WASHINGTON PARISH
Parish Offices
909 Pearl Street
Franklinton 985-839-7825
https://www.washingtonparishalerts.org
Chamber of Commerce
211 11th Avenue
Franklinton 985-839-5822
Providing easy access to Interstates 55, 59, 10, and 12, Washington Parish enjoys a prime location near the Mississippi and Louisiana state borderline. With Tangipahoa Parish to the west and St. Tammany Parish to the south, Washington Parish is 60 miles from New Orleans and 80 miles from Baton Rouge. This area has long been known for its agricultural activity, particularly watermelons, as well as a thriving timber and paper industry. The Great Southern Lumber Company that constructed a sawmill and several related businesses in Bogalusa in 1906 was also first to address sustainability by introducing reforestation. Although the original company has been purchased several times, it remains the largest employer in the parish.
Services
Residents of Washington Parish enjoy all the peace and tranquility of country living without sacrificing access to first-rate educational and healthcare resources. Complementing the local public school system, the parish offers options for a private education in the leading City of Bogalusa. The parish is the proud home of the flagship campus for Northshore Technical Community College, which also serves residents of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes and those in Walthall County, Mississippi. Premier technical training from a highly qualified faculty, academic transfer opportunities, and successful partnerships with business and industry are the hallmarks of Northshore TCC. The college is a regional leader, serving nearly 3,200 students in academic programs and another 1,500 with continuing education. In addition to general education, the college prepares students to compete in a global economy with career training in the health sciences, industrial technology, business services and computer technology. The region surrounding Washington Parish is rich in opportunities for higher education, including some of the finest public and private colleges in Louisiana. The capital city of Baton Rouge is home to the vibrant 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.
Healthcare services are exceptional in Washington Parish, anchored by the Bogalusa Medical Center, part of the Louisiana State University Health system or LSU Health. Taking for its slogan, “Caring for our community like family,” the LSU Bogalusa Medical Center provides a hospital, comprehensive clinics, and related healthcare services to a regional population. The medical center is constantly upgrading and expanding to deliver leading-edge services within a personalized and caring atmosphere. In 2010, a $5 million expansion doubled the Residency Program facility and upgraded inpatient rooms. The latest investment is a $7.5 million expansion of the emergency department, admissions, surgical suites, and supporting spaces. Residents have the advantage of skilled physicians in every major specialty and many subspecialties along with convenient clinics and after-hours emergency care, ensuring that most healthcare needs can be met close to home. Should a need for highly advanced care ever arise, some of the nation’s finest teaching hospitals and renowned medical centers are available in New Orleans including the internationally recognized Children’s Hospital.
Lifestyle
Residents of Washington Parish enjoy a relaxed, family-oriented lifestyle in small rural communities in a region known for its picturesque landscapes, rolling hills, pine forests, waterways, and scenic country backroads. The Scenic Byways of Highways 10 and 21 showcase much of the area’s natural beauty, although uniquely rural delights are waiting around every corner. Great food, a rich sense of heritage, premier opportunities for outdoor enjoyment, and the largest free fair in the nation are a few of the highlights of parish life. Each October, enthusiastic crowds flow onto the fairgrounds to enjoy the Washington Parish Free Fair, filled with outstanding exhibits including the Mile Branch Settlement where costumed hosts guide visitors through log cabins and buildings filled with historic treasures. Many other colorful celebrations fill the annual calendar with exciting events including Mardi Gras, the Dogwood Tour Festival, the Watermelon Festival, the Fourth of July celebration, the Spring and Fall Festival in the park, and the Mile Branch Pioneer Christmas. Fine museums in this area include the Museum of Ancient Indian Culture and the Bogue Lusa Pioneer Museum, both located in Cassidy Park in Bogalusa.
The area’s legacy of natural beauty is well preserved in Ben’s Creek Wildlife Management Area and Lee Memorial Forest, which serves as a teaching and research environment Louisiana State University’s College of Agriculture. Developed recreational amenities include lush parks and playgrounds, a lighted baseball park, tennis courts, a country club, and an active YMCA organization that offers swimming pools and many youth programs. Fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and tubing are all popular pastimes in this water-rich land. Church, school, and civic organizations play a major role in daily life in Washington Parish, so newcomers have abundant opportunities to become immediately acquainted with their neighbors and involved in the heart of community activity. Retail stores and shops combine with antique shops, auctions and flea markets as well as galleries and studios that showcase the work of local artists to provide an entire world of shopping adventures. The parish is home to several tiny villages like Angie, Mount Hermon, and Varnado where the population is less than 500. The largest communities are the leading City of Bogalusa and the parish seat of government, the Town of Franklinton. The parish provides a wide selection of residential settings and homes that cover an equally diverse range of architectural styles and price ranges. Newcomers can choose from modest, affordable bungalows to magnificent country mansions set on sweeping lots in a tranquil rural paradise that offers an idyllic place to call home.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Bogalusa
City Offices
985-732-6200
https://www.bogalusa.org
Chamber of Commerce
211 11th Avenue
Franklinton 985-839-5822
The City of Bogalusa is the undeniable focal point of Washington Parish development, serving as the center of healthcare, education, and commerce. Established where the Bogue Lusa Creek flows into the Pearl River, the community is the principal city within the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area that includes all of Washington Parish. The city is home to the Sullivan Campus of Northshore Technical Community College, LSU Bogalusa Medical Center, the 205th Engineer Battalion of the Louisiana Army National Guard, thriving lumber and paper mills, and strong agricultural activity. In all of Louisiana, newcomers will be unlikely to find a community whose relatively brief history is more unique and interesting than Bogalusa—a name that has actually been copyrighted. Slogans from years gone by like the Magic City and the Green Empire are just as appropriate today as they were when the first tree was felled in a virgin pine forest, giving birth to a community that has become a premier industrial center for paper products.
Franklinton
Town Offices
985-839-3569
https://www.townoffranklinton.com
Chamber of Commerce
985-839-5822
Serving as the seat of parish government, the Town of Franklinton, like all of Washington Parish, is based on an economy that combines agriculture with the forest industry and some commercial development. This small but welcoming community is a focal point of tourism, housing Louisiana’s most impressive collection of log cabins at the Mile Branch Settlement encompassed within the Washington Parish Fairgrounds. These fairgrounds spring to life each fall when crowds pour in to enjoy the nation’s largest free fair and the second largest parish fair in Louisiana. While many residents are employed locally, many others commute to several regional employment centers located in adjacent St. Tammany Parish. Franklinton is one of the fastest-growing communities on the Northshore, attracting newcomers to quaint downtown shops, wonderful restaurants, cultural preservation, and the charm of small-town life in close proximity to expanded urban amenities.
