Ascension Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

Ascension Parish
Quick facts for kids Ascension Parish
	Parish
	Ascension Parish Courthouse
	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 Our Lord Church in Donaldsonville
Seat	Donaldsonville
Largest city	Gonzales
Area
• Total	303 sq mi (780 km2)
• Land	290 sq mi (800 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2) 3.75%
Population
• Estimate (2015)	119,455
• Density	370/sq mi (140/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 6th

Ascension Parish (French: Paroisse de l'Ascension) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 107,215. Its parish seat is Donaldsonville. The parish was created in 1807.

Ascension Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Baton Rouge–Pierre Part Combined Statistical Area. It is one of the fastest growing parishes in the state.

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).

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

Alligator Bayou
Amite River
Amite River Diversion Canal
Anderson Canal
Babin Canal
Bayou Antoine
Bayou Manchac
Bayou Narcisse
Bayou Pierre
Bayou Reponds Pas
Bayou Conway
Bayou Francois
Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Napoleon
Bayou Verret
Bayou Vicknair
Black Bayou
Blind River
Boudreau Bayou
Boyle Bayou
Braud Bayou
Cocodrie Bayou
Cotton Bayou
Crowley Ditch
Duckroost Bayou
Flat Lake
Grand Goudine Bayou
Hackett Canal
Heath Bayou
Henderson Bayou
Jim Bayou
Johnson Bayou
Lake Millet
Lake Villars
Laurel Ridge Canal
McCall Bayou
Mississippi River
Muddy Creek
New River
New River Canal
Old New River
Panama Canal
Pipeline Canal
Rocky Canal
Roddy Bayou
Saveiro Canal
Sides Bayou
Smith Bayou
Spanish Lake
Welsh Gully

Major highways

Interstate 10
U.S. Highway 61
Louisiana Highway 1
Louisiana Highway 16
Louisiana Highway 18
Louisiana Highway 73
Louisiana Highway 22
Louisiana Highway 30
Louisiana Highway 42
Louisiana Highway 44
Louisiana Highway 70

Adjacent parishes

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	2,219	—
1820	3,728	68.0%
1830	5,246	40.7%
1840	6,951	32.5%
1850	10,752	54.7%
1860	11,484	6.8%
1870	11,577	0.8%
1880	16,895	45.9%
1890	19,545	15.7%
1900	24,142	23.5%
1910	23,887	−1.1%
1920	22,155	−7.3%
1930	18,438	−16.8%
1940	21,215	15.1%
1950	22,387	5.5%
1960	27,927	24.7%
1970	37,086	32.8%
1980	50,068	35.0%
1990	58,214	16.3%
2000	76,627	31.6%
2010	107,215	39.9%
Est. 2015	119,455	11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 107,215 people residing 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.

As of the census of 2000, there were 76,627 people, 26,691 households, and 20,792 families residing in the parish. The population density was 263 people per square mile (101/km²). There were 29,172 housing units at an average density of 100 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 77.39% White, 20.28% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 2.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 94.46% of the population spoke only English at home, while 2.76% spoke French or Cajun French, and 2.41% spoke Spanish.

There were 26,691 households out of which 42.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 13.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.10% were non-families. 18.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the parish the population was spread out with 30.10% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 7.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $44,288, and the median income for a family was $50,626. Males had a median income of $41,109 versus $23,054 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $17,858. About 10.70% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.30% of those under age 18 and 15.40% of those age 65 or over.

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

Unincorporated communities

Abend
Acy
Barmen
Barton
Belle Helene
Bowden
Brignac
Brittany
Brusly McCall
Bullion
Burnside
Cofield
Cornerview
Darrow
Duckroost
Duplessis
Dutchtown
Galvez
Geismar
Hillaryville
Hobart
Hohen Solms
Hope Villa
Lake
Little Prairie
McElroy
Marchand
Miles
Modeste
Mount Houmas
Oak Grove
Noel
Palo Alto
Philadelphia Point
Saint Elmo
Saint Amant
Smoke Bend
Southwood
Weber City