ST. JAMES PARISH
Parish Offices
1910 W. Main Street
Convent 225-562-2260
https://www.stjamesla.com
Chamber of Commerce
301 W. Airline Highway
LaPlace 985-359-9777
https://www.riverregionchamber.org
Ideally located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, St. James Parish claims some of the richest soil in Louisiana. Long known for its thriving agricultural industry focused on sugarcane, soybeans and tobacco, St. James Parish has facilities that are part of the Port of South Louisiana via the Mississippi River that bisects the parish. This strategic River Region location attracts large-scale industry and worldwide logistics enterprises. At the same time, St. James Parish offers rural residential havens of friendly neighborhoods where family-owned small businesses add local conveniences. Interstate 10 ensures easy access to nearby major cities, supported by U.S. Highway 61 and a strong network of state highways. The parish is equidistant to the airports serving Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and features two bridges from its east and west boundaries: Veteran’s Memorial Bridge or Gramercy Bridge and the Sunshine Bridge, respectively.
Services
Families will appreciate the commitment to quality education in St. James Parish, where the local school system has focused on technological enhancements and raising the bar of student achievement to achieve one of the highest rankings in Louisiana. Parents who prefer a private school learning environment will want to consider St. Peter Chanel Interparochial School, serving the River Parishes and those in surrounding areas. Options for an affordable start on a four-year degree or career-oriented certification and degree programs are available in several institutions, including River Parishes Community College in Gonzales, Baton Rouge Community College, South Central Louisiana Technical College-River Parishes Campus, and several campuses and sites for Delgado Community College—the oldest and largest community college in Louisiana. An impressive list of public and private colleges and universities including renowned professional schools are available in the region surrounding St. James Parish. Among them are Louisiana State University and Southern University in Baton Rouge and Nicholls State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Tulane University in then New Orleans area.
The network of healthcare services are anchored by St. James Parish Hospital, an award-winning facility that has been providing caring, compassionate, quality care to local residents since 1955. Dedicated to providing rural parish communities with access to the leading-edge advantages associated with urban areas, St. James Parish Hospital is continually upgrading and expanding to meet an ever widening array of medical and healthcare needs. Recent evidence of that commitment includes a new Orthopedic Clinic and expanded laboratory services that expand the options for testing close to home. The hospital maintains close ties to the community it serves, communicating frequently about the latest news in health and wellness. Should the need arise for highly advanced care, some of the finest hospitals in the nation are nearby with the skilled professionals and specialized medical expertise to meet every need. Baton Rouge General Medical Center operates on two campuses, the oldest and still the largest full-service medical facility in the city. New Orleans and Jefferson Parish provide options for world-class care in renowned teaching hospitals and medical centers. Metairie is home to East Jefferson General Hospital and Tulane-Lakeside Hospital while West Jefferson Medical Center is in Marrero. Ochsner Medical Center maintains campuses in New Orleans, Kenner, and Gretna, ranking nationally in eight adult specialties. Tulane Medical Center with its flagship campus in downtown New Orleans provides a far-reaching health system with multiple centers of excellence, while Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is so highly regarded that it accepts referrals from across the nation and several foreign countries. The all-new University Medical Center in downtown New Orleans is already a model of post-Katrina, catastrophe-resistant architectural wonder.
Lifestyle
St. James Parish claims the rich heritage and historic past of the distinctively unique River Region along the lower Mississippi River. Sleepy rural villages and small communities nestle in landscapes steeped in pre-Civil War history, where centuries-old palatial plantation homes still grace their original sites. The first Acadian settlers arrived in St. James Parish, their legacy preserved in the cultural museum in Lutcher where displays follow the evolution of the logging industry into sugarcane farms and small towns. The ideal location between Louisiana’s two largest cities, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, gives residents the best of all worlds. Friendly rural communities blend older homes with vibrant new construction on spacious lots or generous acreage, while small locally owned shops and businesses dot the landscape with conveniences for daily life. Expanded suburban and world-class urban amenities are easily accessible, including the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner that hosts more than 400 annual events from sports to concerts and family shows. Overflowing with fine museums, entertainment centers and family attractions, New Orleans adds hundreds of theatre, art, music, sports, festivals, and recreational events to the annual calendar. The city is also home to thousands of celebrated restaurants and venues for the world’s finest jazz. City Center Baton Rouge is undergoing an exciting revival, where attractions range from the USS Kidd floating museum to the contemporary Shaw Center for the Arts, clustering a fine art museum, gallery spaces, theaters and restaurants.
Closer to home, residents enjoy some of the nation’s finest boating, hunting, and fishing at locations like Blind River and Bayou Chevreuil. The St. James Parish lifestyle is centered on family, church and community, encompassing cultural activities, colorful festivals, live entertainment, and delicious Cajun food. Each year on Christmas Eve, the entire community comes together for the spectacular tradition of lighting towering bonfires along the Mississippi River levees. The majority of amenities in the parish are located in the adjacent Lutcher-Gramercy communities, including the community hospital and the St. James Parish Fitness Center with aerobics, yoga, weight rooms, and cardiovascular equipment. Recreational facilities are scattered throughout the parish, where parks, courts and fields host leagues for baseball, soccer, football, tennis, and basketball. The St. James Parish Library maintains branches on both sides of the Mississippi River in Lutcher and Vacherie. History springs to life on both sides of the Mississippi in tourist destinations like Oak Alley, Laura, St. Joseph, and Poche plantations, which also serve as magnificent cultural, social, and entertainment venues. One of the most popular events for visitors and locals alike is the Oak Alley Arts and Crafts Show each spring and fall. Newcomers to St. James Parish will soon discover what the locals already cherish: A peaceful and friendly rural paradise surrounded by the finest of urban amenities.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Lutcher, Gramercy
Parish Offices
225-562-2260
https://www.stjamesla.com
Chamber of Commerce
985-359-9777
https://www.riverregionchamber.org
The adjacent communities of Lutcher and Gramercy combine a population of approximately 7,500 to provide a bustling commercial and healthcare center for surrounding rural neighborhoods. Lutcher is home to the award-winning St. James Parish Hospital, which is continually expanding its facilities and upgrading services to provide access to first-rate healthcare close to home. Another regional resource in Lutcher is the St. James Parish Fitness Center, which includes a weight room just for women in addition to many other features. Wonderful restaurants, convenient shops and stores, the St. James Parish Library, and Lutcher High School are all located in this area. Both communities are home to lovely residential neighborhoods, where cozy older cottages blend with newer neighborhoods along wide lanes or country manors on gracious large lots. Newcomers will find abundant options for magnificent homes that reflect the grandeur of the past or the clean lines of contemporary styling. Close proximity to Baton Rouge and New Orleans ensure quick commutes to some of the finest and most unique urban attractions in the entire nation.
