ASCENSION PARISH
Parish Offices
208 East Railroad Street
Gonzales 225-450-1012
https://www.ascensionparish.net
Chamber of Commerce
1006 W. Highway 30
Gonzales 225-647-7487
https://www.ascensionchamber.com
Nestled in the heart of plantation country, beautiful Ascension Parish is 60 miles from New Orleans and just 30 miles from Baton Rouge, linked to Louisiana’s largest metropolitan cities by Interstate 10. With its premier location along the Mississippi River, strong new business investment, commuting convenience, and a top-ranking public school system, the parish is one of the fastest growing in the state and even in the nation. The household income is also one of the highest in Louisiana, creating a truly idyllic suburban environment that draws even more newcomers.
Services
Outstanding educational opportunities on every academic level are major drivers of Ascension’s phenomenal expansion, underlined by a progressive public school system. School renovations and new construction continue to keep pace with population growth, including investment in wireless technology and a practical leadership assessment process that has made the school system one of Louisiana’s finest. Abundant parochial and private school options are available for parents who want to explore alternative learning environments. The local River Parishes Community College provides opportunities for an affordable two-year transfer degree to another institution or career programs. Nearby Baton Rouge is home to Louisiana State University, Louisiana’s largest institution of higher education and the flagship institution for the Louisiana State University System. Fourteen schools and colleges include several that are nationally recognized such as the E.J. Ourso College of Business, the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. Another highly respected public college in Baton Rouge is Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, covering 512 acres on Scott’s Bluff above the Mississippi River. Nearby Thibodaux is home to Nicholls State University, while the New Orleans region is renowned for its collection of respected private and public colleges and universities.
First-rate healthcare is available close to home, anchored by the award-winning St. Elizabeth Hospital with a Women’s Health Center in Gonzales and Prevost Memorial Hospital in Donaldsonville. Prevost Memorial provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient care that includes a number of specialties and a responsive emergency department. St. Elizabeth Hospital is dedicated to providing clinical excellence in a compassionate, community hospital environment. The hospital also maintains a number of valuable partnerships that ensure easy access to expanded or highly specialized services in and around the parish, including Lake Urgent Care, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Sleep Solutions, and Our Lady of the Lake Heart and Vascular Center Outpatient Catheterization Lab at St. Elizabeth Hospital. The new Ochsner Health Center in Prairieville brings Ochsner’s nationally recognized services closer to Ascension Parish. The new facility features exam rooms, primary care services, pediatrics, lab and imaging, and specialty services provided by Ochsner physicians. Residents are just a short drive from Baton Rouge, home to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, an 800-bed teaching hospital that also includes a Children’s Hospital. This award-winning institution is consistently recognized in a variety of clinical areas including trauma and emergency care, stroke, heart and vascular, cancer care, and minimally-invasive procedures. Ochsner Medical Center at Baton Rouge and the two-campus, 527-bed Baton Rouge General Medical Center further expand the regional healthcare services within the capital region.
Lifestyle
Ascension Parish welcomes newcomers to a delightful area where sprawling sugar cane fields and cypress swamplands surround quaint towns and vibrant suburban development. Lovely homes and premier settings are abundant throughout Ascension Parish, a consistent leader in upscale single-family residential sales within the capital region. Approximately 20 percent of the population resides along the historic west bank in an area that encompasses the City of Donaldsonville, the 106-mile-long Bayou LaForche, and Louisiana Highway 1—often called “the longest main street.” Most of the parish residents cluster in the east bank region that includes the leading city of Gonzales and the significantly smaller town of Sorrento. One of the premier subdivisions near Gonzales is Pelican Point, just minutes away from Baton Rouge. This outstanding golf and country club development covers acres of rural splendor, surrounding six unique neighborhoods with recreational and social amenities.
The parish enjoys a rich cultural heritage that is celebrated in the preservation of beautiful antebellum homes, the Houmas House Plantation, historic sites, and several fine museums. Along with local community theater and an active local artist’s association, residents enjoy colorful events and celebrations that include the Jambalaya Festival, Music in the Park, Swamp Pop Music Festival, and the Louisiana Hot Air Balloon Festival. Ascension Parish continues to develop and refine a complete array of commercial and entertainment resources, from wonderful restaurants, lively cafes, and coffee shops to a newly renovated factory outlet center, popular nightspots, and family fun centers. Local parks provide a scenic backdrop for outdoor activities and youth leagues along with developed recreational facilities from a world-class golf course to several public boat launches. Butch Gore Memorial Park is a nationally recognized facility and one of the only complexes in Louisiana devoted to girls’ softball. Popular activities include hiking, cycling, camping, swimming, hunting, fishing, boating, and other water-sports on the Amite River. The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center hosts events that emphasize equestrian and 4-H activities. Nearby Baton Rouge features one of the South’s most beautiful riverfront downtown districts, with spectacular attractions like the $55 million Shaw Center for the Arts, the Louisiana State University Museum of Art, The River Center for the Performing Arts, galleries, theaters, restaurants, riverboat casinos, and the USS Kidd floating museum. Nearby, the historic railroad depot along the riverbank offers the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. Newcomers to Ascension Parish will discover an unparalleled quality of life in an area that blends elegant suburban living with community warmth and commuting ease to the finest resources in Louisiana.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Donaldsonville
City Offices
225-473-4247
Chamber of Commerce
225-473-4817
https://donaldsonvillechamber.org
Once the capital of Louisiana, Donaldsonville is the historic and charming heart of Ascension Parish and joins Gonzales as the home of a parish government center. Donaldsonville is renowned for its architectural preservation as well as delicious cuisine and lively jazz. The city is proud of its status as a gateway to Cajun culture and plantation country, featuring streets lined by magnificent mansions along the Mississippi River and a downtown distinguished as one of the largest historic districts in Louisiana. In fact, Ascension Parish took its name from the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church that was established in 1772 in what is now Donaldsonville. The city preserves its proud legacy in the Historical Donaldsonville Museum and the River Road African American Museum & Gallery. One of the most popular events is the Sunshine Festival, a fund-raiser for the local chamber of commerce. Held at the Louisiana Fair Grounds, this family oriented celebration features rides for the kids, live entertainment, great food, historic displays, exhibits, and the world-famous Cajun & Creole Cook-Off. Residents enjoy a comfortable hometown atmosphere that includes parks and shopping conveniences.
Gonzales
City Offices
225-647-2841
https://www.gonzalesla.com
Chamber of Commerce
225-647-7487
https://www.ascensionchamber.com
Distinguished as the hub of development and the largest city in Ascension Parish, Gonzales is probably most famous as the Jambalaya Capital of the World. The community has experienced rapid growth since the 1950s when industrial plants first began locating along the Mississippi River. Job creation spurred residential growth, followed closely by commercial development. Gonzales nestles in an area that is home to some of South’s most interesting attractions, including a dozen antebellum homes and restaurants that serve the finest in Cajun and Creole cuisine. The jambalaya for which the city is so famous is the perfect symbol for Gonzales because both represent a true melting pot. Rich in history and tradition, the city is known for its diversity and a cultural heritage that blends Native American, French, Spanish, African, Acadian, German and Italian influences. Residents enjoy an active lifestyle that combines cultural delights like spring concerts with wonderful parks, developed recreational facilities, and easy access to wildlife preserves and water-oriented adventures. Outstanding schools, progressive civic leaders, and the finest possible blend of urban and suburban living continue to keep Gonzales at the top of Louisiana residential growth charts.
Sorrento
Town Offices
225-675-5337
Chamber of Commerce
225-647-7487
https://www.ascensionchamber.com
The small rural community of Sorrento is situated on the vibrant east bank of Ascension Parish but has yet to see the unbridled growth of Gonzales and Donaldsonville. The town enjoys a prime location along Interstate 10 just 30 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, providing a pleasing blend of small-town living with easy access to world-class cultural resources, entertainment centers, fine history and art museums, teaching and research hospitals, and public universities. Residents of Sorrento are able to enjoy the rapidly expanding amenities and services in nearby Gonzales, including wonderful parks, playgrounds, splash pools, lively festivals and special events, wonderful restaurants, and local shopping.
