Erath, Louisiana is about 25 miles almost due south of Lafayette, Louisiana. The population is just over 2000. Erath is known for its Cajun hospitality, good schools, and a suburban rural feel. During crawfish season, you can almost smell the crab boil in the air. It's a wonderful place to raise a family and everybody knows their neighbors. You better have the internet, 'cause there's not a whole lot to do but relax.

Erath is in Vermillion Parish and is actually part of the Abbeville Micropolitan area. Erath is home to The Acadian Museum. Most folks in Acadiana, including many who live in Erath, have never given much thought about how unusual the name is. Erath is not a name that just comes to one's mind when you're thinking of names for a town. So how did Erath get its name?

Erath is named after a Swiss immigrant named August Erath. He migrated from Switzerland to New Orleans then moved to New Iberia where he opened a brewery in 1876. August became Mayor of New Iberia and got in tight with railroad officials. He opened a factory in New Iberia and an ice plant in Abbeville and although he developed land in and around what is now Erath, he never lived in Erath.

August Charles Joseph Erath died on September 11, 1900, at the age of 57. He is buried in Saint Peter's Cemetery in New Iberia, Louisiana.

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