There are a number of reasons to live in Iberia Parish, and depending on who you ask the answers can vary.

From a real estate perspective, local realtor Pat Caffery says the parish offers a slower paced lifestyle and plenty of things to do for the sportsman. 

Question: How affordable is it to live in Iberia Parish?

Answer: “From a real estate perspective I think it is inherently more affordable to live here in Iberia Parish. Try and find a 3,500 square foot house, in decent condition, with a tennis court on the Vermilion River for under $300,000 in Lafayette. We have those kind of housing opportunities here in Iberia Parish.”

Q: How does the Teche Area compare to other areas in south Louisiana such as Lafayette, Morgan City or Houma? 

A: “Lafayette, Morgan City and Houma are all unique in their own way and offer different opportunities with respect to housing, job opportunities and way of life. Iberia Parish or New Iberia is also unique in the it offers a slower paced lifestyle, with not as much traffic, easy to access shopping, medical and recreational facilities. I hear a lot from some of my younger friends that there is “nothing to do here.” 

Well tell that to the guys and gals who can be fishing redfish in Vermilion Bay and Marsh Island or bass and brim fishing on Lake Fausse Point within 30 minutes from their homes. What you like to do has a lot to do with where you live. If you like reasonably priced housing, easy access to the outdoors Iberia Parish might be the place for you.”

 Q: Are there any exciting/promising developments going on in the local market right now?

A: “There are no major real estate developments in the oven here in Iberia Parish at the moment, that I know of. We in the last 12-24 months we have added a new WalMart neighborhood market, a new strip shopping center on Admiral Doyle, a new Aspen Dental Clinic on the corner of Admiral Doyle and Lewis Street and a new Dominos and CC’s coffee house on North Lewis Street just before the bridge. Those developments carried a collective price tag of maybe 15 million dollars which is nothing to sneeze at. In addition a new state of the art Kidney Dialysis Clinic was constructed at the corner of Nelson Canal Road and Highway 182 bolstering our medical capabilities here in Iberia Parish.

I think there is a great deal of untapped resource in our Acadiana Regional Airport complex which has the potential, under aggressive leadership, to be the next jewel of Iberia Parish. Hopefully a new airport director, combined with new leadership on the Airport Commission can begin to realize that potential.”