Ascension Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ascension Parish
Parish
Parish of Ascension
Ascension Parish Courthouse in Donaldsonville
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	1807
Named for	Ascension of Jesus Christ
Seat	Donaldsonville
Largest city	Prairieville
Area
• Total	303 sq mi (780 km2)
• Land	290 sq mi (800 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2)  3.75%
Population  (2020)
• Total	126,500
• Density	417.5/sq mi (161.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 6th

Ascension Parish (French: Paroisse de l'Ascension, Spanish: Parroquia de Ascensión) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 126,500. Its parish seat is Donaldsonville. The parish was created in 1807. Ascension Parish is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area.

Early European settlers of the area that was developed as Ascension and Gonzales were, for the most part, of French and Spanish ancestry. They settled among the Houma Indians who lived in the area.

Among the projects and plans carried out by Luis de Unzaga 'le Conciliateur' while he was governor of Louisiana between 1769 and 1777 was the promotion of new settlements by Europeans, among them were French Acadians and Malaga in the fertile Mississippi region and more specifically in the Unzaga Post or 'Puesto de Unzaga' that he created in 1771 in Pointe Coupee, the parish of Saint Gabriel in 1773 and Fort Manchac in 1776; the Ascension people occupied land at the confluence of the aforementioned European settlements.

During the American Civil War, desertions had been of major concern to the Confederate States Army. Henry Watkins Allen, before he was governor, reported more than eight thousand deserters and draft-dodgers about Bayou Teche. There were some 1,200 deserters in Livingston, St. Tammany, and Ascension parishes.

Planters in Ascension Parish later complained of raids by guerrillas. In 1864, planter W.R. Hodges requested soldiers to protect the planted fields from such attacks. Union soldiers were accused of "wandering about at will, and helping themselves . . . to whatever could be found," explains the historian John D. Winters in his The Civil War in Louisiana (1963).

During the historic 2016 Louisiana Floods, around one-third of all homes in Ascension Parish were flooded. 15,000 homes and businesses took on water, mostly in the Galvez-St. Amant area, prompting a visit to St. Amant by then-presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump.

Ascension Parish is one of the 22 parishes that make up Acadiana, the heartland of the Cajun people and their culture. This is exhibited by the prevalence of the French or Cajun French language heard throughout the parish, as well as the many festivals celebrated by its residents, including the Boucherie Festival, Lagniappe Music and Seafood Festival, Crawfish Festival, and the world-famous Jambalaya Festival. The largest city in Ascension Parish, Gonzales, is celebrated as the "Jambalaya Capital of the World".

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 303 square miles (780 km²), of which 290 square miles (750 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (4.2%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest parish in Louisiana by total area.

Waterways

Major highways

Adjacent parishes

• East Baton Rouge Parish (north)
• Livingston Parish (northeast)
• St. John the Baptist Parish (east)
• St. James Parish (southeast)
• Assumption Parish (southwest)
• Iberville Parish (west)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 126,500 people, 44,267 households, and 32,305 families residing in the parish.

2010 census

At the 2010 United States census, there were 107,215 people living in the parish; 73.3% were White, 22.2% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.9% of some other race and 1.2% of two or more races. 4.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 26.3% were of French, French Canadian or Cajun, 7.9% American, 7.3% German, 5.7% English, 5.5% Italian and 5.5% Irish ancestry.

National Guard

The 922nd Engineer Company (Horizontal), a unit of the 769th Engineer Battalion and the 225th Engineer Brigade. The 1021st Vertical Engineer Company also resides in Gonzales, Louisiana.

Communities

Map of Ascension Parish, Louisiana With Municipal Labels

Cities

• Donaldsonville (parish seat)
• Gonzales

Town

• Sorrento

Census-designated places

• Lemannville
• Prairieville

Unincorporated communities

Education

Ascension Parish School Board operates the local public schools.

The parish is also home to private schools and — since 1998, to River Parishes Community College.

See also

In Spanish: Parroquia de Ascension para niños