KAPLAN, La. (KLFY) The town of Kaplan is located in the heart of Vermilion Parish and is known as ‘The Gateway to Acadiana’s Coastal Wetlands.’
If you’re walking on North Cushing Street in downtown Kaplan, you can’t help but notice the old mom and pop shops lining the street. But Kaplan Mayor Kirk Champagne, says that many new businesses are calling the 2-mile wide, by 2-mile deep town of roughly 5000 people, home.
Champagne says that he’s very impressed with the community stepping up and opening new businesses in the area.
“People think Kaplan is dying or dead, but it’s far from it. Kaplan is actually flourishing. We’re doing well, sales tax are doing well, people spend about 6 million dollars a month in the city of Kaplan, so we’re doing really well,” said Champagne.
With a couple of new restaurants that have opened, an Anytime Fitness on the way, and a new walking path through the town, businesses like Border Tacos are deciding to call the small town home.
“We started June the 6th of last year, and then of course business was good, and we ended up moving to this bigger place, so it’s been good,” said Ediberto Flores, a manager at Border Tacos.
Flores has noticed the growth in the city and says that it’s for the better.
“A lot more people are coming into Kaplan. I know that people drive from around Vermilion, Lafayette Parish, Iberia Parish, just to come eat here. And once they’re here, they see the other businesses and it brings more people into the town,” he said.
Mayor Champagne says that some people who work in Lafayette are moving to Kaplan to live because it’s a good place to raise a family. In the next few years, Champagne wants to see more flowers and greenery in the town, and the residents excited for the future.
“I just want our little town to be happy and clean. That’s my main goal in the next 10 years, and we’ll take whatever comes,” he said.