ST. HELENA PARISH
Parish Offices
369 Sitman Street
Greensburg 225-222-3312
http://sthelenaparish.la.gov
Chamber of Commerce
564 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge 225-381-7125
https://www.brac.org
St. Helena Parish is the most rural of all the “Florida parishes,” an area of unspoiled landscapes and picturesque country roads that have yet to add a single stop light. With so little traffic and so few residents, it is little wonder that St. Helena offers the cleanest water and air in Louisiana—verified by the state environmental agency. A residential paradise for the purist, this timber-rich parish is home to forestry operations, and agribusiness including farm trucking operations but also a growing industrial sector. One of the largest employers is a large steel fabrication facility in the parish seat of Greensburg.
Services
Newcomers will soon discover what local residents already know: St. Helena Parish is a wonderful place to learn and grow. Taking for its slogan, “A relentless pursuit of excellence,” St. Helena Parish Schools even offers a Parents Academy on the high school campus where classes range from computer literacy and finance to health and wellness, fitness, and self-defense. Options for a private education are available from kindergarten through high school at Oak Forest Academy in Amite. The regional public library in Greensburg provides internet access as well as education and cultural activities for residents of all ages. The parish is also home to a regional institution of higher education, the Florida Parishes Campus of Northshore Technical Community College. Covering nearly 60 acres, the new $8.1 million campus serves local residents and businesses with career programs and workforce training, drawing regional students. The college has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driving construction of the new campus in 2012 but also expanding online course offerings, developing new programs, and more closely aligning programs with labor market demands. Residents are with an hour’s drive from three major universities and several community colleges, including Baton Rouge Community College, Southern University, and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge—the later three in Baton Rouge—and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, the third largest of Louisiana’s public institutions of higher education.
Quality healthcare begins close to home at St. Helena Parishes Hospital, where the stated mission is “to provide leadership in maintaining and improving the healthcare of all the people in our community and surrounding areas by emphasizing personal care, respect, and a dedication to providing quality care.” One of the largest employers in the parish, the hospital has a long and proud history of providing comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services to a rural population. Should the need for advanced care arise, the Baton Rouge region is known for renowned research and healthcare resources, including one of the nation’s only non-profit freestanding women’s hospitals. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center provides a full range of exceptional, award-winning services in its 800-bed hospital and associated 95-bed Children’s Hospital. As a primary teaching site for graduate medical education, Our Lady of the Lake is recognized in a variety of areas including trauma and emergency care, stroke, heart and vascular, cancer care, and minimally-invasive procedures. Another exemplary healthcare institution with a national reputation is Ochsner Medical Center at Baton Rouge, with all-private rooms and a state-of-the-art Family Birthing Center. The two-campus, 527-bed Baton Rouge General Medical Center has been providing quality healthcare to the capital region since 1900, recognized for clinical excellence in a number of specialties.
Lifestyle
Beautiful forests, rolling rivers, and tranquil surroundings distinguish St. Helena as one of Louisiana’s truly pristine jewels. Newcomers will find a variety of residential choices and settings, from cozy cottages in established neighborhoods and newer subdivisions to quaint farmhouses and country manors set back on sprawling lots. One of Louisiana’s most historic parishes, St. Helena first saw French and Spanish settlements along the waterways. Today, residents and visitors still enjoy canoeing, kayaking, and tubing on lazy streams while cyclers take to the picturesque back roads. Close proximity to Interstates 55 and 12 and the Zachary Taylor Parkway also make it easy for regional visitors to enjoy the undisturbed rural beauty of the parish. Fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, water sports, and biking are all popular activities, particularly at Montpelier Park and the Pine Grove Area Hunting Preserve. Rural communities preserve treasures from the past, particularly in Greensburg where the historic courthouse joins the circa 1820 Florida Parish Land Office that once served as a clearing house for Spanish Land Grants and the circa 1855 Old Jail. Rural towns like Pine Grove, home to the popular Cajun Country Corn Maze, and the tiny Village of Montpelier expand the options for friendly rural communities with incorporated governments.
One of the most outstanding features of life in St. Helena Parish is close proximity to vibrant Baton Rouge, home to wonderful museums and a rare level of cultural enrichment anchored by the $55 million Shaw Center for the Arts. Nearby, River Center for the Performing Arts hosts the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra along with touring groups and Broadway shows. Other downtown district attractions include riverfront casinos, the USS Kidd floating museum, and the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. Some of the South’s most delicious food is served in casual or elegant venues, and shopping is available in contemporary or historic districts. The Mid City Art and Design District is a specialty complex for antiques, interior design, and original artwork. An exhaustive list of cosmopolitan attractions and amenities are less than an hour’s drive from home—an easy commute yet enough distance to preserve a truly rare quality of life. Those who are looking for a pristine natural environment amid rolling hills, pasture land, and pine-clad forests are likely to discover an ideal home setting in beautiful, and as yet largely undeveloped, St. Helena Parish.
COMMUNITIES
Greensburg
Town Offices
225-222-4312
Chamber of Commerce
225-381-7125
https://www.brac.org
One of the oldest towns in Louisiana, the parish seat of Greensburg serves as the educational, healthcare, and historic center of St. Helena Parish life. Each year the town holds its Forest Festival in October with woodsman events, crafts, a cooking contest, races, and family entertainment. The town is home to valued education and healthcare resources for the parish and surrounding areas: St. Helena Parishes Hospital and the Florida Parishes Campus of Northshore Technical Community College. Residents can enjoy progressive services close to home and easy access to the kaleidoscope of urban and even cosmopolitan amenities in the Baton Rouge metropolitan region, from expanded shopping to world-class cultural enrichment and a pulsating nightlife.
