Zachary, Louisiana
Zachary is a city of 19,952 people in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, founded in August 2, 1889.
Why visit Zachary
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 12 parks and trails, 7 places to eat and 3 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Bank of Slaughter and Leland College.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 92°F; January lows average 42°F.
Weather in Zachary
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Zachary
Zachary is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies 16 miles (26 km) north of the city of Baton Rouge, and had a population of 14,960 at the 2010 census, up from 11,275 in 2000. At the 2020 census, Zachary's population increased to 19,316.
From the Wikipedia article Zachary, Louisiana (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks4
Bank of Slaughter
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
Bank building in Slaughter, Louisiana
Leland College
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.0 mi
African American college in Baker, Louisiana
Wildwood Plantation
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 6.2 mi
Historic house in Louisiana, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds12
Restaurants and cafes7
Taco Bell
Fast food · Tex-Mex · 1.4 mi
4608 Highway 19, Zachary
Mo-Th 09:00-01:00; Fr-Sa 09:00-02:00; Su 09:00-01:00
Where to stay3
History
Much of the land which the city now occupies was part of a 160-acre (65 ha) farm owned by Darel Zachary (1827-1907). In the 1880s, Zachary sold his land to the Illinois Central Railroad, who built a track and a depot on it. A village quickly grew up around the depot, which came to be called "Zachary" after the original farmer. Zachary's first post office was opened in 1885, and it was incorporated as a city on August 2, 1889, with Thomas Edward McHugh as its first mayor. A fire devastated the city in 1903, supposedly caused by a greengrocer trying to flame-ripen his bananas. The "historic village" at the center of the city is composed of buildings which either survived the fire, or were built shortly after it, the oldest (excluding the depot) being the 1898 Allison House. The first census was carried out in 1914 and reported just 419 residents. In 1966 Zachary became the first city in Louisiana since the Reconstruction Era to elect a Republican as mayor, Jack Louis Breaux.
From the History section of Zachary, Louisiana on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship17
Baker Presbyterian Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 5.3 mi
Shopping3
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries21
Copper Mill Elementary/Middle School
School · 2.1 mi
1300 Independence Blvd., Zachary
Slaughter Community Charter School
School · 4.0 mi
2944 Highway 412 West, Slaughter
Rollins Place Elementary & Zachary Early Learning Center
School · 0.5 mi
Rollins Place, Zachary
Healthcare3
CareSouth Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.3 mi
4852 Zachary Slaughter Highway, Zachary
Map of Zachary
73 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 | 6.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 67°F | 45°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 73°F | 51°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 79°F | 57°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 86°F | 65°F | 5.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 90°F | 72°F | 6.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 92°F | 74°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 92°F | 73°F | 6.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 89°F | 69°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 81°F | 58°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 71°F | 48°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 43°F | 5.3 in | 0.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Baton Rouge Ryan Ap Hcn (9 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
East Baton Rouge 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, 9 miles away.
- Slaughter 5 mi north, about 8 min by car
- Baker 6 mi south, about 9 min by car
- Brownfields 9 mi south, about 14 min by car
- Central 11 mi southeast, about 17 min by car
- Merrydale 12 mi south, about 19 min by car
- Jackson 12 mi north, about 19 min by car
- Watson 14 mi southeast, about 23 min by car
- Port Allen 15 mi south, about 25 min by car
- St. Francisville 15 mi northwest, about 24 min by car
- Baton Rouge 16 mi south, about 25 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
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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
- Zachary Railroad Depot, Jim Plylar, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hurricane Gustav over Zachary, Louisiana, Christopher Barnette from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America, CC BY 2.0
- Baker Presbyterian Church, Rab302, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ISS053-E-32686 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-54321 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS038-E-55391 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS038-E-55392 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- 2SlaughterBankWM, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 3.0
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