Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville is a city of 6,831 people in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, founded in 1806.
Why visit Donaldsonville
Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails and 5 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Landry Tomb, Belle Alliance Plantation, Donaldsonville Historic District and La La Regira Field.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 91°F; January lows average 42°F.
Weather in Donaldsonville
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Donaldsonville
Donaldsonville (historically French: Lafourche-des-Chitimachas) is a city in, and the parish seat of Ascension Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located along the River Road of the west bank of the Mississippi River, it is a part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area. At the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 6,695.
From the Wikipedia article Donaldsonville, Louisiana (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks8
Landry Tomb
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
Historic place
Belle Alliance Plantation
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.6 mi
Human settlement in Louisiana, United States of America
Bocage Plantation
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.0 mi
1801 Louisiana plantation on the National Register of Historic Places
Evan Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.5 mi
Historic house in Louisiana, United States
Hermitage
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.3 mi
Greek Revival plantation home in Burnside, Louisiana, United States
Palo Alto Plantation
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.3 mi
Building in Louisiana, United States
St. Emma Plantation
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Former sugar plantation and house in Assumption Parish, Louisiana
Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Restaurants and cafes5
Churches and places of worship8
Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.8 mi
716 Mississippi Street, Donaldsonville
Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.5 mi
421 Saint Patrick Street, Donaldsonville
Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.6 mi
806 West 10th Street, Donaldsonville
History
The French were the first Europeans to colonize the area. They named the site Lafourche-des-Chitimachas, after the regional indigenous people and the local bayou, which they gave the same name. They developed agriculture in the parish, mainly as sugar cane plantations worked by African slave labor.
Acadians, expelled by the British from Acadia in 1755, began to settle in the area from 1756 to 1785, where they developed small subsistence farms. Spanish Isleños also settled here. In 1772 when the territory was under Spanish rule, the militia constructed La Iglesia de la Ascensión de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo de Lafourche de los Chetimaches (the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church of Lafourche of the Chitimaches) to serve the area. The region returned later to French control for a time.
This area was included in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and became part of the United States. Americans began to move into the area. Landowner and planter William Donaldson in 1806 commissioned the architect and planner, Barthelemy Lafon, to plan a new town at this site. It was renamed Donaldsonville after him.
From the History section of Donaldsonville, Louisiana on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Healthcare2
Map of Donaldsonville
41 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62°F | 42°F | 5.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 66°F | 45°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 72°F | 51°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 78°F | 57°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 85°F | 65°F | 5.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 89°F | 72°F | 7.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 74°F | 6.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 91°F | 73°F | 6.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 88°F | 69°F | 5.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 80°F | 59°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 71°F | 49°F | 4.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 44°F | 4.9 in | 0.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Donaldsonville 4 Sw Hcn (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Ascension Parish has had 37 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2024-09-16: Hurricane Francine (Hurricane)
- 2024-09-10: Tropical Storm Francine (Hurricane)
- 2021-09-13: Tropical Storm Nicholas (Coastal Storm)
- 2021-08-29: Hurricane Ida (Hurricane)
- 2021-08-27: Tropical Storm Ida (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 32 miles away.
- Belle Rose 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Gonzales 9 mi northeast, about 15 min by car
- Prairieville 15 mi north, about 25 min by car
- Gardere 20 mi northwest, about 32 min by car
- Chackbay 20 mi southeast, about 32 min by car
- Thibodaux 23 mi southeast, about 38 min by car
- Baton Rouge 25 mi north, about 41 min by car
- Addis 25 mi northwest, about 40 min by car
- Bayou Country Club 25 mi southeast, about 40 min by car
- Brusly 26 mi northwest, about 42 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- DVilleCourt2, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Donaldsonville, Louisiana September 2009 02, Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Donaldsonville, Louisiana September 2009 01, Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0
- StEmmaWM, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Belle Alliance Assumption, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- PaloAltoWM, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- EvanHall, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bocage Plantation, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Great River Road - River Road African American Museum, Unknown author Unknown author or not provided, Public domain
- LandryTomb, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ISS042-E-124723 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS042-E-121722 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS040-E-11607 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS042-E-124722 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS042-E-121721 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Lemann Block 2, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lemann Block 1, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- RomeHouse, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
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