Assumption Parish

Established on March 31, 1807, Assumption Parish is one of Louisiana’s original 19 civil parishes, covering approximately 339 square miles. Bordered by Terrebonne, St. Mary, Iberia, St. Martin, Iberville, Ascension, St. James, and Lafourche Parishes, it is bisected by Bayou Lafourche, once a major distributary of the Mississippi River until it was dammed in 1903 to control flooding. Named for the Festival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the parish lies in the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary region and also borders the Atchafalaya Basin.

Historically rooted in agriculture, Assumption Parish is known for its significant sugar cane production, yielding more sugar proportionally than any other parish in Louisiana. Settled in the mid-18th century by French and Spanish colonists, the area retains strong cultural ties to its past, with conversational French still spoken by many residents. Napoleonville serves as the parish seat, and as of the 2020 census, the population was 21,039.