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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Assumption County, Louisiana
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. Its parish seat is Napoleonville. Assumption Parish was established in 1807, as one of the original parishes of the Territory of Orleans.

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 km), of which 339 square miles (880 km) is land and 26 square miles (67 km) (7.1%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent parishes

Communities

Map of Assumption Parish, with municipal labels

Village

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Demographics

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%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010
Assumption Parish racial composition as of 2020
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 13,580 64.55%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 5,973 28.39%
Native American 83 0.39%
Asian 56 0.27%
Other/Mixed 433 2.06%
Hispanic or Latino 914 4.34%

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.

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.

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 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 due to disagreements with the Democratic Party's liberal views on social issues.

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

Notable people

See also