Bonnet Street is a residential street north of the bayou located just east of the city limits. The first two blocks off of Old Jeanerette Road have houses built in the 1960s through the ’80s, then the street opens out into Timberstone Estates, which was established in 1998, with houses built from 1999 on.

Not a typical neighborhood street, as you may see from the map. Bonnet is 1.1 miles long and the street makes a J. This causes a bit of consternation to parcel and food delivery drivers, who have become so much more important in the time of COVID. Several years ago, before there was COVID (but there was pizza delivery), one Bonnet resident living in the “short” leg of the J had to practically light the Bat-Signal to convince the pizza guy, that yes, there was a 1400 block of Bonnet, and that she was standing and waving on the front lawn of the house that ordered the pizza.

Troy Comeaux, originator and builder of Timberstone Estates, said, “At first, we thought we’d be able to name the streets in our new subdivision, but the parish actually wound up making the decision, since Barrow and Bonnet, along with Avenue Belle Terre and Trotter were already named streets, we had to continue the names. The only street we got to name was Timberstone Drive, which was in the third phase of the development.”

Another little idiosyncrasy about living on Bonnet Street is exactly how to correctly pronounce the name. According to Glenn Conrad’s “New Iberia,” the street was named for the Bonnet family of Iberia Parish, but with information lost over the years, and with families moving in who have no idea who the Bonnets were, the conundrum exists. An informal poll was taken of the residents some months back, wanting to determine how everyone pronounced “Bonnet.” Was it bon-NET, as we imagine the family would have said it, or, BON-net, like the hat. The consensus was split down the middle, and some residents straddled the split, using bon-NET when speaking locally, and BON-net when dealing with matters outside of Iberia Parish.

Bonnet Street is a lovely street to live on, neighbors are friendly and helpful, just as one expects neighbors to be. The houses are modest by today’s McMansion standards, but cozy and livable. We have our own Facebook page, to share news of the street, power outages, lost and found pets, an occasional ‘strange vehicle’ alert, and just general neighborhood news. We even have a neighborhood mascot. He’s Ace, a small scruffy puppy (they’re all puppies, aren’t they?) who roams the street at will, accepting proper tributes, ear scritches and an occasional treat or two. He’s a lovable rambling guy, and his owner seems to understand his extreme need for social encounters.

Another lovely aspect of living on Bonnet Street: live music. Since the pandemic, it has been obvious that we all could use a little stress relief, and Bonnet Street folks have come to the rescue. Sarah Blanchard Olivier, talented songstress and Bonnet Street resident, has held several acoustic concerts for the neighborhood over the months, and Liz and Jimmy Desormeaux recently hosted none other than Kip Sonnier at their home on Bonnet, enjoying the community almost as much as the community enjoyed the music.

So however you pronounce it, and even if you have to flag down that pizza delivery guy after three trips around the J, Bonnet Street in Iberia Parish is a neighborly place to live. Just ask Ace.

Street Established: 1970s

Length: 1.1 in that great J shape so beloved by pizza delivery drivers

Speed Limit: 25 MPH

222 people live on the street, in 104 houses

3 — Phases on Timberstone Estates in the neighborhood

Fun with Numbers: Another fact that should confound pizza delivery drivers — after the 100 block of Bonnet, the addresses jump to the 500s.