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Watson, Louisiana
Watson is a community of 1,357 people in Livingston Parish, Louisiana.
Why visit Watson
Townapedia lists 1 park or trail and 9 places to eat in and around town.
Weather in Watson
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Watson
Watson (also known locally as Live Oak) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Watson had a population of 956. The community is in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From the Wikipedia article Watson, Louisiana (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes9
Domino's
Fast food · Pizza · 1.3 mi
33716 LA-16, Denham Springs
Mo-Th 10:30-24:00; Fr-Sa 10:30-01:00; Su 10:30-24:00
Sneaux Candy
Fast food · Dessert · 1.4 mi
9498 Springfield Road, Denham Springs
Fr 13:00-19:00; Sa,Su,We,Th 13:00-18:00
Subway
Fast food · Sandwich · 0.4 mi
35055 Louisiana Highway, Denham Springs
Mo-Fr 07:00-21:00; Sa-Su 09:00-21:00
Churches and places of worship3
Shopping1
History
Watson Post Office was established on February 20, 1894, by George W. Watson. The first Live Oak School was a one-room cypress schoolhouse built in 1895 on land donated by Rev. Joel Ott. The school was expanded with new buildings and locations. As of 2014, Live Oak High School operates from a newer two-story building on Louisiana Highway 16. The former high school campus (near its original site across from Live Oak Hardware) was demolished to create the Live Oak Junior High.
Live Oak Church at the town's main intersection began as Live Oak Methodist Church. The first church was destroyed during the American Civil War. According to the church history, shortly after Union soldiers burned the original building, residents W.C. Newsom, Huff Jones, George Nesom, J.B. Easterly and James Chandler hand cut the lumber to lay a new foundation. In 1893, pastor J.P. Haney from the Methodist Mississippi Conference oversaw construction of a frame church that served the congregation until 1950. Two larger church buildings were built adjacent to the original Live Oak Methodist Church (now demolished). In 2022, Live Oak Church voted to break away from the United Methodist Church after the denomination began ordaining LGBTQ clergy.
From the History section of Watson, Louisiana on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schools, colleges and libraries18
Bellingrath Hills Elementary School
School · 4.8 mi
6612 Audusson, Greenwell Springs
Denham Springs Freshman High School
School · 5.5 mi
940 Range Avenue Ne, Denham Springs
Denham Springs High School
School · 5.4 mi
1000 North Range Avenue, Denham Springs
North Live Oak Elementary School
School · 1.7 mi
36605 Outback Road, Denham Springs
Healthcare1
Map of Watson
33 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
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
Livingston Parish has had 40 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, 12 miles away.
- Central 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Walker 8 mi southeast, about 13 min by car
- Brownfields 11 mi west, about 17 min by car
- Baker 12 mi west, about 20 min by car
- Livingston 13 mi southeast, about 21 min by car
- Baton Rouge 14 mi southwest, about 23 min by car
- Zachary 14 mi northwest, about 23 min by car
- Slaughter 15 mi northwest, about 25 min by car
- Prairieville 18 mi south, about 29 min by car
- Gardere 19 mi southwest, about 30 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
- 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
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- U S Border Patrol agents assigned to the Lake Charles Border Patrol station clear debris from Hurricane Ida in Baton Rouge, La (51413716296), CBP Photography, Public domain
- 210830-H-NI589-0005, CBP Photography, Public domain
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