Assumption Parish, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Assumption Parish
|
|
|---|---|
St. Anne Catholic Church (Napoleonville, Louisiana)
|
|
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
|
|
 Louisiana's location within the U.S. |
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Founded | 1807 |
| Named for | Assumption Roman Catholic Church |
| Seat | Napoleonville |
| Largest community | Pierre Part |
| Area | |
| • Total | 365 sq mi (950 km2) |
| • Land | 339 sq mi (880 km2) |
| • Water | 26 sq mi (70 km2) 7.1% |
| Population
(2010)
|
|
| • Total | 23,421 |
| • Estimate
(2018)
|
22,300 |
| • Density | 64.17/sq mi (24.78/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 2nd, 6th |
Assumption Parish (French: Paroisse de l'Assomption) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,421. Its parish seat is Napoleonville. Assumption Parish was established in 1807, as one of the original parishes of the Territory of Orleans.
Assumption Parish is one of the twenty-two Acadiana parishes. Its major product is sugar cane. In proportion to its area, Assumption Parish produces the most sugar of any parish of Louisiana.
Assumption Parish is represented in the Louisiana House of Representatives by Beryl Amedee, a Republican, and Chad Brown, a Democrat.
Contents
History
In 1807, Assumption became the eighth parish of the Orleans Territory. Its history is rooted in its waterways and its large expanse of fertile soils ideal for farming. Settled in the middle 18th century by French and Spanish settlers, the area retains strong cultural ties to its past with conversational French still common among residents. Assumption was also a final destination for many of the French Acadians exiled from Nova Scotia between 1755 and 1764.
After the Confederacy forced the surrender of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, in 1861, the Assumption Parish Police Jury appropriated $1,000 to provide uniforms for military volunteers against the Union. By contrast, Lafayette Parish contributed $6,000. Plaquemines Parish approved a gift of $10 to $15 per month for needy volunteer families.
In 1936, Assumption Parish broke heavily from state and national political trends to support Governor Alfred Landon of Kansas, the Republican nominee for U.S. President in the race against Franklin D. Roosevelt. Though Landon received only 11.1 percent of the vote in Louisiana, he took 60.6 percent in Assumption and 41.5 percent in another sugar-growing parish, Lafourche.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 365 square miles (950 km2), of which 339 square miles (880 km2) is land and 26 square miles (67 km2) (7.1%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 90
Louisiana Highway 1
Adjacent parishes
- Iberville Parish (north)
- Ascension Parish (north)
- St. James Parish (northeast)
- Lafourche Parish (east)
- Terrebonne Parish (southeast)
- St. Mary Parish (southwest)
- Iberia Parish (northwest)
- St. Martin Parish (west)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 2,472 | — | |
| 1820 | 3,576 | 44.7% | |
| 1830 | 5,669 | 58.5% | |
| 1840 | 7,141 | 26.0% | |
| 1850 | 10,538 | 47.6% | |
| 1860 | 15,379 | 45.9% | |
| 1870 | 13,234 | −13.9% | |
| 1880 | 17,010 | 28.5% | |
| 1890 | 19,629 | 15.4% | |
| 1900 | 21,620 | 10.1% | |
| 1910 | 24,128 | 11.6% | |
| 1920 | 17,912 | −25.8% | |
| 1930 | 15,990 | −10.7% | |
| 1940 | 18,541 | 16.0% | |
| 1950 | 17,278 | −6.8% | |
| 1960 | 17,991 | 4.1% | |
| 1970 | 19,654 | 9.2% | |
| 1980 | 22,084 | 12.4% | |
| 1990 | 22,753 | 3.0% | |
| 2000 | 23,388 | 2.8% | |
| 2010 | 23,421 | 0.1% | |
| 2018 (est.) | 22,300 | −4.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
|||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 13,580 | 64.55% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 5,973 | 28.39% |
| Native American | 83 | 0.39% |
| Asian | 56 | 0.27% |
| Other/Mixed | 433 | 2.06% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 914 | 4.34% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,039 people, 8,552 households, and 5,484 families residing in the parish.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 23,421 people living in the parish. 66.8% were White, 30.5% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% of some other race and 0.9% of two or more races. 2.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 38.2% were of French, French Canadian or Cajun and 9.4% American ancestry.
National Guard
The 928th Sapper Company, a unit of the 769th Engineer Battalion and the 225th Engineer Brigade.
Communities
Village
Napoleonville is the largest incorporated community in the parish.
Census-designated places
- Bayou Corne
- Bayou L'Ourse
- Belle Rose
- Labadieville
- Paincourtville
- Pierre Part
- Supreme
Other unincorporated communities
- Belle Alliance
- Belle River
- Plattenville
Education
The Assumption Parish School Board operates local public schools. Assumption High School serves the whole parish. There is one private school in the parish, Saint Elizabeth School, which was founded in 1834.
- Assumption High School
- Bayou L'Ourse Primary School
- Belle Rose Middle School
- Belle Rose Primary School
- Labadieville Middle School
- Labadieville Primary School
- Napoleonville Middle School
- Napoleonville Primary School
- Pierre Part Elementary School
- Saint Elizabeth School
Notable people
- Kim Willoughby, American indoor volleyball player, 2008 U.S. volleyball Olympian, former University of Hawaii volleyball player, 2003 AVCA NCAA National Player of the Year
- Charles Melançon, former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives
- Troy E. Brown, a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
- Brandon Jacobs, two-time Super bowl winner, former running back for the New York Giants
- Johnny Meads, is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League Houston Oilers Washington Redskins
- J. E. Jumonville Sr., was a businessman, farmer, and horse breeder born in Paincourtville state senator
- Samuel A. LeBlanc I, was a lawyer from Napoleonville born in Paincourtville in Assumption Parish
See also
In Spanish: Parroquia de Assumption para niños
