looking for something to do in Thibodaux, they have St. John’s Historic Cemetery, or Laurel Valley Village & Sugar Plantation...so fun places to visit.

You can also visit the E.D. White Historic Site, which is a National Historic Landmark and was once the home of two of Louisiana’s foremost political figures; Edward Douglas White and his son, Edward Douglass White.

Definitely a creative bunch when it comes to names.

“But how will we tell you apart?”

“We’ll add an extra ‘s’ to his name, of course.”

There is also the Bayou Country Children’s Museum, so once you’re done exposing your children to death and slavery, you can let them have some fun at a children’s museum with a “Cajun twist.”

Bars:

Norm’s Daiquiris & Grill is rated highly on Yelp and is also mentioned in an article from the Nichollsworth, which appears to the school’s student newspaper. While the article is a bit dated, Norm’s seems to have stood the test of time, with it still being open 18 years later and is even a Thibodaux Tradition, according to the bar’s web site.

Norm’s menu is extensive with appetizers ranging from fries, spring rolls, potato skins, fried popcorn chicken and Boudin (whatever the hell that is). They also feature a number of salads, burgers and po’ boys.

They also feature a number of daily specials.

There are no Culver’s in the entire state of Louisiana.

Arena:

The David R. Stopher Gymnasium, a 3,800-seat multi-purpose arena is the home to the Nicholls State University Colonels.

The arena not only houses both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, but also the Nicholls volleyball team, as well as the school’s commencement, concerts, community events and the Manning Passing Academy.

The arena hosted its first game in 1970 and underwent renovations following the 2013-2014 season, which lasted several years. Following the completion of the renovations, the men’s basketball locker room and offices were overhauled, granting players and coaches a private entrance, new meeting rooms and a lounge for players.

Renovations also allowed for a visiting locker room to be built in the gymnasium and added two 27-foot HD video scoreboards.

Does your college town suck?

Southern charm and a children’s museum aside, other highlights of the town include death and slavery, which are not my cup of tea, or mint julep as they likely prefer down south.

It sucks.

Not going to lie, the entire time I was writing this, I thought about this...