About Us

Assumption Parish is situated in the south-central region of Louisiana and has an irregular shape. It is approximately 30 miles south of Baton Rouge and 60 miles west of New Orleans, with its southern tip located about 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The parish is bordered by Iberville and Ascension Parishes to the north; St. James and Lafourche Parishes to the east; Terrebonne and St. Mary Parishes to the south; and St. Martin and Iberia Parishes to the west. Assumption Parish encompasses a total area of 236,962 acres, comprising 21,654 acres of water. The highest elevation in the parish is 23 feet above sea level, found along the natural levee of Bayou Lafourche near Donaldsonville. In contrast, the lowest elevations are near sea level in the swamps south of Lake Verret.

As of 1970, the population of Assumption Parish was 19,654. The first permanent settlements in the area were established by the French and Spanish in the mid-18th century along the Lafourche, between what are now the towns of Donaldsonville and Napoleonville. The population increased from 1755 to 1765 due to the immigration of exiled Acadians, who cleared the land and built homes. Many of their descendants still reside in the parish today. Assumption Parish was created as the 8th parish of the Orleans territory by an act of the legislature in 1807. Napoleonville, located on Bayou Lafourche, serves as the parish seat.

The parish features alluvial soil divided into three classes: sandy loam, mixed soil, and black land. Much of the flooded soil is found in woodland areas, while the most valuable land lies along Bayou Lafourche. Sugarcane is the primary crop, and Assumption Parish produces more sugar in proportion to its area than any other parish in Louisiana. The parish's loamy soils are also well-suited for growing truck crops and vegetables, although commercial cultivation of these crops is not extensive at present.

Bayou Lafourche is a significant distributary of the Mississippi River that flows south from Donaldsonville through the parish. It is 107 miles long and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The parish is connected to many navigable bayous on its western side through the Intracoastal Waterway. Louisiana Highway 1 (LA 1) runs along the western bank of Bayou Lafourche, noted for being the longest street in the world, with many houses closely spaced along its entire 107-mile length. Several bridges connect Highway 1 to Highway 308 on the opposite bank. U.S. Highway 90 runs through the southern part of the parish. Additionally, Assumption Parish has landing strips for small aircraft, but no commercial airports.