ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH
Parish Offices
1801 W. Airline Highway
LaPlace 985-652-9569
www.sjbparish.com
Chamber of Commerce
301 W. Airline Highway
LaPlace 985-359-9777
www.riverregionchamber.org
The largely rural expanse of St. John the Baptist Parish is nestled in the heart of Louisiana’s sugarcane industry between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Residents enjoy the serenity of country living or a bustling hometown setting just minutes away from the bright lights of New Orleans and the Louisiana capital city of Baton Rouge. Close proximity to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the presence of Interstates 10 and 55, and a strong network of federal and state highways provide efficient transportation links. The strategic location along the Mississippi River, along with the area’s abundant natural resources, has attracted a number of large industrial enterprises that provide many employment opportunities.
Services
With the motto of “Exceptional care, right here at home,” River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace provides patient-centered medical and healthcare services on a campus that includes a certified sleep lab, an Occupational Medicine Center, Outpatient Physical Therapy building, and a Wound Care Center. In addition to advanced diagnostic imaging, the hospital maintains a staff of skilled medical professionals who oversee a long list of specialties from neurology and podiatry to pediatrics and pain management. Family practice physicians are available for routine and primary care, while the emergency department offers a Level III Trauma Center that handles more than 18,000 patients each year. River Parishes Hospital plays a vital role in the community it serves. Seniors can join a program that offers them health screenings, exercise classes, social events, and special travel opportunities. The hospital also features a Young at Art program that rewards the creativity of local school-age children. The renowned Ochsner Health System provides the Ochsner Health Center, also in LaPlace. Regionally, Ochsner Medical Center and its West Bank Campus have been honored by Healthgrades as Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence, the only Louisiana hospital to receive the award, which places Ochsner in the top five percent nationally. Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is another prestigious healthcare resource, although the entire New Orleans region is renowned for some of the nation’s finest teaching hospitals and medical centers. The all-new University Medical Center in downtown New Orleans is already a model of post-Katrina, catastrophe-resistant architectural wonder.
First-rate educational opportunities are available within and near St. John the Baptist Parish, anchored by a strong public school system. The Archdiocese of New Orleans oversees several parochial schools in the communities of LaPlace and Reserve. The latter community is also home to the private school of Riverside Academy. Opportunities for higher education begin locally in Reserve at the River Parishes Campus for South Central Louisiana Technical College, serving a regional population. Students who are looking for employment in any number of relevant, real-world positions can acquire the training and expertise they need to succeed, including communications, computer, and applied academic skills. Several community college campuses are located within a reasonable commute, including River Parishes Community College in Sorrento, Baton Rouge Community College, and campuses for the New Orleans-based Delgado Community College. The region surrounding St. John the Baptist Parish is home to a long list of highly respected public and private colleges and universities. Nearby Baton Rouge offers the bustling campus for Louisiana State University as well as Southern University. The New Orleans area features Strayer, Concordia, Dillard, and Loyola universities; the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Southeastern Louisiana University, Southern University at New Orleans, Tulane University, the University of New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Our Lady of Holy Cross College. Every imaginable opportunity is available at a reasonable distance from any address in St. John the Baptist Parish.
Lifestyle
The close-knit spirit of the people who call St. John the Baptist Parish their home is never more visible than on Christmas Eve, when the community gathers along the Mississippi River levee for the traditional lighting of towering bonfires which literally set the night ablaze. Nestled in the vast, open area known as the River Region, the parish features outstanding natural settings for hunting, fishing, boating, camping, biking, tennis, swimming, and golfing. The developed amenities are equally appealing, from fine dining to special events and fabulous festivals filled with great food, music and old-fashioned fun. The area’s mild “sunbelt” climate only adds to the attraction, making it possible to enjoy outdoor activities around the calendar year. The winding Mississippi River actually bisects the parish into north and south sections, although local residents still refer to them as “east bank” and “west bank” areas, respectively. The parish also provides several boat launches and water access points including Sunset Park, the Peninsula Park Fishing Pier and Ruddock, Peavine, and Bailey’s boat launches. Beautiful Lake Pontchartrain lies to the east and Lake Maurepas to the north, adding premier opportunities for water-oriented recreation.
Steeped in a rich sense of heritage and history, the parish features three nationally significant examples of 19th century plantation architecture: Evergreen Plantation, Whitney Plantation Historic District, and the San Francisco Plantation House. Colorful celebrations honor the past, crowned by the Andouville Festival that showcases the unique taste of gumbo sausage preserved without refrigeration—a technique handed down through the generations. At the same time, this progressive parish is home to the St. John Center Sound Stage, where state-of-the-art technology enables the production of scores of national commercials and films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Meet the Spartans, and other Hollywood productions.
Residents of St. John the Baptist Parish enjoy easy access to a world of glittering suburban and urban attractions and amenities. Home to thousands of fine restaurants, bars, and nightclubs filled with the strains of live music including the world’s greatest jazz, New Orleans also hosts hundreds of cultural performances, sports events, concerts, and colorful festivals crowned by the internationally famous Mardi Gras. Baton Rouge is only minutes from home, where the City Center of the downtown district is reinventing itself with exciting attractions that include the Shaw Center for the Arts with its fine art museum, gallery spaces, theaters and restaurants. Newcomers will want to take their time discovering the hidden treasures of local communities, from the “west bank” neighborhoods near Edgard to the bustling atmosphere along the “east bank” in Reserve and LaPlace. Around every corner, St. John the Baptist Parish offers a beautiful, affordable, welcoming, and comfortable place to call home.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Edgard, Lucy, Wallace
Parish Offices
985-652-9569
www.sjbparish.com
Chamber of Commerce
985-359-9777
www.riverregionchamber.org
The small unincorporated community of Edgard is the traditional seat of government for St. John the Baptist Parish, although the administrative offices are located in LaPlace. The sprawling rural towns of Edgard, Lucy and Wallace are situated along the “west bank” of the Mississippi River and nearly entirely devoted to agricultural activity. Rows of sugarcane cover the fields, sharing the landscape with the Parish Courthouse. One of the historic highlights in Edgard is St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, featuring not only a magnificent edifice but a visually stunning interior graced by exquisite stained-glass windows. The Evergreen Plantation remains the premier attraction, distinguished as the most well-preserved plantation complex in the entire South. Evergreen holds the nation’s highest historic designation, joining Mount Vernon and Gettysburg for landmark status. Throngs of visitors enjoy the frequent tours, but Evergreen Plantation remains a privately owned sugarcane plantation where people live and work. Two “oak alleys” grace the property, reminders of the unrivaled beauty of the Old South.
Garyville, Mt. Airy
Parish Offices
985-652-9569
www.sjbparish.com
Chamber of Commerce
985-359-9777
www.riverregionchamber.org
The unincorporated community of Garyville has the distinction of being the location of one of the newest oil refineries built in the United States. Just a few miles from Garyville along the east bank of the winding Mississippi River, the communities of Reserve and LaPlace provide expanded amenities in locally owned shops, cafes and restaurants, healthcare facilities, and service businesses. The world-class urban advantages of New Orleans are a reasonable commute from home, as well as those in the capital city of Baton Rouge. The primary attraction in Garyville is the San Francisco Plantation House, celebrated as the most opulent plantation house in North America. Located along the Mississippi, the galleried house is shaded by centuries-old Live Oaks and features Creole open-suite styling. This site also showcases one of America’s finest antique collections and enjoys the status of being a National Historic Landmark. Residents in the Garyville and Mt. Airy communities enjoy peaceful country living in lovely homes with spacious yards. Several regional lakes and rivers as well as the Gulf of Mexico ensure abundant water-oriented recreational opportunities.
LaPlace
Parish Offices
985-652-9569
www.sjbparish.com
Chamber of Commerce
985-359-9777
www.riverregionchamber.org
The unincorporated community of LaPlace is the largest of the population centers in St. John the Baptist Parish, providing amenities and services to a regional rural population. One of the most unique and impressive resources in LaPlace is the state-of-the-art St. John Center Sound Stage, used to produce national commercials and Hollywood films as well as smaller productions. The presence of this unique facility further encourages the use of locations within the parish as movie sets. The Port of South Louisiana, the largest volume port in the entire Western Hemisphere, maintains its headquarters in LaPlace. The community enjoys a strategic location near Interstates 55 and 10 as well as U.S. Highways 51 and 61 for quick and easy commutes to employment centers as well as attractions in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The nickname for LaPlace is the Andouille Capital of the World, honoring a unique variety of sausage that is celebrated annually in a festival that draws thousands of visitors. Providing a selection of outstanding public and private schools, LaPlace also serves as a hub of healthcare services with a progressive community hospital and an Ochsner Health Center. Newcomers will discover a fine selection of residential options in and near LaPlace, including a number of lovely homes and gracious country manors on spacious lots.
Reserve
Parish Offices
985-652-9569
www.sjbparish.com
Chamber of Commerce
985-359-9777
www.riverregionchamber.org
Just minutes from LaPlace on the east bank of the Mississippi River, the smaller unincorporated community of Reserve is nevertheless one of the larger population centers in St. John the Baptist Parish. Reserve is home to several important resources, including East St. John High School, the private school of Riverside Academy, and the River Parishes Campus for South Central Louisiana Technical College. The Louisiana Army National Guard 1084Th Transportation Company resides in Reserve, along with the 20-acre campus for the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home. Ideally located near the Senior Citizens Center and the VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic, the Veterans Home provides comprehensive medical care and advanced therapies in an idyllic setting that includes a fishing lake. In addition to the historic treasures of the Godchaux-Reserve home and Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Reserve celebrates its heritage each year in the Towapasah Mardi Gras Parade. Reserve is also proud to be the birthplace of jazz greats Edmond hall and Kid Thomas Valentine.
