Ascension Parish

I-10 South

Louisiana's fastest-growing parish, located directly south and southeast of East Baton Rouge along the I-10 corridor. Prairieville (pop. 33,200) is the largest community, a sprawling CDP with new subdivisions and retail along LA-73 and Airline Highway. Gonzales (pop. 12,200), the parish seat, bills itself the Jambalaya Capital of the World. Donaldsonville anchors the western end on the Mississippi River. The parish straddles both banks of the river, with petrochemical plants lining the corridor between Geismar and Sorrento.