Assumption Parish, Louisiana

Parish in Louisiana, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Assumption Parish (French: Paroisse de l'Assomption, Spanish: Parroquia de la Asunción) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,039.[1] Its parish seat is Napoleonville.[2] Assumption Parish was established in 1807, as one of the original parishes of the Territory of Orleans.[3]

Country United States
Founded1807
Quick facts Country, State ...
Assumption Parish
Parish of Assumption
Paroisse de l'Assomption (French)
Parroquia de la Asunción (Spanish)
St. Anne Catholic Church in Napoleonville
St. Anne Catholic Church in Napoleonville
Map of Louisiana highlighting Assumption ParishAssumption Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Coordinates: 29°54′N 91°04′W
Country United States
State Louisiana
Founded1807
Named afterAssumption Roman Catholic Church
SeatNapoleonville
Largest communityPierre Part
Area
  Total
365 sq mi (950 km2)
  Land339 sq mi (880 km2)
  Water26 sq mi (67 km2)  7.1%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
21,039
  Density62.1/sq mi (24.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts2nd, 6th
Websitewww.assumptionla.com
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Assumption Parish is one of the twenty-two Acadiana parishes. Its major product is sugar cane. In proportion to its area, Assumption Parish produces the most sugar of any parish of Louisiana.

History

In 1807, Assumption became the eighth parish of the Orleans Territory. Its history is rooted in its waterways and its large expanse of fertile soils ideal for farming. Settled in the middle 18th century by French and Spanish settlers, the area retains strong cultural ties to its past with conversational French still common among residents. Assumption was also a final destination for many of the French Acadians exiled from Nova Scotia between 1755 and 1764.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 365 square miles (950 km2), of which 339 square miles (880 km2) is land and 26 square miles (67 km2) (7.1%) is water.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent parishes

Communities

Map of Assumption Parish, with municipal labels

Village

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Demographics

More information Census, Pop. ...
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18102,472
18203,57644.7%
18305,66958.5%
18407,14126.0%
185010,53847.6%
186015,37945.9%
187013,234−13.9%
188017,01028.5%
189019,62915.4%
190021,62010.1%
191024,12811.6%
192017,912−25.8%
193015,990−10.7%
194018,54116.0%
195017,278−6.8%
196017,9914.1%
197019,6549.2%
198022,08412.4%
199022,7533.0%
200023,3882.8%
201023,4210.1%
202021,039−10.2%
2023 (est.)20,160[5]−4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010[10]
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More information Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic), Pop 1980 ...
Assumption Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[11] Pop 1990[12] Pop 2000[13] Pop 2010[14] Pop 2020[15] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 14,576 15,033 15,565 15,442 13,580 66.00% 66.07% 66.55% 65.93% 64.55%
Black or African American alone (NH) 6,941 7,308 7,303 7,111 5,973 31.43% 32.12% 31.23% 30.36% 28.39%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 21 44 67 132 83 0.10% 0.19% 0.29% 0.56% 0.39%
Asian alone (NH) 24 72 53 56 56 0.11% 0.32% 0.23% 0.24% 0.27%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [16] x [17] 0 11 0 x x 0.00% 0.05% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 5 4 2 4 17 0.02% 0.02% 0.01% 0.02% 0.08%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [18] x [19] 114 167 416 x x 0.49% 0.71% 1.98%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 517 292 284 498 914 2.34% 1.28% 1.21% 2.13% 4.34%
Total 22,084 22,753 23,388 23,421 21,039 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
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As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,039 people, 8,552 households, and 5,484 families residing in the parish. During the 2010 United States census, there were 23,421 people living in the parish. Among its 2010 population, 66.8% were White, 30.5% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% of some other race and 0.9% of two or more races. 2.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 38.2% were of French, French Canadian or Cajun and 9.4% American ancestry.[20]

Education

The Assumption Parish School Board operates local public schools. Assumption High School serves the whole parish. There is one private school in the parish, Saint Elizabeth School, which was founded in 1834.

  • Assumption High School
  • Bayou L'Ourse Primary School
  • Belle Rose Middle School
  • Belle Rose Primary School
  • Labadieville Middle School
  • Labadieville Primary School
  • Napoleonville Middle School
  • Napoleonville Primary School
  • Pierre Part Elementary School
  • Saint Elizabeth School

National Guard

The 928th Sapper Company, a unit of the 769th Engineer Battalion and the 225th Engineer Brigade.

Politics

Assumption Parish is represented in the Louisiana House of Representatives by Beryl Amedee, a Republican, and Chad Brown, a Democrat. During the "Solid South" era, conflicts over trade policy often caused Assumption Parish to deviate somewhat from overwhelming Democratic support, as did rebellion in the Acadiana region against Woodrow Wilson's perceived hostility towards France.[21]

Since the Dixiecrat revolt, by contrast, Assumption has been a typical rural South Louisiana parish in its political behaviour. It backed Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in 1948 and Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 before showing powerful pro-Catholic behaviour in 1960[22] and then turning powerfully against liberal Midwestern Democrats in 1968 and 1972. With the nomination of the more centrist Southerner Jimmy Carter in 1976, Assumption became again Democratic leaning until the 2000s, when, like all of the rural white South, it has turned powerfully Republican.[23]

More information Year, Republican ...
United States presidential election results for Assumption Parish, Louisiana[24]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.%No.%No.%
1912 149 20.03% 423 56.85% 172 23.12%
1916 221 20.41% 489 45.15% 373 34.44%
1920 725 78.21% 202 21.79% 0 0.00%
1924 601 66.34% 305 33.66% 0 0.00%
1928 307 24.46% 948 75.54% 0 0.00%
1932 386 20.06% 1,538 79.94% 0 0.00%
1936 1,111 60.94% 712 39.06% 0 0.00%
1940 722 29.10% 1,759 70.90% 0 0.00%
1944 426 23.09% 1,419 76.91% 0 0.00%
1948 469 25.57% 362 19.74% 1,003 54.69%
1952 1,210 42.35% 1,647 57.65% 0 0.00%
1956 1,708 55.17% 1,282 41.41% 106 3.42%
1960 766 18.19% 3,019 71.69% 426 10.12%
1964 2,112 40.87% 3,056 59.13% 0 0.00%
1968 1,222 19.69% 2,085 33.60% 2,898 46.70%
1972 3,751 58.93% 2,065 32.44% 549 8.63%
1976 3,117 40.42% 4,401 57.07% 193 2.50%
1980 4,001 44.10% 4,679 51.57% 393 4.33%
1984 5,433 52.43% 4,660 44.97% 270 2.61%
1988 4,017 40.19% 5,610 56.13% 368 3.68%
1992 2,928 28.01% 5,639 53.95% 1,886 18.04%
1996 2,698 26.42% 6,416 62.83% 1,098 10.75%
2000 4,388 43.65% 5,222 51.94% 443 4.41%
2004 4,966 46.26% 5,585 52.03% 184 1.71%
2008 5,981 54.57% 4,756 43.39% 223 2.03%
2012 6,083 55.34% 4,754 43.25% 155 1.41%
2016 6,714 61.57% 3,931 36.05% 259 2.38%
2020 7,271 64.72% 3,833 34.12% 131 1.17%
2024 6,963 67.17% 3,273 31.57% 131 1.26%
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Notable people

See also

References

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